Launching a restaurant in China requires careful planning, understanding of local business practices, and an appreciation of cultural nuances. Here are some key tips to help you successfully launch a restaurant in China
In the restaurant sector in China, Social media are the KEY
Whether it’s Chinese cooking or western cuisine competition is fierce.
Staff Recruitment and Training complicated
- Hiring Local Staff: Hire local staff who understand the culture and language. This can enhance customer service and ensure smooth operations.
- Training Programs: Implement comprehensive training programs for your staff, focusing on food safety, customer service, and restaurant operations.
Marketing and Promotion is VITAL
- Online Presence: Establish a strong online presence through social media platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and Little Red Book. Create engaging content and interact with your audience.
- Influencer Collaborations: Collaborate with local food influencers and bloggers to promote your restaurant. Their endorsements can significantly boost your visibility and attract customers.
- Promotions and Discounts: Offer introductory promotions, discounts, and loyalty programs to attract initial customers and build a loyal customer base.
Technology
- Point of Sale Systems: Implement efficient point of sale (POS) systems to streamline ordering, billing, and inventory management.
- Online Ordering and Delivery: Partner with popular food delivery platforms like Meituan and Ele.me to offer online ordering and delivery services.
- Dianping , Little red book, online payment
9. Customer Feedback – ereputation
- Feedback Mechanisms: Encourage customers to provide feedback through comment cards, social media, and review platforms. Use this feedback to continuously improve your offerings and service.
- Loyalty Programs: Implement loyalty programs to reward repeat customers and encourage word-of-mouth referrals.
- Ereputation and reviews are the heart of Chinese consumption
One of the main outlets for Chinese spending is food, it has a pivotal place in Chinese culture, most Chinese go to a restaurant quite often with colleagues, childhood friends, family, and business partners. Eating is the engine that drives China’s growth!
The meal is an important moment of the day reflecting the Chinese culture as a whole.
You must know how to market your restaurant in China if you want it to be successful. The principal tools you need to use here in China are digital tools :
Offer a quality website
Offering a quality website about your restaurant with good photos will attract your customer. Communicating about the aesthetic, qualities, and characteristics of your restaurant will encourage people to come; Chinese internet users look at the information on restaurants before making decisions. Your website must be in Chinese too.
Example http://lebec.com.cn/
Have an SEO strategy
Now that you have a website, you must better optimize your online strategy on search engines (known as SEO: Search Engine Optimization) to be recognized in this sector among the multitude of restaurants.
You need to maximize your presence on influential websites and by diversifying the publication of articles. This will allow you to optimize your ranking on Baidu.
More on SEO in China here.
Pay attention to social media in China
In order to engage with your audience, you must pay particular attention to internet word of mouth through social networks.
If customers have enjoyed eating at your restaurant, they will come back and bring back their friends. They will share images of food and comment on their experiences on social media.
You must be careful about the quality of your service and that the menu dishes are suitable for all tastes and all client types. Indeed comments made by users can be positive or negative and can have a huge influence on other customers’ behavior.
Remember that word of mouth is passed mainly through social networks such as WeChat, … etc.
Most Chinese users use social networks as their primary source of information in order to determine their final choice.
Curate quality content on social networks to inspire visitors to come to eat at your restaurant, organize tasting sessions, special evenings on a specific theme, cooking classes, and contests.
For example, WeChat offers interesting features for restaurants that want to promote their business through a service account. There is an interesting feature that allows you to customize your online menu and make online payments within WeChat. Highlight your best-known dishes with quality photos and share the location of your restaurant.
Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu) in 2024
Get visibility for yourrestaurant via Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu or RED) requires strategic use of the platform’s features and understanding its community-driven approach. Here are some tips to effectively promote your restaurant on Little Red Book:
1- Content
- Use Great Photos and Videos: Hire a professional photographer to take pictures and videos of your food, restaurant, and atmosphere. High-quality visuals grab attention.
- Tell Your Story: Share the story of your restaurant, what makes your food special, and your cooking philosophy. Personal stories connect with people.
2. Leverage Influencers
- Work with Food Influencers: Partner with popular food influencers on Little Red Book to review and recommend your restaurant. They can reach a lot of people and build credibility.
- Use Local Micro-Influencers: Collaborate with local micro-influencers who have dedicated followers in your area. They often have higher engagement and can attract a focused audience.
3. User-Generated Content
- Encourage Customer Reviews: Ask customers to share their dining experiences and reviews on Little Red Book. People trust content from other users.
- Create a Hashtag Campaign: Make a unique hashtag for your restaurant and encourage customers to use it when they post about their visit. This gathers all related content in one place.
4. Community Management
- Respond to Comments: Reply to comments on your posts. Engaging with users shows you care about their feedback and builds community.
- Interact with clients: Follow and interact with relevant users. Building relationships increases your visibility.
- Dianping & Red
5. Promotions and Events
- Post Special Offers: Share exclusive deals, discounts, and promotions for Little Red Book users. This encourages visits and word-of-mouth marketing.
- Host Events and Contests: Organize events or contests to get users involved. For example, a photo contest where users post pictures of their meals at your restaurant with a specific hashtag.
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1 comment
rachel
In Shanghai, there are so many western restaurant. Most of them have a lot of sucess because they know how to do SEO and how to promote on internet. For chinese consumers, it’s very important to have their own website and translated in Mandarin. Your article is very interesting. Thank you very much.