Introduction: This is a big topic. In the digital age, the development of science and technology Internet is changing with each passing day. Now, for any industry, digitalization is a fact in front of us. In recent years, the catering industry has gradually entered a new era of development with the help of scientific and technological development. However, no technology can change the industry overnight, especially the catering industry. The characteristics of this industry are typical "labor-intensive" and "long value chain"
"Human-intensive"-It is precisely because the catering industry is highly dependent on human resources that the corresponding problems are "high labor cost" and "difficult management", which has caused great pressure on human resources. Another point is the frequency and density of training. Due to the high mobility of employees, the demand for training has also surged, which is also the objective reason for the high labor cost.
"Long value chain"-the value chain of catering industry is actually an extension from farmland to dining table. In such a long chain, suppliers in every link have to make profits, so the profits in most terminal stores are actually very small. The value chain also needs to consider the derivative industries of the catering industry, such as various equipment suppliers and service providers. These "stakeholders" constitute a complex industry supply system.
This paper briefly summarizes the essential characteristics of the industry, and I return to the link that everyone is more concerned about, that is, how to achieve greater technical empowerment, transformation and upgrading and cost management in the terminal links (stores and central kitchens).
1, Country Garden Qianxi Robot
You should know something about Country Garden Millennium Robot Restaurant. In fact, everyone was looking forward to it. With Country Garden's strong investment endorsement, it should at least bring a lot of progress to the whole industry. But unfortunately, the robot shop is now closed (it is said that the company has removed the entire business line). My understanding of this matter is that investors are quite optimistic about the trend, replacing the inefficient operation mode of traditional industries with intelligent mechanical equipment, and then reducing costs with scale advantages, and finally obtaining the development dividend of industry transformation. But reality looks beautiful, but reality is another matter. I think they are in the wrong direction in this project. It is right for them to concentrate on developing scientific and technological products (intelligent robot software and hardware), but it is wrong to try to incite this traditional industry with a long history and profound. Because these are two completely different directions, although they are interrelated, their respective management goals are quite different. Now it turns out that you can't do two things at once, and the principle of concentration is the most pragmatic. (The above is just a family statement, for reference only)
2, the chef's problem
Talk about the problem of chefs in the catering industry. The profession of chef is very special. The biggest feature of these people is their "skills" or skills. Actually, that's the difference between a chef and a waiter. It stands to reason that chefs should help them find jobs by eating technically, but why can't they find a chef in catering? What is the biggest problem in this? I don't think it's the chef's problem, but the industry's problem, the boss's problem and the problem of employing people. The problem of the industry is that the technical standardization of the profession of chef is too low (there is, but it has not become a social vocational education system, but it is only commercialized); The boss's problem is that he doesn't use the chef well and only treats the chef as a personal hand. The boss should regard the chef as the product design manager, just like R&D, disassemble his technology to realize standardization and replication, and the well-done chef can stay and develop his career together, so as to do a good job in this industry. Do you need a chef in the future My answer is not only that there will be a higher demand for chefs in the future, but also that there will be a greater demand for chefs in the industry.
Does standardization mean cooking? This is a wrong understanding. There is no contradiction between standardization and chefs. The purpose of standardization is not to cook, but to improve the overall operational efficiency and reduce the (wrong) cost. The same is true for the goal of using intelligent mechanical equipment, which is different from the needs of chefs. So, in the era of digital intelligence, where does the chef go?
There are three main career development paths for future chefs:
3. Labor costs.
Finally, talk about labor costs. Low cost is a reasonable expectation of operators. Think about why the labor cost in the catering industry is high. I think the problem is still "management", because the whole industry has not yet achieved "lean management" and it is still a very rough management method.
To give a simple example, as long as a person is not suitable, he will change immediately. This should be a common phenomenon, but have you ever thought that if he changed places, he wouldn't encounter the same problem? You just passed the problem on to others, but others took your cost. The essence of management is to improve people's ability and efficiency. Therefore, most catering enterprises have failed in this respect.
Others mentioned that western-style fast food (such as Macon) does not need a chef, so their labor cost is relatively low, which is a mistake. It's definitely not that their kitchens don't need technology. I can tell you that their artificial skills and product requirements will only be stricter than Chinese food, and their management will be "more scientific". Just like hourly scheduling, every hour is measured by productivity and is not allowed to be wasted. On the other hand, Chinese food wastes manpower everywhere. In a word, the problem of labor cost is caused by serious backwardness in management and "lean" management.
4. Future expectations
In the future, the catering industry will definitely develop towards industrialization and standardization. Just like the popular prefabricated dishes this year, this is an irresistible trend. But this process is long, because of the particularity of Chinese food and the pursuit of "delicious". As long as people still have the need to pursue special tastes, Chinese food will still be a very big industry. And with the rising quality of people's consumption, high-quality catering such as exquisite dishes and Michelin ratings will continue to develop ... In fact, the catering industry is too big, no matter what category you do, you can get your place. Quote a sentence often heard in diplomatic occasions: "The Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate our two big countries."
Therefore, so should the catering industry. Don't participate, do your own characteristics well, deeply and accurately, and opportunities will always belong to serious and dedicated people.