[315 Featurette] A Star Restaurant that Can’t Fight a Strike, A Game of Catching Money That Will eventually Cool

Recently, the hot pot track players represented by Haidilao have successfully welcomed a rebound in consumption, with both performance and attention soaring. Therefore, the hot pot track was also judged to be about to be re ignited.
However, this trend does not seem to have reached the once popular star stores. Instead, the hot pot shops of celebrities such as Chen He, Sha Yi, Zheng Kai, and Bao Bell disappeared overnight.
In fact, there is already a process for star cross-border catering. With the combination of star naming and catering company management, not only does the store make money, but also the franchise fees make the star’s pockets swell.
Whether it’s fans or leeks, I’m afraid there’s already an answer under the chaos of the celebrity store.
1、 A spokesperson in a cloak, confusing fans again and again
By chance, when passing Monument to the people’s Liberation in Chongqing, Dai Shuyi found that the long line of spicy Sansheng hotpot restaurant had closed. During the peak tourist season, compared to the bustling hot pot shops around, the brightly lit and dark storefronts in the hot pot shop are particularly eye-catching.
“When I passed by a few times before, there was an endless stream of diners waiting in line at the entrance of Lasan City, as if they were a group of grounded fire.” However, as a native of Chongqing, Dai Shuyi never thought of clocking such a star hot pot restaurant. However, she really didn’t expect the star’s store to be so “anti collision”.
Zinc scale observation found that the spicy Sancheng hot pot once expanded rapidly with the help of the star aura of Sha Yi. “Chongqing Hot Pot World’s New Black Horse”, “Half the Entertainment Circle’s Favorite Hot Pot”, “White Exhibition Hall Hot Pot Jianghu, Delicious Cookies, Perfect Hot Pot Matching” and other labels have also brought certain publicity effects to the brand.
When the first restaurant in Lasancheng opened in Chongqing, celebrities such as Sha Yi, Chen He, Wang Sulong, and Yue Yunpeng appeared, causing numerous fans to watch and queue up for dinner. Later, when La Sancheng opened and expanded stores in Tianjin, Hebei, Hubei, Henan, and other places, the grand queuing ceremony at the first store became the best material for attracting investment and attracting diners.
But think carefully, can the popularity brought by celebrities be directly equivalent to the level of the restaurant?
Time has given the answer. According to the public review of Ziweigher, the popular Jiefang Monument store has shown that “merchants are closed and there are no stars.”. The last comment of the user stayed on February 11, 2023. After the store was closed, a consumer posted on the social platform saying, “30% of Shayi Spicy Hot Pot is closed, and I still have 6000 yuan to recharge.” I don’t know whether Shayi knows or not. The building is empty, and no one came out to explain.
Whether Sha Yi knows that the store is closed is not known,
According to the query on the industrial and commercial information platform, there are multiple companies related to Lasancheng in the country, but Chengdu Lasancheng Brand Management Co., Ltd. is mainly responsible for brand management related matters. The shareholders of the company are Li Xingjun, who holds 99% of the shares, and Chen Bide, who holds 1% of the shares.
In addition, the presence of Sha Yi has gradually been weakened by the official website of La San Cheng. During the promotional period, when you open your heart and don’t speak, you will mention Sha Yi, but now only a cartoon image similar to the “White Exhibition Hall” is left on the official website. “If it weren’t for some of the publicity left on the internet in the early days, I’m afraid many people wouldn’t associate spicy San Cheng with Sha Yi anymore.”.
The same situation is not uncommon in the case of star cross-border catering. Xianhezhuang, once known as the “leader” of the star hot pot restaurant, is believed to be the owner of the brand. However, as early as January 15, 2020, Chen He and Zhu Zhen had withdrawn from the company’s shareholder list, leaving only the title of “Star Partner”.
Previously, when zinc scales asked the heads of many star stores, they were all sure that the star was the owner of the store. However, this is not the case, and even franchisees do not necessarily understand the details. For example, Angelababy and Huang Xiaoming cannot be found in the shareholder information or main members of Chengdu Douliu Catering Service Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Douliu, or in the shareholder information of Chengdu Shaojiangnan Catering Management Co., Ltd, It belongs to the south of Shaojiang River https://www.stoneitech.com/
The so-called “star partner” is actually a shy spokesperson. Fans believe that their support is in supporting the idol’s second career. However, after removing the layers of packaging, it is not difficult to find that the combination of star IP and the catering supply chain is only a harvesting behavior that can be quickly replicated and harvested.
2、 “Star invitation, lawyer’s written warning”.
Due to the relatively mature development of the supply chain behind hotpot, strong replicable experience in operation management, dish layout design, event planning, and a broad audience, hotpot has unexpectedly become the preferred spot for star punch cards. However, in the past two years, the milk tea entrepreneurship project that has just gained momentum has also been targeted by stars.
New tea brands such as Guan Xiaotong’s “Natural Fool”, Zhang Jike’s “Monkey Saving”, Wang Junkai’s parents’ “Xingkali”, and Hu Haiquan’s “Palace Tea” have all attracted considerable attention and attracted a large number of franchisees.
But when it comes to the issue, the stars who are the main force of publicity are “dumb”
Previously, a franchisee of the “Save Monkey” brand disclosed to the Red Star Capital Bureau that he joined the brand to pursue Zhang Jike’s fame, but later he did not wait for the franchise service promised by the company, which also delayed payment for goods, causing a loss of nearly one million yuan. However, after further questioning, the other party began to categorically deny that Zhang Jike was a co founder and said, “I can’t be too specific about this name. Is there any equity that can be called a co founder?”
The once popular natural milk tea that disappeared overnight has also hurt the hearts of many franchisees. At the beginning of the brand’s birth, Guan Xiaotong had been a natural tea platform for many times. His father, Guan Shaozeng, indirectly held 35% of the shares of natural tea through a 100% shareholding in Alliance Xinyuan (Chengdu) Cultural Media Co., Ltd, Ltd.
It can be said that as soon as nature appeared, it had a deep tie with Guan Xiaotong. Regardless of the blind methods used by Guan Xiaotong and his partner companies, in the perception of consumers and franchisees, naturally staying is Guan Xiaotong’s milk tea, so clocking in is also aimed at Guan Xiaotong.
“How heartily can this convenience be enjoyed, and how disconcerting can a rollover be?”. According to media reports, Chengdu Natural Catering Management Co., Ltd. was punished several times, but when someone asked Guan Xiaotong to pay for the “rollover”, “However, the person in charge orally said, ‘Ms. Guan Xiaotong has never participated in the operation and management of our company, and there are currently some people with ulterior motives who are hyping this. However, our company firmly believes in the fairness and justice of the law and the fair judgment of the court, which has caused you inconvenience. We apologize for passing this safety inspection to Ms. Guan Xiaotong.
Once and for all, it seems that only Guan Xiaotong has become the most innocent victim. Therefore, some franchisees have to say, “If you are invited to join by the National Qianjin, you will be warned by a lawyer.”.
In addition, according to a survey, some celebrities promote food and beverage stores with titles such as “store manager”, “partner”, and “leader”, not for their own brand platforms, but for “digging holes.”. Hole. “The star we choose is a ‘versatile artist’ who does not lack traffic. There is also a circle of traffic star friends around us, and we can use the star circle to do online marketing for the brand. If Zheng Kai is invited to participate, the cost will be around 1 million yuan, but franchisees can try to negotiate with local mall merchants and jointly bear the cost.” Previously, the person in charge of Huofengxiang Investment Promotion disclosed to Zinc Scale.
In other words, the star boss in the eyes of fans is actually a “performer” who collects “endorsement fees” from the partner company and “appearance fees” from the franchisee.
3、 Star stores that constantly “roll over” will eventually lose their appeal
In fact, the safety issues of halo star restaurants are not uncommon.
In March 2017, Bao’er Spicy Hot Pot was exposed to cow blood and duck blood; In 2018, a diner developed symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea after eating at Du Haitao’s Haishihai Beverage Canteen; In March 2020, the “Nice to Meet You” Wuhan store invested by Han Han was exposed to rat infestation; In September of the same year, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Supervision and Administration released information on food safety sampling, indicating that coliform bacteria were detected in the hot water cups and seasoning bowls of thousands of hot pots (Changning Store) owned by Xue Xueyou; In July 2021, Du Haitao was ordered to rectify Hefei’s “hot pot shop”
Facts have proven that star stores not only cannot improve restaurant quality and service level through their own customer flow, but also frequently stumble over basic food safety issues.
Wu Dailin, CEO of Shenzhen Siqisheng Culture Communication Co., Ltd., said in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily, “The catering industry is actually a heavy asset and labor intensive industry, and it is impossible for stars to invest energy and time in management. Generally, only professional managers are employed for management, forming a franchise model. However, most stars are only investors, who neither understand nor participate in management, and are prone to various issues such as food safety.”
Indeed, according to a survey by Zinc Scale, franchise fees for catering brands with star signs are often several times higher than the market price. Once these costs cannot be realized through the star effect, franchisees are easily exposed to significant losses or can only achieve profits by reducing quality, ultimately harming consumers and operators.
””There are also investment promotion managers who have stated to Zinc Scales that” superstar IP+Internet strong harvesting of traffic “is their marketing strategy, and star social platform data is also a movable type signboard, which can also become a factor in joining high-quality.”.
The head of a large seasoning factory that cooperates with multiple star rated restaurants to supply food revealed that brands such as Xianhezhuang, Tanyaxue, Every Flavor, Every Guest, and Badaotang are all partners of their company. “We have collaborated with Xianhe Village on clear soup, soy sauce, marinated sauce, etc. To be honest, the franchise fee for star endorsement brands is too high, and finding a source of profit will be higher.” The person in charge introduced that they also use the raw materials provided by star catering stores, but joining other brands without star brands can reduce the total investment, including franchise fees, equipment fees, decoration fees, and other costs, as low as 350000 yuan, The star store is as high as 1.5 million to 2 million yuan.
Due to the huge differences in franchise fees and the mismatch between tastes and services, star restaurants are gradually losing their appeal. If future star stores cannot upgrade in terms of food quality, service management, etc., they will eventually encounter the consequences of abnormal development.