Key Points
- Bistro: A new type of social venue that combines dining and beverages, emphasizing atmosphere and experience.
- Social value: The core value offered by Bistro, meeting the needs of young people for relaxation, communication, and understanding.
- Consumption upgrade: The rise of Bistro reflects consumers' pursuit of quality of life and experience.
- Risk avoidance: Catering operators reduce operational risks through the small - scale pub model.
- Generation Z: The main target customer group of Bistro, who are less sensitive to price and focus on experience.
Abstract
This podcast delves deep into the new catering format, Bistro, which has been highly sought after by young people in recent years. As a social venue that combines dining and beverages, Bistro has quickly gained popularity on social media with its exquisite atmosphere and diverse products. However, the concept of Bistro is vague. There are both Chinese and Western cuisines, as well as Japanese and Korean cuisines, and the types of alcohol are also diverse. Despite the relatively high per - capita consumption at Bistro, the social value and sense of experience it offers still attract a large number of young people to visit and check in. The podcast analyzes that behind the rise of Bistro are the upgrade of consumer choices and a necessary measure for catering bosses to avoid risks. It also points out the challenges such as high costs and table - turnover rates in the Bistro model.
Insights
The rise of Bistro is not just a catering phenomenon but also a microcosm of the lifestyle and consumption concepts of Generation Z. It reflects young people's pursuit of social interaction, experience, and personalization, as well as their innovation and subversion of traditional catering models. The success of Bistro lies in its accurate grasp of young people's needs and the provision of an ideal social venue between a bar and a restaurant. However, for the sustainable development of the Bistro model, in - depth exploration is still needed in aspects such as cost control, product innovation, and user stickiness.
Opinions
01 "Bistro meets the social needs of young people"
Bistro provides a social venue between a bar and a restaurant, where people can eat, drink, and chat without being too noisy. It is more in line with the preferences of the new generation of office workers.
02 "Bistro is a choice for the catering industry to avoid risks"
During the pandemic, many large - scale catering brands went bankrupt, leading many catering bosses to turn to small pubs with small scales and low operating costs.
03 "The Bistro model faces high - cost challenges"
Bistro pursues an overall atmosphere. The decoration needs to be customized, the staff needs to be young, and the ingredients need to be of high quality. All these lead to relatively high costs for some Bistros.
In - depth Analysis
Bistro: The "Big Business" in Small Pubs - Does it Hit the Spot with Young People?
In recent years, a catering format called Bistro has quietly emerged and quickly occupied major social media platforms. The delicate food presentation, design - oriented decoration, and a slightly higher customer unit price than ordinary restaurants have all made Bistro a popular "internet - famous" check - in place for young people. However, what exactly is Bistro? And why is it so attractive to young people? This article will conduct an in - depth analysis of the Bistro phenomenon and explore the business logic and development prospects behind it.
What exactly is Bistro?
When you search for Bistro on Dianping, you will find that among the top ten in the same city, there are various Chinese cuisines such as Sichuan marinated dishes and Cantonese cuisine, as well as exotic cuisines like American hamburgers and Japanese yakitori. The related alcoholic beverages also vary widely to match different cuisines. This diverse range of product styles and business models makes it difficult to understand at first glance. In the view of Zhu Danpeng, an analyst in the Chinese food industry, Bistro is similar to a small pub. It mainly enhances the differentiated products in the catering matrix through social labels. Simply put, Bistro is a social venue that combines dining and beverages. It has the dining function of a restaurant and the leisure atmosphere of a bar. Compared with traditional restaurants, Bistro pays more attention to the creation of the environment and experience, aiming to provide customers with a comfortable and relaxing social space.
Why is Bistro attractive to young people?
Liu Xiaoyin, the founder of the chain brand Xiajiu Bistro, once said that young office workers aged 25 to 35 in big cities are generally under high work pressure, have a fast - paced life, and live in small living spaces. For this group, various restaurants have actually well satisfied their appetites. What they really need is to be understood, cared for, and seen. For office workers in first - and second - tier cities, barbecue restaurants and food stalls have become the solutions for the previous generation to relieve life pressure, and bars are too noisy. The social venue provided by Bistro is between a bar and a restaurant, where people can eat, drink, and chat without being too noisy, which is more in line with the preferences of the new generation of office workers. Bistro offers not only food and drinks but also a lifestyle and emotional sustenance. Here, young people can put down the pressure from work, have a relaxed chat with friends, and enjoy a moment of relaxation and freedom.
The Business Strategy of Bistro: High - end Appearance and High Customer Unit Price
Different from the affordable and approachable small pubs in the impression, the menu prices at Bistro are usually relatively high. The prices of the main dishes in most stores range from 80 to 200 yuan, and the price of craft cocktails is about 80 yuan for 350 milliliters. In terms of space layout, each store manager tries to create a comfortable chatting environment for customers. Industry insiders summarize that Bistro represents a consumption upgrade for the sake of a sense of ritual. Although the Bistros we can see now are full of a delicate atmosphere, several bosses mentioned that their favorite places during the research were small pubs full of the hustle and bustle of life. High - end appearance and high customer unit price are the two major characteristics of Bistro. The delicate food presentation and design - oriented decoration attract young people to take pictures and check in; while the relatively high customer unit price ensures the profit margin of Bistro.
The Challenges of Bistro: High Costs and Low Table - Turnover Rates
Although Bistro looks appealing, the operational challenges behind it cannot be ignored. High - quality ingredients, customized decoration, and young staff all lead to high operating costs for Bistro. Meanwhile, the table - turnover rate of Bistro is generally low. The business hours of most stores are from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. the next day. The high table - turnover rate is between 1.5 and 2 times, and the low one is about 0.5 times. Therefore, the model of high - quality products, high customer unit price, and cultivating regular customers has become a necessity.
The Future of Bistro: Differentiated Competition and Refined Operation
For catering bosses, Bistro, which emphasizes differentiation and provides social value, does balance some risks, but the high costs behind it are also testing the operational capabilities of independent store owners. Facing the fierce market competition, Bistro needs to continuously innovate in terms of products, services, and marketing to create a unique brand image and competitive advantage. In the future, the development trend of Bistro will be differentiated competition and refined operation. Only those Bistros that can truly understand the needs of young people and provide high - quality products and services can stand out in the market.
Forward - looking Thinking
The rise of Bistro reflects the trend of consumption upgrade and also brings new development opportunities to the catering industry. However, Bistro is not a panacea; it is just a choice of catering model. For catering operators, choosing the Bistro model requires full consideration of their own resources and capabilities, as well as sufficient market research and risk assessment. In the future, as consumers' needs continue to change, Bistro also needs to continuously innovate and adjust to adapt to market changes. Only those Bistros that can keep up with the trend of the times and continuously enhance their competitiveness can remain invincible in the fierce market competition.