Rebuilding the connection between restaurants and consumers is an important task for Chinese restaurant owners now.
Kirby Zhou woke up. It was another morning after the pandemic started. He opened the refrigerator and took out a slice of bread that was on sale in Cosco, and filled up his mug with water.
Zhou would do the same thing at noon and evening. Zhou was taking two graduate programs at the same time. Zhou plans to become a game developer after he graduates, so he does not only take computer science at UC Davis but also art at another university and also has another program related to art.
“Cooking will waste a lot of time, so at the beginning of the pandemic, I only ate price off bread most of the time,” Zhou said. Due to the pandemic, all Chinese restaurants that Zhou used to go closed dining in service, and eating was becoming a task for Zhou.
“Even before the pandemic, I would forget to eat. Things were becoming worse after the pandemic started,” Zhou had mild stomach illness before the pandemic, and his illness became worse in the pandemic era.
“Ordering takeout food is also not a way for me,” Zhou said. There is only one reason. As a college student, Zhou does not have enough money to cover the high delivery fee. The Chinese food delivery platform does not only charge a service fee from the stores but also charges a high service fee from consumers. Ten dollars dining in a workday meal could cost consumers over 20 dollars if consumers choose the delivery way. These Chinese food delivery platforms usually charge 20 percent higher than the mainstream food delivery platforms.
According to the founder of Fantuan delivery Randy Wu, some Chinese restaurants are not willing to cooperate with the local delivery platform because of the differences between cultures. Chinese food has different systems, and different systems have their own aesthetic of cooking and taste. For example, Sichuan food concentrates on spicy dishes, but Hong Kong food prefers a sweet taste. The mainstream food delivery platforms are not able to categorize them clearly. As native Chinese speakers, you will find the food that you like easier through Chinese food delivery platforms.
“However, I am a student, and I cannot afford an over 20 dollars meal every day,” Zhou said. He had no idea what he should do about maintaining his body healthy. Luckily, his girlfriend moved to his apartment several months ago. Zhou started cooking sometimes. Sometimes they would choose to go to the restaurant for a good meal because of the reopening of the restaurant.
Lots of consumers of Chinese restaurants are international students like Kirby Zhou, but Chinese restaurants are losing them too. According to the latest data from US State Department, the US is no longer the most coveted destination for overseas higher education for Chinese students. With 31,055 US student visas issued to Chinese citizens in the first half of 2022, the number of Chinese international students goes down more than 50 percent from pre-Covid-19 levels.
However, a local lawyer Chunping Shen that cooperates with several Chinese restaurants shares a different opinion about the relationship between consumers and Chinese restaurants. He feels confident about what will happen next.
“I think the appearance of the Covid vaccine gave people a positive signal that everything is coming back right now,” Shen said. He believes the people’s confidence has been restored, so the situation of the restaurants is becoming better.
“You know, there are fewer people wearing masks on the street nowadays,” Shen said, “Covid is no longer a threat to some people now, and they will try to go back to their pre-covid lives by themselves, for example, going to a restaurant with family and have a pleasant meal,” Shen said.
“Chinese restaurants usually gather around the Chinatown area, just like Boston,” Wingkai-To, a professor from Bridgewater University, said. He has studied Chinese immigrant culture for decades. In Wingkai-To’s opinion, Los Angeles’ Chinatowns have a stronger relationship with consumers.
“California is the state that has the largest Chinese immigrant population, and there are serval Chinatowns around Los Angeles. This kind of thing only happens in California. Communities have their own Chinatowns, and the people in the communities will be more familiar with the restaurants and their owners,” Wing Kai-To said.
Kaicheng Ji, a journalist. I am currently working in Phoenix Satellite TV. Mainly concentrate on video editing, shooting and running the social media accounts.