In the catering industry, queuing is very common, but cases like Wen Heyou's 50,000 tables that are listed in the hot search are extremely rare.

On April 2, Shenzhen Wenheyou finally came out after two years of "warm-up". The grand occasion was unprecedented on that day, and the queue was hundreds of meters long, and some netizens posted 40,000+ number plates. Such a scene easily put Shenzhen Wenheyou on the hot search, and it is full of controversy!

"Just queuing for a meal and a few photos for a day?"

"Aren't these people working?"

"Shenzhen people are so free now"...

The fanatical queuing phenomenon is in sharp contrast with the Shenzhen culture of "time is money, efficiency is life".

Wen Heyou's controversy is a success that many catering people do not envy. Controversy stems from attention. No matter how loud the queuing dispute is, the success of the Wenheyou model cannot be denied. It went from 0 to 1, from 1 to N, successfully out of Changsha and detonated other cities. Through Wen Heyou's controversy and success, we will interpret the role of feelings in catering operations, and there may be different new discoveries.

ONE

The difference between cooking and opening a restaurant

Product thinking is outdated?

Wen Heyou, as well as Wen Bin, the founder of Wen Heyou, can all be called "legends" in the catering industry.

Wen Bin, who practiced the stall back then, took 5,000 yuan to start the fried skewers stall, and only used 2,000 yuan to buy the car and the materials, and the other money was smashed on the signboard by Wen Bin. The reason is simple, it is to allow consumers to see his stall at a glance in the vast stalls.

Later, Wenbin, who was training in the stall, also created a hot product called "Sharp Ribs". Back then, there was a long queue. In addition to the deliciousness of the product, the highly recognizable name "Sharp Ribs" also contributed to it. Later, Wenbin opened his own store, started the old Changsha Fried Club, the old Salon shrimp restaurant, and also appeared on popular variety shows such as "Everyday Upward" and "Twelve Ways of Feng Taste".

In Wenbin's entrepreneurial experience, there is a problem that "pure" catering people tend to ignore-cultural packaging. From the start of training stalls, Wenbin has a clear understanding of his catering model: to make products, but also to "make a name". From sharp ribs to super Wenheyou, around food, Wenbin attaches great importance to the surrounding packaging and cultural significance.

This is why it is often said that a good chef is not good at making a restaurant brand. This is also the difference between making food and making a brand. However, this does not mean that the product is not important.

When making catering, product thinking is the foundation, but as a guide for restaurants or brands, you must break away from pure product thinking. While making a good product, you must also do a good job in the surroundings of the product, such as feelings, culture, and scenes. Wait.

Although Wenheyou claims to be a cultural and creative company, its genes and its business logic are still catering. It started from catering and makes profits from catering. However, it has achieved the ultimate "packaging" of catering, and even catering is becoming weaker and weaker in Wen Heyou's label. "Culture>Dining" has also brought a lot of controversy to Wen Heyou. The real negative impact on Wen Heyou is not the queuing, but the "unsatisfactory" meals they tasted after the queue. Heyou's taste has also been criticized a lot. Because queuing generally does not affect the repurchase, but "not tasty" will.

Wen Heyou's model of "Culture> Catering" may not be worth learning from most catering people, but the direction of operating culture on the basis of catering is worth learning.

The charcoal-pot bullfrogs that exploded in 2018, the category track was extremely hustle and bustle for a while. But like the yellow braised chicken rice that year, after entrepreneurs "flocked in", the situation of "queuing out" soon ushered in. Copycat plagiarism and serious homogeneity have become the main reasons for the accelerated reshuffle of the track. After a fierce battle, only Haulaida, Hayu, Hawo and other brands were left to compete in high-level competition. Looking at these high-profile brands, each brand has a unique IP image, fashion scene label and brand culture. In the catering industry, competitions are often hard to distinguish in terms of taste, and there are subtle taste differences that support the formation of differentiated advantages of brands, and there are more cultural and IP "packaging" memories.

TWO

The contradiction between expressing feelings and making products

Feelings are shorter than the "preservation period" of food?

Too many cases tell us that emphasizing feelings, shaping culture, and making scenes are all good differentiating entrances. But why do some brands have feelings for success, but also for failure?

Diao Ye beef brisket spent 5 million "sky price" to talk about the "God of Cookery" feelings, and the light and luxurious style also made the dining ritual sense, but obviously many consumers did not buy it.

The Nanjing Qibenwei, which was "killed" by public opinion within 24 hours of opening, wanted to use emotional methods to fire up, claiming that there are only 10 seats, only "old and new", and not "unfamiliar guests". A "ruly shop" is looking for the "original taste" of food... But because of food safety problems by netizens, it became "black" at the same time as it was on fire!

Once, named after 8090, 7080, etc., a batch of sentimental themed restaurants that focused on "childhood memories", most of them moved the classic elements of that era into the restaurant, forming unique dining scenes, and they were all in the limelight. In the end, most of them ended in embarrassment.

Wen He You's food and beverage business based on the cultural and creative model has created a new form of food and beverage, which is worth learning, but it is not allowed to be copied.

1. Moderate feelings

Wenheyou is a complex. Different food and beverage categories are nourished in this complex, including Wenheyou's own brands and foreign brands. When they came to Wenheyou, they consciously made corresponding changes in accordance with Wenheyou's temperament. On the contrary, Wenheyou's cultural and creative scene is a composite model supported by multiple categories and multiple brands.

Compared with this comprehensive model of 1+N, catering brands that are fighting each other on the track of their respective categories are not suitable for long talks about their feelings. First of all, it takes cost to talk about feelings, and the premium brought by excessive feelings will turn some people out; secondly, moderate feelings can form a social currency, but excessive feelings can make people "satisfied."

2. Distinguish the priority

Wen Heyou claimed to be a Disney in the catering industry. Some netizens expressed their expectation for this, and some netizens shouted Wen Heyou to make a good meal first.

On the Internet, it is not uncommon to complain about the taste of Wenheyou's meals. Many netizens bluntly said that once Wen Heyou is faced with overwhelming product complaints, no matter how good the sentiment card is, customers will not be recalled.

Most of the time, feelings are shorter than the "preservation period" of food! Feelings are often focused on temporary novelty. For catering, feelings, packaging, and culture are the icing on the cake based on the core of food. The core that really supports the long-term development of the brand is the product.

3. Feelings are not easy to talk about

Feelings are a means of product packaging. If you speak well, it is the restaurant culture, but if you don't speak it well, it is a marketing method. Culture can penetrate into brand genes, forming brand labels and recognition; but shallow marketing methods are not good, it may bring temporary traffic to the brand, and it is of no real significance to the long-term development of the brand.

There is a thousand Hamlet in the eyes of a thousand people. Even Wen Heyou, who engraved the culture of the market in the 1980s, has attracted controversy because of his feelings. The “coldness” of Wenheyou in Guangzhou also proves that there are various “conditions” for expressing feelings, such as region, age, and gender. People of different regions, ages, and genders have different perspectives on feelings. So, how to stand in the perspective of most people and say that most of the identity can form a unique label feelings is a difficult task.

Among the top brands, Xibei Youmian Village expresses the taste of Northwestern hometown through feelings; the grandmother's family interprets warm homeness through feelings. In fact, behind the "conservative" expression of feelings of these top brands, they are actually catering to most people. Way of thinking.

The key factor for Wenheyou's success is cultural creativity, or the "feelings" we often call. This is also what we often call "storytelling".

Almost every successful restaurant brand has a good story. How does Haidilao develop its services into features step by step? How does HeyTea use "queuing" to drive "queuing"? The content of the story is not necessarily the classic feelings in memory, but can also be a fashion expression of a modern scene, an inspirational story in the development of a brand... Its ultimate goal is to form a social currency and maintain the customer base from an emotional level. relation. Because a good brand and a good product need to have a good story to better realize its value. Feelings can’t be told, culture can’t be shaped, so start with storytelling.