Wei Shi: The innovation of catering industry comes from the market: the innovation of catering industry.

If faced with market competition, it is necessary to create additional value, even in the mature catering industry. With the development of the times, from food and clothing to well-off and then to prosperity, people have a higher level of pursuit of food after meeting the needs of life, whether it is material or spiritual. What changes will the combination of cultural and creative industries and gourmet catering bring to the traditional catering industry? How should China catering innovate, especially brand innovation? To this end, this magazine specially interviewed Mr. Wei Shi, an expert in catering brand and marketing, an advocate of actual catering marketing and general manager of Woods catering brand planning agency.

Creative world: Woods has done brand planning, integrated marketing and brand management for many catering enterprises. What problems do you think these enterprises have?

Wei Shi: Woods started to plan the brand of catering industry in 2005, and has served nearly 100 catering enterprises so far. At present, the catering industry in China is undergoing a period of transformation from a small, chaotic and miscellaneous single store to a branded, personalized and large-scale chain enterprise. In this process, all enterprises that attach importance to their own structural development, customer relationship and brand building are becoming stronger and stronger.

Creative world: what is one of the cases that impressed you? How has the enterprise been promoted through this brand planning?

Wei Shi: It took us three years to develop a hot pot brand from six chain stores to 40, and now it has entered the preparation period for listing. Helping enterprises to do brand planning and management is mainly to let brands know their own direction and how to achieve their goals. Our most important tool is the "equal sign". On the left of the equal sign is the brand, and on the right is the catering category, such as McDonald's = Hamburg and KFC = fried chicken. The simpler the description on the right, the stronger the enterprise, the more complex the description on the right, and the more elementary the enterprise. Find the equal sign, and then simplify the right side of the equal sign, and you will find a road suitable for enterprise development. The next step is to go straight along this road.

Creative World: China on the tip of the tongue triggers the butterfly effect. What do you think this documentary has brought to the catering industry in China?

Wei Shi: The restless society makes us ignore the essence of our lives. In fact, we live in a country full of delicious food every day, as long as you understand it with your heart. "China on the Tip of the Tongue" makes everyone calm down, re-observe themselves, pay attention to their families, and re-appreciate the details of life that are usually ignored. Catering culture is a kind of "vulgar" culture, and catering enterprises that care about the people will benefit a lot from both economic and social benefits.

The combination of catering industry and cultural creativity should be noted that this kind of innovation is not an innovation in concept, but an innovation in products and services, which will bring about brand changes. The catering industry is the most real industry. If the customer doesn't like the products sold in the restaurant, he won't come again. The catering industry has also been exploring in recent years. Some enterprises have made film and television dramas, some enterprises have published books, and some enterprises have also participated in many cultural activities, but all of them have little effect. It is the artistic conception dish of Dadong Roast Duck, which perfectly combines China culture with Dadong's dishes and is unique and well-known. Therefore, the combination of cultural creativity and catering should be just right.

Creative World: What is the charm of China cuisine? How to spread the characteristic culture of China by building catering brand enterprises?

Wei Shi: The charm of China cuisine lies in its richness and tolerance, which is the characteristic of China, a multi-ethnic country and endowed by the profound China culture. China people's love for food is a way of life that has existed for thousands of years. I believe that the greatest restaurant brand in the future will definitely appear in China.

As mentioned above, catering culture is a kind of "vulgar" culture, and here "vulgar" refers to being close to the daily life of the people. Therefore, for catering enterprises, to be bigger and stronger with a sense of social responsibility, to set an example and to promote the development of catering industry is to spread China culture. The culture of the catering industry should not be described too deliberately in every memorable dish and in every waiter's sincere smile.

Creative world: A typical example is that Quanjude, a Beijing time-honored brand, not only established its own Quanjude Museum, but also invested in corresponding film and television dramas and dramas. What kind of important role do you think cultural creativity plays in reshaping old brands?

Wei Shi: China's time-honored brand is a precious heritage and cultural symbol of China, which should be studied and promoted by special institutions and funds. Cultural and creative industries need to explore the long history of cooking in China in a responsible spirit. The craze created by CCTV's "China on the Tip of the Tongue" shows that the public will understand the good things made by heart.

Creative World: What steps should an old restaurant brand take to adapt to the development of the new market economy and how to improve its brand building?

Wei Shi: At present, most old brands are in the hands of local governments, and the system affects development; Although some time-honored brands are in the hands of individuals, they are difficult to develop because of their small scale and few resources. To develop time-honored brands, in addition to the call and appeal of the government and society, the most important thing is to give them to entrepreneurs who understand the market, management and essence of time-honored brands. Personally, if we entrust the old brand to a private catering enterprise with a certain scale and social responsibility, we may be able to speed up the process of the old brand.

Creative world: We can see that the injection of cultural creativity plays an important role in enhancing the added value of the catering and food industry. How do you think China catering should innovate, especially brand innovation? What are the problems faced by catering brands in China and how should they be improved and upgraded?

Wei Shi: The catering industry in China is facing many problems. The most important thing is that it is scattered and does not form a joint force of the industry. So innovation is also fragmented. This is the status quo of the catering industry, and powerful enterprises in the future must accept this pain.

First of all, innovation comes from education, and any innovation is not groundless. Innovation comes from the height and width of vision. Fortunately, at present, all colleges and universities have set up catering-related courses, and there are more and more catering exchanges around the country. I think that smart entrepreneurs in China will continue to contend and do their own brands well. If there are doctors of Sichuan cuisine and masters of Cantonese cuisine in China in the future, are we still worried about the lack of talents and weak innovation ability?

Secondly, innovation comes from the market, and the essence of innovation in catering industry is to satisfy customers, make customers fall in love with this brand, and constantly form consumption. As the market is constantly changing, the requirements of customers are constantly changing, and the reform aimed at customer satisfaction is the essence of catering industry innovation. For example, sea fishing is a model of innovation.

Creative world: the catering industry has developed to today, and the market is quite mature. Why should we mention the influence of cultural creativity on the catering industry?

Wei Shi: Britain put forward "Design Britain" in 1990s to reshape the image of Britain. After that, we saw a vibrant Britain. In the era of knowledge economy, any industry needs the support of cultural and creative industries. I think that if the catering industry wants to speed up its progress, it must also keep pace with the times and keep thinking and innovating.

Creative world: So what are the specific aspects of the impact and important role of cultural creativity on the catering industry?

Wei Shi: I understand that cultural creativity refers to innovation in different ways. The catering industry really needs to innovate through various means, especially promotion, to add value to itself. If the cultural and creative industries play an important role in the catering industry, I think it is more about presentation. Creative industries can better show the essence of corporate brands and let customers see richer and more authentic catering brands.

Creative world: finally, talk about the future tense of food. Which channel do you think the catering industry will go in the future? What surprises and changes will it bring to our lives?

Wei Shi: It is worth noting that the catering industry will develop in two directions: on the one hand, there will be many large-scale chain brands, which will become the overlord of different categories such as Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan cuisine or hot pot, steamed stuffed bun and so on. The scale of the enterprise will be very large. And there may be one or more multi-brands, that is, enterprise groups, which will surpass Yum! Brand. On the other hand, there will be many family-style independent shops, and the products operated by each shop are very thoughtful and distinctive. The future catering industry must be more humanized and suitable for different people and different situations. No matter who you are, what you want to eat and who you want to eat with, there will be delicious, comfortable, thoughtful and safe restaurants for you to choose from.