From Two-Hour Queues to 35,000 Store Closures in a Year: The泡沫 of Popular Barbecue Restaurants Bursting
Summary of Key Points
This news article illustrates a typical lifecycle of the “internet celebrity economy,” where the barbecue restaurant industry has rapidly grown and then undergone significant restructuring.
Once, barbecue restaurants were the “traffic kings” of the catering sector, attracting numerous customers with their “unlimited food,” “high cost-effectiveness,” and “social appeal,” to the point where people would queue for two hours to dine there. However, due to market saturation, increased competition, and consumer fatigue, the industry has entered a downturn, with approximately 35,000 stores closing within just one year. This indicates that the extensive growth model, which relied on marketing and low prices to attract attention, is no longer sustainable. The industry is now undergoing a harsh transition from a “traffic dividend” to a focus on “quality and operational efficiency.”
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Detailed Analysis
1. Why Was It So Popular? – The Dual Drive of the “Get a Deal” Mentality and Social Currency
To understand the current decline, we need to look at what made the industry so popular in the first place. The rise of barbecue restaurants tapped into two key pain points:
- The Sense of Security of “Mindless Eating”: In a context of declining consumption and a pursuit of cost-effectiveness, the “fixed price, unlimited supply” model provided consumers with a great sense of security. People felt that as long as they ate quickly, the owner would suffer a loss, creating a strong incentive to “get a deal.”
- The Necessity of Social Interaction: Barbecue itself is highly interactive. Gatherings with friends or family, where everyone sits together to grill and chat, create a relaxed and engaging atmosphere. It’s different from hot pot, which requires waiting, and less formal than Japanese cuisine, making it a popular social activity for young people.
In simple terms: People enjoyed not just the food but also the feeling of getting a good deal and the lively atmosphere with friends.
2. Behind the 35,000 Closures: The Vicious Cycle of Homogenized Competition
So why did the industry suddenly cool down? The main reason is that there were too many options, and all the restaurants looked similar:
- Low Barriers to Entry and Rapid Replication: Starting a barbecue restaurant requires minimal investment—just renting a space, buying some grills, and purchasing meat. This led to a flood of new businesses, resulting in thousands of stores opening in a short period.
- High Product Homogenization: What distinguishes one restaurant’s pork from another’s? Almost nothing. The menu, price range, and decoration styles were very similar, leaving customers with a lack of distinction between different places.
- Price Wars: To attract customers, businesses competed on price, lowering prices from 99 yuan to 79 yuan, and then to 59 yuan. Lower prices meant thinner profits, which forced them to use lower-quality ingredients (such as synthetic or frozen meat) to control costs.
In simple terms: It’s like having many pancake shops on the street with identical products; the only difference is price. But when prices are too low, the quality suffers, and customers stop coming.
3. Changing Consumer Preferences: From “Experiencing Something New” to “Being Picky,” Quality Becomes a New Barrier
A hallmark of the internet celebrity economy is its rapid rise and fall. Consumers’ attention spans are short, and their desire for novelty fades quickly:
- Fading Novelty: Once barbecue restaurants became common, customers no longer were excited by the unlimited food option; they began to focus on the quality of the meat, cleanliness of the environment, and quality of service.
- Quality Issues: Early restaurants cut corners on ingredients to save money. After trying these subpar products several times, customers became disappointed, leading to a loss of brand loyalty.
- Increasing Competition: With so many dining options, consumers have more choices. They can go to more upscale Japanese barbecue restaurants, hot pot, or fast food for a cheaper alternative. If barbecue restaurants stick only to low prices while neglecting quality, they will be outcompeted.
In simple terms: People who once were willing to try anything now have higher standards and are less willing to pay for poor quality.
4. Operational Challenges: High Losses and Low Repeat Business
For operators, running a barbecue restaurant is challenging:
- High Food Losses: The self-service model means customers can take as much as they want. Unstable customer traffic and excessive consumption can lead to high food waste. Despite high sales, costs (including waste, labor, and rent) often result in thin profits or losses.
- Low Repeat Business: Barbecue is often a one-time or infrequent experience. Customers rarely visit weekly, so businesses must constantly attract new customers at increasing costs.
- High Labor Costs: Restaurants need many staff to clean tables, restock ingredients, and guide customers. Rising labor costs are a significant burden for low-profit businesses.
In simple terms: Running a barbecue restaurant is like managing a “self-service warehouse.” You need to keep supplies, but customers may come one day and not return the next. Overstocking leads to waste, while understocking disappoints customers. The additional costs of cleaning and restocking erode profits.
5. The Future Path: Moving from “Traffic Thinking” to “Product Thinking”
The closure of 35,000 restaurants is not the end of the industry but a milestone of its maturity. Surviving businesses must make the following changes:
- Differentiated Positioning: Stop being generalist and focus on specific segments, such as “luxury beef barbecue,” “seafood barbecue,” or “specialty flavor barbecue” (e.g., Korean or Japanese), to attract specific audiences.
- Improving Quality and Experience: Invest in high-quality ingredients and enhance the overall dining experience to make customers feel the value of their money.
- Efficient Operations: Use data to control food waste, optimize the menu, and increase turnover rates. Instead of focusing on low prices, aim for reasonable profits and customer satisfaction.
In simple terms: Future barbecue restaurants need to focus on quality, comfort, and excellent service to attract and retain customers, rather than just relying on low prices and a lively atmosphere.
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Conclusion
The rise and fall of popular barbecue restaurants reflect China’s economic shift from rapid growth to high-quality development. It shows that prosperity built on marketing gimmicks and low prices is fragile. Only by returning to the essence of the product and improving the customer experience can businesses thrive in a competitive market.
For consumers, this is a good thing, as it means they can now enjoy higher-quality and healthier barbecue options. For entrepreneurs, it’s a valuable lesson: in the catering industry, there are no eternal internet celebrities; what matters is customer satisfaction.