Regional characteristics become a new label for barbecue shops.

　　Unconsciously, the barbecue shops around us are becoming more and more subdivided: taking the northeast as an example, Qiqihar barbecue and Yanbian barbecue … … Regional characteristics have become a popular new "label" in the barbecue industry.

　　Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong have the most barbecue stores.

　　"Roasting" is an ancient cooking method. As one of its products, barbecue has also experienced a long development process. Today, barbecue has become an indispensable part of global food culture.

　　According to the relevant report of Red Meal Industry Research Institute, in recent years, the number of barbecue stores and the stock of related enterprises have both increased. By December 2023, the stock of barbecue-related enterprises in China had reached 116,000, a year-on-year increase of 12.8%. In terms of the number of stores, as of January 2024, the number of barbecue stores nationwide reached 164,000, a year-on-year increase of 2.4%.

　　Which provinces and cities prefer to eat barbecue? Barbecue stores are distributed in all regions of China, among which the number of stores in East China is far more than that in other regions, accounting for 29.6%. From the perspective of provincial administrative regions, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shandong have the largest number of barbecue stores, followed by Liaoning, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

　　Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ and Chinese BBQ … … Which one do you like best? After years of development, the barbecue category has been subdivided into several tracks. According to the style of product taste, it can be roughly divided into Korean barbecue, Japanese barbecue, Chinese barbecue, Brazilian barbecue, Turkish barbecue and fusion barbecue. Among them, the first three are the three most popular barbecue categories in China.

　　In terms of price, statistics show that the per capita consumption price of brands in the range from 50 yuan to 100 yuan accounts for 65.6%, followed by those in the range from 100 yuan to 150 yuan and below 50 yuan, accounting for 17.5% and 11.1% respectively.

　　Innovative ingredients and barbecue group CP

　　The beef and mutton slaughtered on the same day, now cut and now mixed, combined with the dipping of nut powder, Qiqihar barbecue with strong salty taste has gained popularity on social platforms in the past year; Yanbian barbecue with Korean characteristics and sweet taste, with fruits and vegetables, mushrooms and Yunnan barbecue with different tastes dipped in water, all occupy an important position in the barbecue industry with distinctive regional characteristics.

　　Previously, Chinese barbecue mainly focused on Sichuan barbecue, Hunan barbecue and Northeast barbecue. In recent years, with the increasing demand of consumers, mining local barbecue has become an important strategy for barbecue brands to redo their categories. For example, the popularity of Qiqihar barbecue and Yanbian barbecue increased significantly last year, and many tourists "went to a city for a delicious meal".

　　While the barbecue category is subdivided, the barbecue products are further integrated and innovated. Some brands integrate the characteristics of other regions in products, tastes and baking methods to provide people with novel taste experience. For example, with regional snacks such as fried cakes and baked milk skins, or in the way of baking, iron plates, clay stoves, fried meat in water, barbecue on paper and so on are creatively introduced.

　　Some barbecue brands will learn from the application of ingredients in other catering categories and enrich consumers’ choices by launching related products. For example, goose liver introduced into western food, dry cooked beef, or beef cut according to the shoulder, rib and outer ridge of beef.

　　There are also some barbecue brands that continue to tap niche ingredients and make innovations in the combination of ingredients. For example, fruits such as litchi, mango, pineapple, and green raisin are added to the meat for roasting, which adds a touch of "exquisite" fruit aroma to the "heroic" barbecue.

　　Immersive scenes create a sense of atmosphere

　　Whether it’s a street shop full of rivers and lakes, a national trendy shop that combines traditional culture with modern trends, or a "one store, one concept" with different scene designs … … In recent years, many barbecue brands have sought breakthroughs in scene creation. They attract consumers by improving the dining environment and atmosphere, so that they can have a richer experience in the dining process.

　　In addition, some barbecue brands actively explore the barbecue takeaway business. In order to restore the experience of barbecue consumption to the store as much as possible, the packaging and oven have been upgraded. However, in the minds of consumers, barbecue take-out still needs to be improved in terms of ingredients, safety and packaging. Text/reporter Chen Si