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A Greek businessman faced an unexpected problem with a restaurant in China.
Thessaloniki businessman Vassilis Babaolous faced a rather unexpected problem, by European data, when in 2012 he created his first Greek restaurant in the Houli area of Xiamen, China.
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The restaurant “Golden Olives” was ready to go, but for almost two weeks it was closed, because the businessman could not find the minimum required staff! The reason; Unemployment and stiff competition between companies of all sizes for available staff. “It sounds incredible, but the biggest and most unexpected obstacle we encountered in China was finding staff. Unemployment is very low, in some zones zero and all companies, from small shops to large industries, compete to attract staff, “he explains.
The peculiarities of the Chinese market
He adds that while there are several websites and companies that a European can go to to find staff, the most convenient way is through personal recommendations from his own staff. “Once a template has been created, these people, through the network of family and friends, can attract employees,” he explains, in statements to the APE-MPE radio station, “Agencia 104.9 FM”, to the peculiarities of vast China, which looks like “matryoshka” dolls, since there are many small markets within one large one.
Low unemployment and competition in China
What we meant when we said “China wages” is a thing of the past. Low unemployment and competition between firms for available workers, and especially the “foam” of the workforce, have in the past – as he puts it – made what in Europe were once called “Chinese wages”. In recent years, he explains, there has been a sharp rise in wages, especially in major urban centers such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
“Plus, The average worker in these parts of China receives a better wage than the average Greek.“while executives can be paid up to three or four times more than their counterparts in Greece,” explains Vassilis Babaolous, founder of the “Golden Olives” chain, from which he has now left.
The chain has eight Greek restaurants in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Suzhou, while Vassilis Babaolos took a month and a half to start a business in China. Bureaucracy can be big, he says, no matter how big the language and communication problem, in a country where, because of ideograms, you can’t even read a sign on the street, but everything is overcome with the right local partner. . The Chinese partner is “out of the ordinary” for anyone wanting to unlock this particular market, “which surprises them endlessly.”
Aversion to feta and the prospect of Greek flavors in China
In this country with a special gastronomic heritage and eating habits far removed from Westerners, how easy was it for a Greek recipe restaurant to acquire a Chinese clientele? “Any non-Chinese person who wants to enter China in the field of nutrition should listen carefully to the peculiarities. The Chinese do not use sugar, the salt in their dishes is” as much as “, while feta, one of the most popular Greek products. world famous, on their first tasting it is disgusting, they find the taste very intense. So if you want to open a restaurant in China, you have to invent a way to be genuine when setting up your kitchen, but at the same time, be very careful in the way in which it delivers to the world. “In short, it needs a very good fit,” he says.
Adjustment that takes time: “In the first restaurant it took us about two months to adjust to the data, to understand exactly what Chinese consumers want, but after that time, when we realized what to do, we had high expectations, people booked for a table two weeks before. “
The Chinese are very open to trying everything.
“I think that the perspective of Greek gastronomy in China is favorable, because the Chinese as a people are very open to trying everything, more open than Europeans. They also easily perceive the genuine. So it is not enough to open a Greek restaurant, but rather you have to invest in the original, use purely Greek quality products, properly cooked and served, all together must offer a quality package ”, he explains, emphasizing the peculiarities that can exist between various areas of China, which may require minor modifications to the menu of the same Greek restaurant, when operating in another city.
«The eating habits of the Chinese vary greatly by region. In the south of China, for example, they consume more rice, while in the north, which has cereals, from the Beijing area onwards they consume more bread. “That is why a careful investigation must be preceded and adapted to the data of each region,” he says.
How easy is it to import raw materials from Greece to be processed in a Greek restaurant in China? “If a presentation meets the conditions, there are no difficulties. We made large imports from Greece, for example in olive oil, wines and beers, while other raw materials were supplied by large Chinese companies. The Chinese are very strict with the criteria quality control, especially imported ones. But if a presentation meets quality standards and you have a good local partner, you won’t face any problem, “he replies.
After the outbreak of the pandemic in China
The coronavirus pandemic in China has hit the market hard, from shopping malls to restaurants, after global lockdown in some areas, exclusion of others, and generally negative consumer psychology. As a result, he says, in 2020 all development that was underway came to a halt, while all investment planning “froze.” “However, for the past two months they have been timidly trying to pick up where they left off. Now things are better.” Of course, restaurants have not yet fully recovered their customer base, because people in general are still wary and scared. “It is indicative that while the distances between different parts of China are enormous, for example Xiamen is three hours by plane from Beijing, the fear of a pandemic has spread everywhere and the situation, although it has improved In recent months, it has not improved, still completely normalized.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Photos: GoldenOlives / Facebook
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