During this year’s May Day holiday, the catering consumption market in Ningbo has witnessed strong growth, with such local IPs as the “Top-scholar culture” and the “Fu culture” continuing to boom. A number of wedding and birthday banquets were conducted, popular restaurants saw long queues of guests, and the commercial districts were bustling with crowds. Coincidentally with the Beginning of Summer and the emergence of seasonal delicacies, the combination of multiple consumer demands has added to the vibe of hustle and bustle of the city.
Emergence of new consumer scenarios
“It’s a special experience for me to not only taste the delicious food recommended by the ‘Black Pearl Restaurant Guide’, but also immerse myself in the ‘Top-scholar culture.” said a Ms. Li, a tourist from Hangzhou, on May 3, after her dinner at the Zhuangyuan Building Hotel in the Eastern New Town of Ningbo.The Ningbo Zhuangyuan Building Hotel, in collaboration with its subsidiary RE·CHAMPS Hotel (Ningbo), integrates the Top-scholar culture into more new consumption scenarios. Cultural elements such as ancient sedan chairs and hitching posts for top scholars, and famous calligraphy and painting works are scattered throughout the hotel, echoing the “Light Bucket” architecture designed by a Pritzker Prize winner. The high-end art hotel that combines Chinese and Western elements, where the Black Pearl Restaurant “Chen’s Mansion” and the seafood specialty restaurant “Chen’s Cookshop” blend their deliciousness with the comfortable experience of AI mattresses, becomes one of the new attractions for tourists during the holiday.
“Ningbo is not a big metropolis, but it impresses me with its business spirit. There are so many powerful entrepreneurs, and most of them are willing to stay in Ningbo. Large scale works have sprung up one after another here.” said Hu Run, the founder of the “Hurun Rich List” and a “Deep Sleep Experience Officer”, after his stay at the RE·CHAMPS Hotel (Ningbo). According to the hotel staff, during this year’s May Day holiday, the hotel’s room occupancy rate and restaurant occupancy rate both exceeded 90%.
Another restaurant that has gained popularity through its cultural IP is the Dongfuyuan Restaurant. As a well-established catering enterprise in Ningbo, Dongfuyuan Restaurant, by deeply exploring the connotation of the “Fu (happiness) culture”, integrates birthday themed catering needs such as birthday wishes and full moon wine with cultural elements. The carefully arranged Fu character decoration and auspicious dish combinations have made many citizens choose it for their family banquets. Mr. Wang, a citizen, said that he booked the birthday banquet at Dongfuyuan Restaurant half a month in advance, and the atmosphere on the day of the meal was very good. Reportedly, during the May Day holiday, the turnover of the restaurant increased by nearly 50% compared to ordinary days.
Popularity of well-received restaurants
The popular restaurants on the streets and alleys make up the brisk vibe of the catering industry. The chain stores of Yongshang Mingzao, known as one of the most popular restaurants in Ningbo, were brisk during the May Day holiday. At 11 noon on May 3, at the Ningbo Cultural Plaza branch of Yongshang Mingzao, long queues had already formed inside and outside the restaurant. “We came two hours in advance just to taste the authentic Ningbo local dishes”, said Ms. Zhang, a citizen, in the queue.
According to the manager of the restaurant, during the peak meal season of the May Day holiday, it is common for customers to wait in the queue for one or two hours. Despite this, there are still many citizens and tourists every day, and on average, each table needs to be turned over three times. In addition to Yongshang Mingzao, seafood specialty restaurants such as Ninghai Restaurant and Shipu Hotel are also experiencing a peak in consumption, with their authentic Ningbo flavor dishes.
Popular business districts have also become one of the “main battlefields” for catering consumption. The dining areas of such commercial districts as Tianyi Square, Wanda Plaza, Cultural Plaza, and InCity Plaza are crowded with people at every meal, and many restaurants have long queues outside. In the dining area of Wanda Plaza, whether it’s a popular snack shop or a chain restaurant, there is a lively atmosphere with diners. “During the holiday, you can come to the business district for shopping with your family and enjoy a meal. It is a convenient one-stop experience”, said Ms. Li, a citizen. There are many dining options in the business districts, and both the elderly and children can find dishes that suit their taste.
The May Day holiday also coincides with the peak period of weddings, and a number of wedding banquets have added momentum to catering consumption. It has been learned from multiple hotels that during the May Day holiday, the booking volume for wedding banquets has significantly increased, and many hotel banquet halls have almost been fully booked.
Various eggs in great demand
Ningbo people have the traditional custom of “eating eggs on the Beginning of Summer day”, and the poultry and egg market also experienced a consumption boom during the May Day holiday. At the Ningbo Meat, Poultry and Egg Wholesale Market, Ding Lingyou was busy packing duck eggs for customers, with a smile on her face. “With the May Day holiday and approaching Beginning of Summer, sales have been particularly good in recent days, especially for duck and goose eggs, with sales increasing by nearly 50% compared to ordinary days”.
According to Ding Lingyou, the current wholesale price of duck eggs is about 12 yuan per kilo, goose eggs, about 5 yuan each, ostrich eggs, about 80 yuan each, and pearl eggs, about 1.7 yuan each. In order to meet the demand for the holiday, they have prepared a sufficient supply of goods in advance, and the prices have remained stable. “As the saying goes in Ningbo, ‘Eating an egg on the Beginning of Summer brings more strength to you’. Many citizens will buy eggs in advance to prepare for the Beginning of Summer day. Coupled with the demand for wedding banquets, sales naturally increase, and thousands of kilograms of eggs can be sold every day”.
According to preliminary statistics, the sales of key catering enterprises in Ningbo increased by about 15% year on year in the four days of the May Day holiday. The combination of cultural empowerment, scenario innovation and seasonal consumption has not only enriched the holiday life of citizens and tourists, but also activated new vitality in catering consumption. Business insiders say that with the continuous innovation of consumer scenarios and the continued empowerment of local culture, the catering consumption market in Ningbo will continue to unleash its potential.
