The 2026 Golden Ding Awards have been officially announced! Who’s quietly raking in the profits?

This ranking evaluates brands based on three key criteria: single-store profitability model, entry barrier for opening new stores, and speed of expansion. Brands featured on the list boast mature operational systems and business models adaptable across diverse scenarios—offering entrepreneurs a clear, high-quality reference for promising ventures. Among them, Liu Zhenzhen Yungui Mountain Range BBQ—a self-service barbecue brand highlighting Yunnan-Guizhou regional flavors—has gained traction with its distinctive local identity. Signature items like mint-marinated beef and lemongrass-cured meat stand out, complemented by wild mushroom-vegetable platters and woodruff-infused dipping sauces. With per-person spending under RMB 100, customers enjoy full barbecue freedom. Each store provides dedicated grilling assistance and features ethnic-inspired interior décor that naturally attracts social-media check-ins—giving it clear differentiation in the emerging barbecue segment. Da Pang Liu Lao Guo, a Guizhou-style grilled wok specialty brand, offers rich selections of both meat and vegetable ingredients, authentic regional dipping sauces, and an intensely vibrant, smoky dining atmosphere. Its simple, easy-to-master preparation process ensures broad consumer appeal, steady foot traffic, and strong potential for regional expansion. 7. Top National Influencers in Hotpot & BBQ Supply Chain This ranking assesses enterprises across multiple dimensions—including production capacity, cold-chain logistics, ingredient R&D, and industry reputation—to identify suppliers offering stable sourcing and continuous product innovation for hotpot and BBQ restaurants. It serves as a valuable reference for foodservice operators seeking reliable, direct-source manufacturers to build robust supply systems. Take Panda Prince, a brand under Weizi Mei, as an example: it specializes in proprietary thick-sauce hotpot base, crafted from premium natural ingredients. Its layered flavor-release technology ensures aroma remains intense even after prolonged boiling. The company focuses deeply on custom R&D for hotpot bases, Sichuan-style compound seasonings, and ready-to-cook meals—and delivers personalized formulation services tailored to individual restaurant needs across all hotpot subcategories. Meixin Catering Seasonings also stands out prominently on this list. Renowned for leading-edge flavor innovation, its bestsellers include Sun-Ripened Fresh Tomato Broth, Yunnan Wild Mushroom Broth, and Passion Fruit–Spicy Golden Broth. Its comprehensive line of BBQ dipping sauces supports standardized output across hotpot, barbecue, and noodle-rice establishments. 8. Top National Producers for Hotpot & BBQ Products Enterprises on this list are selected comprehensively based on manufacturing capability, in-house seasoning development, customization services, and adaptability to restaurant operations—covering hotpot bases, barbecue products, and pre-portioned ingredients. It serves as a trusted reference for F&B brands searching for direct-source factories. Xintian Hotpot Oil Dipping Sauce—a benchmark brand in the hotpot oil-dipping sauce category—employs proprietary low-temperature aromatic-locking cold-pressing technology and selects premium sesame seeds. Its red-ring, single-use small cans deliver rich, mellow aroma and effective spice relief. The company operates a professional food-safety R&D center and has consistently led industry sales for multiple years. Zhang Bingbing Hotpot Beef Tallow, a specialist in the beef tallow segment, has spearheaded drafting several national standards for beef tallow. Its hit products—including Heart-Shaped Wok-Ready Tallow and Six-Flavor Aroma-Enhancing Tallow—are made from premium beef kidney fat combined with patented low-temperature aromatic-locking technology, delivering deep, mellow lipid fragrance. It maintains top-tier market share in China’s beef tallow sector. 9. Top National Solution Providers for Hotpot & BBQ Businesses This ranking identifies service providers excelling across flavor customization, store operation support, and nationwide service coverage—including ingredients, cleaning solutions, and marketing tools. These companies help hotpot and barbecue brands overcome critical operational challenges: launching new outlets, standardizing processes, and improving cost-efficiency and performance. It thus serves as a practical guide for F&B brands seeking end-to-end collaborative partners. Yi Ming Consulting, with over a decade of deep expertise in the foodservice industry, is recognized as China’s leader in implementing zero-to-one brand models. Its proprietary ‘Heavy Planning + Light Marketing’ approach delivers full-chain services—from brand strategy and visual design to hands-on marketing execution—fueling explosive growth for client brands. To date, it has served over 1,000 brands, achieving a proven implementation success rate exceeding 90%. For Ecolab—a global integrated foodservice safety and cleaning solutions provider—its offerings include specialized cleaning products engineered specifically for heavy grease in hotpot kitchens and carbonized grill plates in barbecue venues. Complemented by smart dishwashers and digital kitchen management solutions, Ecolab provides on-site maintenance and food-safety training—delivering one-stop resolution for hygiene compliance and risk control. Its footprint among chain restaurant clients leads the industry.

From a Single Resin Particle to a Commercial Empire: Inside the Stories of Purolite, Ecolab, and Nalco

1. Completing the Most Critical Technical Puzzle. Ecolab’s traditional strength lay in ‘peripheral water-system management’—for instance, preventing scale buildup in cooling water, inhibiting boiler corrosion, or controlling microbial growth in pipelines. Leveraging chemical formulations paired with intelligent monitoring (notably its renowned 3D TRASAR™ technology), Ecolab helped clients optimize these systems. Yet one crucial link remained outside its reach: core separation and purification. Purolite’s chromatographic resins and adsorption resins precisely address this bottleneck—playing pivotal roles in high-end manufacturing sectors such as biopharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Acquiring Purolite enabled Ecolab to step directly into the heart of these high-value-added production processes—transforming itself from a ‘back-office service provider’ into a ‘core process partner.’ 2. Building a Complete ‘Water + Process’ Closed Loop. Imagine this seamless workflow: Ecolab first treats your incoming water (Nalco’s domain); then Purolite’s resins actively participate in purifying pharmaceuticals or isolating target compounds during your production; finally, wastewater returns to Ecolab for treatment, reuse, or compliant discharge. Once this closed loop is fully operational, customers become deeply embedded within Ecolab’s ecosystem—resulting in exceptionally high stickiness. 3. Optimizing Business Structure and Profit Margins. Ecolab’s traditional service model relies on service contracts and recurring chemical consumption. In contrast, Purolite’s premium resins represent high-margin, repeat-purchase consumables. Once integrated into a customer’s production process, they generate consistent, predictable cash flow—an extremely attractive asset for any publicly listed company. Thus, the logic behind this acquisition is crystal clear: Ecolab needed Purolite’s technological depth and access to premium markets; Purolite, in turn, required Ecolab’s global network, extensive client base, and platform capabilities. It was truly a win-win arrangement. IV. Ecolab’s Core Water Treatment Arm: Nalco Water At this point, we must highlight Nalco Water—the subsidiary under Ecolab that actually handles water treatment operations. Many people confuse the relationships among Ecolab, Nalco, and Purolite. Here’s a simplified clarification: • Ecolab is the parent conglomerate. • Nalco is Ecolab’s dedicated water-treatment brand, primarily serving industrial and municipal sectors. Its core competencies lie in chemical solutions, intelligent monitoring, and service delivery. • Following its acquisition, Purolite operates as an independent business unit, focusing on resin materials and separation/purification technologies. Nalco’s flagship technology is the aforementioned 3D TRASAR™ system. What does it do? It installs sensors on your cooling-water systems, boilers, and reverse-osmosis membranes to monitor parameters—including scaling, corrosion, microbial activity, and chemical concentration—24/7 in real time. An algorithm then automatically adjusts dosing rates to achieve precise control. Put simply, it equips your water system with an autonomous driving system. Nalco’s product portfolio is comprehensive: from PermaCare® series anti-corrosion and anti-scaling agents, to various water softeners and filters (e.g., UltraTreat™, UltraSand™), to customized solutions for data-center liquid cooling and semiconductor facility utilities—it covers virtually every facet of industrial water treatment. V. Their Interrelationship In summary, the relationship among these three entities can be characterized as follows: • Purolite provides the foundational ‘materials layer,’ solving the question of ‘what to use for separation.’ Its technological moat in high-end separation and purification is exceptionally high. • Nalco delivers the ‘system control layer,’ addressing how to ensure stable, efficient operation of water systems. Its intelligent monitoring and chemical solutions enjoy strong industry recognition. • Ecolab, as the overarching group, integrates these two capabilities—and layers on its expertise in cleaning, disinfection, food safety, and infection prevention—to form a comprehensive, multi-industry solution platform.

Ecolab to Double North American Sales Force Amid Declining Restaurant Foot Traffic

3 days ago

Ecolab plans to double its North American sales force to drive growth in restaurant and retail sectors despite declining foot traffic, while restructuring its customer service approach.

The Business Journals

2026-02-10

Ecolab reports quarterly earnings growth, expects 2026 income increase

2026-03-12

Ecolab implements global 10%-14% energy surcharge

2026-04-07

Ecolab Inc. Scheduled to Report Fiscal Q1 2026 Earnings

2026-04-07

A Look At Ecolab’s Valuation As Earnings Strength And Raised 2026 Guidance Support Investor Confidence

2026-04-07

Fired worker sues Ecolab, alleges racial bias behind safety violations