Series 'Random Writing' #463: A Western-cuisine business capable of generating ¥500,000 annually—here’s how to launch it without investing a single cent!

This influencer sells only premium steaks, averaging ¥150 per piece. Have you ever eaten a steak whose raw-material cost alone exceeds ¥100? With a cost of ¥150, once prepared in a Western restaurant, its retail price would easily soar past ¥500… Most people have never tasted such high-end steaks—yet this person has built a thriving business around them. Would the profit margin really be lower than opening a brick-and-mortar Western restaurant? On Douyin (TikTok China): Countless steak-focused influencers populate the platform—some boasting millions of followers, others just tens of thousands. And this is merely one narrow subcategory within the broader Western-cuisine niche! Xiao Jun, leveraging his expertise in Western-cuisine ingredients, preparation techniques, and dining etiquette—and capitalizing on the public’s widespread enthusiasm for Western food—could certainly carve out a successful path as a Western-cuisine content creator. Becoming a Western-cuisine influencer can be just as lucrative as running a small Western restaurant—both rely on knowledge and skill to serve people. Crucially, the former requires virtually no upfront investment. So why risk your hard-earned life savings on a venture with such low odds of success? Moreover, reviewing all existing Western-cuisine influencers across social media, their monetization strategies overwhelmingly center on e-commerce: selling premium Western-cuisine ingredients and seasonings; Western-cuisine cookware and tableware; or accepting paid promotions from Western-cuisine training institutions and restaurants. Xiao Jun can pursue all these revenue streams too. Once he demonstrates genuine expertise, selling ingredients, seasonings, cookware, and tableware becomes effortless. And once he amasses a large, dedicated following of Western-cuisine enthusiasts, restaurants will naturally approach him for advertising collaborations. Yet, tying into a recent financial news report, Ting Ge believes Xiao Jun could take an even more promising, less-traveled route. On August 3, 2021, Beijing Business Daily reported: Xiaoniu Kaixi Secures Nearly ¥100 Million in Series A Funding Xiaoniu Kaixi is a home-oriented steak brand targeting young families. It offers semi-finished Western-cuisine products—including steaks, pizzas, pasta, and egg tarts—and operates as an RTC (Ready-to-Cook) brand centered on family-friendly steaks. The company recently raised nearly ¥100 million in Series A funding, led by GF Xinde, with co-investment from Fuzhou Yuguang, and FarSight Capital serving as exclusive financial advisor. Funds will support new product development, supply-chain upgrades, and brand marketing. This investment signals that Western-cuisine businesses have now deeply integrated into local communities. In the past, eating Western food meant going to a restaurant; today, professionals prepare and deliver all ingredients right to your door—so you need only pan-sear, bake, microwave, or toss to produce chef-level Western dishes at home. If Xiao Jun focuses on hyperlocal community traffic, he can not only sell Western-cuisine ingredients, seasonings, cookware, and tableware—but also offer same-city delivery of pre-processed Western-cuisine semi-finished products. After all, if investors are willing to pour nearly ¥100 million into this space, market research must have confirmed exceptionally strong demand. Community traffic acquisition? Offline grassroots promotion (‘di tuí’) remains the most effective shortcut. If Xiao Jun doesn’t wish to conduct promotions himself, he can hire university students—low-cost labor—to collect contact information from young residents in local neighborhoods and add them to his WeChat. Assign one student per residential compound. During the relaxed evening strolling hours—after dinner—the student spends just two hours promoting, easily adding 30 people to Xiao Jun’s WeChat daily. The pitch? “I’m a college student working part-time to help promote a professional Western-cuisine chef. He shares one practical Western-cuisine tip or technique daily—it’s genuinely helpful! But I’ve only signed up a few people so far, and my target is 50. Could you please support me, big brother/sister?”

How can Western-style fast-food chains meet the tastes of Chinese consumers while engaging in large-scale competition?

There’s an internet meme jokingly stating: ‘If you’re a native Beijinger, you should know Beijing’s Four Great Snacks: McDonald’s in the east, KFC in the west, Pizza Hut in the north, and Burger King in the south.’ Though tongue-in-cheek, this quip does reflect the popularity of Western-style fast food among certain consumer groups. According to relevant data, China’s Western-style fast-food market size reached ¥280.07 billion in 2021, and is projected to exceed ¥380 billion by 2023. Yet unlike in the past, domestic Western-style brands are increasingly entering the spotlight—and rising rapidly, capturing notable market share. Currently, the Western-style fast-food chain with the most outlets is Fujian-based Hualixi, which now operates over 20,000 stores. Today, Western-style fast-food brands are aggressively pursuing scale expansion, while simultaneously competing across product offerings and marketing strategies—making this sector fiercely competitive. 01■ Scale-Driven Competition Many brands are now vying for dominance in store count. Yum China previously announced plans to reach 20,000 stores by 2026. It also raised its 2023 net new store target—from an earlier range of 1,100–1,300—to 1,400–1,600. Yum China holds exclusive operational and licensing rights in mainland China for three Western-cuisine brands: KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Public reports indicate that, over the next three years, KFC will maintain an annual net addition of over 1,200 stores—shouldering more than 75% of Yum China’s total annual expansion target. Meanwhile, McDonald’s previously stated plans to open 900 new restaurants in China during 2023. In fact, simply comparing store counts reveals the rapid rise of domestic Western-style fast-food brands—whose numbers already surpass those of foreign competitors. Take Hualixi: As of January 5, 2024, it operated 20,118 stores—while KFC, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut had 11,205; 6,634; and 2,888 stores respectively. Tastin—a brand promoting itself as ‘China’s Burger’—has also expanded aggressively in recent years. Among burger-focused chains, it ranks fourth in store count, trailing only Hualixi, KFC, and McDonald’s. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Fuzhou, Tastin significantly accelerated its store openings starting in 2020. That year alone, its store count surged from just over 30 to more than 500—and now exceeds 7,000. In November 2021, Tastin secured equity financing from Bu Huo Venture Capital and Source Code Capital. Following this investment, its expansion pace quickened further. Current big-data estimates place its store count at over 2,600. Other domestic players—including Pile Hamburgers and Dicos—also enjoy solid brand recognition in lower-tier markets. The rapid growth of Chinese brands in the ‘Western fast-food’ segment stems not only from relatively higher value-for-money but also from distinct expansion models. Chinese Western-fast-food brands predominantly adopt franchise-led models, whereas Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and KFC emphasize company-owned operations—or a more cautious hybrid of both franchising and direct management.

Casey’s Pan Pizza Push Takes Aim at Struggling Fast-Food Rivals

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Casey's General Stores launches pan pizza to compete with fast-food chains, capitalizing on rising convenience store food sales and declining fuel/cigarette revenue.

bloomberg

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Casey’s Pan Pizza Push Takes Aim at Struggling Fast-Food Rivals

Casey’s Pan Pizza Push Takes Aim at Struggling Fast-Food Rivals

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