if faced with market competition, it is necessary to create additional value, even in the mature catering industry. With the development of the times, from food and clothing to well-off and then to prosperity, after meeting the needs of life, people have a higher level of pursuit for food, both material and spiritual. What changes will be brought to the traditional catering industry when cultural and creative industries are combined with gourmet catering? And how should China catering innovate, especially the brand innovation? To this end, this magazine specially visited Mr. Shi Wei, an expert in catering brand and marketing, an advocate of actual catering marketing and general manager of Ziwu catering brand planning agency.

Creative World: Ziwu has done brand planning, integrated marketing and brand management for many catering enterprises. What do you think are the problems existing in these enterprises?

Shi Wei: Ziwu started brand planning for the catering industry in 2115, and has served nearly 111 catering enterprises so far. At present, the catering industry in China is going through a transitional period from small, chaotic and miscellaneous single shops to branded, personalized and large-scale chain enterprises. In this process, all enterprises that attach importance to their own structural development, customer relationship and brand building are becoming stronger and stronger.

Creative World: What is a case that impressed you deeply? Through this brand planning, what kind of promotion has the enterprise got?

Shi Wei: It took us three years to develop a hot pot brand from six chain stores to 41, and it has entered the preparation period for listing. Helping enterprises to do brand planning and management is mainly to let brands know their own direction and know how to go to the goal. Our most important tool is the "equal sign". On the left of the equal sign is the brand and on the right is the representative catering category, such as McDonald's = Hamburg and KFC = fried chicken. The simpler the description on the right, the stronger the enterprise, and the more complicated the description on the right, the more elementary the enterprise is. Find the equal sign, and then make the right side of the equal sign simple, and you will find a road suitable for enterprise development. The next step is to go straight along this road.

Creative World: China on the Tip of the Tongue triggered the butterfly effect. What do you think this documentary has brought to the catering industry in China?

Shi Wei: The restless society makes us ignore the essence of our own life. In fact, we live in a country full of delicious food every day, as long as you feel it with your heart. "China on the Tip of the Tongue" makes everyone calm down, re-observe themselves, pay attention to their families, and re-appreciate the details of life that are usually overlooked. Catering culture is a "vulgar" culture, and catering enterprises that care about the people will benefit a lot in both economic and social benefits.

the combination of catering industry and cultural creativity should be noted that this kind of innovation is not a concept innovation, but an innovation in products and services, which will bring about brand changes. The catering industry is the most real industry. If the customer doesn't like the products sold in the restaurant, he will never come again. The catering industry has also been exploring in recent years. Some enterprises have made film and television dramas, some enterprises have published books, and some enterprises have also participated in many cultural activities, but all of them have had little effect. It is the artistic conception dish of Dadong Roast Duck, which perfectly combines China culture with Dadong's dishes, making it unique and famous. Therefore, the combination of cultural creativity and catering should be just right, moistening things silently.

Creative World: What is the charm of Chinese cuisine? How can we spread the characteristic culture of China by building catering brand enterprises?

Shi Wei: The charm of Chinese cuisine lies in its richness and tolerance, which is the characteristic of China, a multi-ethnic country, and also endowed by the profound China culture. China people's love for food is a way of life that has existed for thousands of years. I believe that the greatest catering brand in the future will definitely appear in China.

As mentioned earlier, the catering culture is a "vulgar" culture, and the "vulgar" here means close to people's daily life. Therefore, for catering enterprises, to make them bigger and stronger with a sense of social responsibility, to set a good example and to promote the development of the catering industry is to spread China culture. The culture of the catering industry should not be described too deliberately in every memorable dish and in the sincere smiling face of every waiter.

Creative World: A typical example is that Quanjude, a time-honored brand in Beijing, not only established its own Quanjude Museum, but also invested in corresponding film and television dramas and dramas. What kind of important role do you think cultural creativity plays in reshaping old brands?

Shi Wei: Chinese time-honored brands are precious heritages and cultural symbols of China, and there should be special institutions and funds for research and promotion. Cultural and creative industries need to explore the long history of Chinese cuisine with a responsible spirit. The upsurge created by CCTV's China on the Tip of the Tongue shows that the public will understand the good things made with heart.

Creative World: What steps should the time-honored catering brand take if it wants to adapt to the development of the new market economy, and how to improve its brand building?

Shi Wei: At present, most time-honored brands are in the hands of local governments, and the system affects development; Although some time-honored brands are in the hands of individuals, they are difficult to develop because of their small scale and few resources. If time-honored brands want to develop, besides the call and appeal of the government and society, the most important thing is to hand them over to entrepreneurs who know the market, know how to operate and understand the essence of time-honored brands. Personally, I think that if the time-honored brand is entrusted to a private catering enterprise with a certain scale and social responsibility, it may be able to speed up the progress of the time-honored brand.

Creative World: We can see that the injection of cultural creativity plays an important role in enhancing the added value of the food and beverage industry. How do you think China food and beverage should innovate, especially the brand innovation? What are the problems faced by catering brands in China, and how should they be improved and upgraded?

Shi Wei: The catering industry in China faces many problems. The most important thing is that it is scattered and has not formed a joint force of the industry. Therefore, it is also fragmented in innovation. This is the status quo of the catering industry, and powerful enterprises in the future must accept this kind of pain.

First of all, innovation comes from education, and any innovation is not groundless. Innovation comes from the height and width of vision. Fortunately, at present, all colleges and universities have set up catering-related courses, and there are more and more catering exchanges around the world. I think, smart entrepreneurs in China will continue to learn from a hundred schools of thought and make their own brands well. If there are doctors in Sichuan cuisine and masters in Cantonese cuisine in China in the future, are we still worried about the lack of talents and the inability to innovate?

Secondly, innovation comes from the market. The essence of innovation in the catering industry is to satisfy customers, make customers fall in love with this brand, and constantly form consumption. As the market is constantly changing, the requirements of customers are constantly changing, and the reform aimed at customer satisfaction is the essence of innovation in catering industry. For example, sea fishing is a model of innovation.

Creative World: The catering industry has developed to today, and its market is quite mature. Why should we talk about the influence of cultural creativity on the catering industry?

Shi Wei: Britain put forward "Design Britain" to reshape the image of Britain in the 1991s. After that, we saw a vibrant Britain. In the era of knowledge economy, any industry needs the support of cultural and creative industries. I think, if the catering industry wants to speed up the pace of progress, it must also keep pace with the times and constantly think and innovate.

Creative World: So what are the specific aspects of the impact and important role of cultural creativity on the catering industry?

Shi Wei: I understand that cultural creativity refers to innovation by different means. The catering industry really needs to innovate by various means, especially promotion, to add value to itself. If we say that the cultural and creative industries play an important role in the catering industry, I think it is more about presentation. Creative industries can better show the essence of corporate brands and let customers see a richer and more authentic catering brand.

Creative World: Finally, let's talk about the future tense of delicious food. Which future channel do you think the catering industry will go to? What surprises and changes will it bring to our lives?

Shi Wei: It is worth noting that the catering industry will develop in two directions: on the one hand, there will be many large-scale chain brands, which will become the overlord of different categories such as Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan cuisine or hot pot, steamed buns and so on, and the enterprises will be large in scale. And there may be one or more multi-brands, that is, conglomerates, whose scale will exceed that of Yum! Brands. On the other hand, there will be many family-run independent shops, and the products operated by each shop are very attentive and distinctive. The future catering industry must be more humane and suitable for different people and different situations. No matter who you are, what you want to eat and who you want to eat with, there will be delicious, comfortable, thoughtful and safe restaurants for you to choose from.