Beijing Restaurants Get Creative In Pandemic

To Keep Business Coming Amid Latest Restrictions, Beijing Restaurants Get Creative

Irene Li, Associate Editor | May 20, 2022 5:45 pm | Add a comment | 386 reads

Take a stroll down Nanluoguxiang these days and you'll be able to see how restaurants and other businesses along the normally bustling pedestrian street have been scrambling around to adapt to changing regulations and safety guidelines.

Ever since the announcement of the temporary suspension of dine-in services, the once populated street has become a lot less crowded than before, with only a few people here and there.

Some shops have been closed since May Holiday, “There are really not many people these days, so many restaurants have chosen to suspend their operations to save on rental costs,” a snack shop owner told us.

But it isn't all doom and gloom. Amid this latest spate of restrictions, some businesses have embraced these challenges through adopting a new business model.

In one bakery called Gaorugu Peach Su, we spotted a staff member touting the shop's baked goods via livestream. He played up the deliciousness and the fancy ingredients of the cakes while persuading customers to place orders. “We only use the freshest frozen cream imported from New Zealand. You'd better place your order now before these cakes turn cold.”

At a store called Dr. Plant, we saw yet another employee interacting with customers via livestream. “We now rely a lot more on livestreaming and our sales online have ticked up recently because fewer people are going out these days,” she told me.

Some leading catering groups have set up food stalls at their doors to attract more customers.

The Guloudongdajie branch of Old Beijing Noodle, for instance, now has a table outside with food ready to takeaway, not only are they offering smoked chicken and crayfish, but also fresh meat like pig feet and chicken feet.

Some shops have decided to take a step further by offering generous discounts. “Everything is 50 percent off now,” a jewelry store owner told me while I perused their wares.

WeChat groups also play a huge part in helping restaurants promote their business. TheBeixinqiao branch of Wuyutai Tea started taking orders and payments in group chats. They even launched a mini program so that they would be able to handle more online orders.

“We are just hoping that the restaurant industry will be able to resume dine-in services soon. In the meantime, though we have to make sure that customers can easily pick up their orders as well as providing an experience to rival that of in-house dining,” one restaurant owner said.