Survey data on Chinese consumers' family dining habits

In the first half of this year, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the National Development and Reform Commission and other relevant departments issued a number of policies to promote the high-quality development of the catering industry. In March, the Ministry of Commerce and other nine departments jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of the Catering Industry", focusing on improving the quality of catering services, innovating catering consumption scenarios, enhancing the development momentum of the catering industry, promoting excellent catering culture, promoting green development, optimizing the business environment of the catering industry, and strengthening organizational guarantees. 22 specific measures were proposed. The State Administration for Market Regulation and other six departments jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening Food Safety Supervision of Pre-prepared Dishes and Promoting High-quality Development of the Industry", focusing on the scope of pre-prepared dishes, the construction of a standard system, food safety supervision and the promotion of high-quality development of the industry. In June, the National Development and Reform Commission and other five departments issued the "Measures on Creating New Consumption Scenarios and Cultivating New Growth Points for Consumption", proposing to develop catering consumption sub-sectors and support the intelligent upgrading of catering consumption.
The National Bureau of Statistics analyzed that in the first half of the year, the scale of my country's consumer market continued to grow, basic living and some upgraded products sold well, new consumption flourished, the proportion of online consumption continued to increase, the growth of new physical formats was gratifying, and service consumption maintained a relatively fast growth. With the arrival of summer vacation, the tourism market has pushed the catering industry to usher in a peak in consumption again. Consumers are more looking forward to healthy, delicious and cost-effective specialties. At the same time, food safety in the catering industry has been further guaranteed, and green and healthy development has been accelerated. With the launch of the 144-hour transit visa exemption policy in many places, the consumption of foreign tourists will be effectively stimulated, the industry's ability to receive foreign tourists will be effectively improved, and the new consumption scene of the catering industry will be further improved.

In terms of taste preference, people across the country generally prefer spicy food, with the number of residents in the southwest region liking spicy food as high as 65.1%, followed by the northeast and northwest regions. The southwest region is hot and humid in summer and cold and humid in winter. Under these climatic conditions, moisture is easily produced in the human body. Chili peppers have the functions of warming the middle and lowering the qi, stimulating appetite and digestion, and dispelling cold and dampness. Eating chili peppers can accelerate blood flow, promote sweating, and help dispel moisture and coldness in the body. For a long time, people in the southwest region have gradually formed a habit of eating spicy food, and Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines, is also famous for its fresh, fragrant and spicy taste.

Chinese food culture spans thousands of years. In the process of continuous development and evolution, there are obvious barriers to taste differences, and there is also a fusion of tastes brought about by the great migration of the population. A day's plan begins in the morning, and breakfast is the most concrete thing that can embody the market culture of a region. When talking about breakfast in South China, Guangdong morning tea will come to mind, and in Wuhan, hot dry noodles are basically synonymous with breakfast... In the process of population migration, breakfast culture has also become almost unified: steamed buns and steamed buns are widely loved by workers and students in various regions because they are easy to carry. For those who are not in a hurry, a night of rice porridge and noodles will start a beautiful day.

Family dining is still dominated by eating out and cooking at home

Different families have different dining needs in different scenarios, but overall, cooking at home and dining out are the main forms of family dining across the country. The choice of family dining is the result of a combination of multiple factors, including time, economy, health, taste preferences, and social interaction needs. In a fast-paced life, dining out provides convenience and diversity; while in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and family reunion, cooking at home becomes a better choice.
In some cases, takeout may be more economical than dining out. Especially in some promotional activities or package combinations, consumers can enjoy more favorable prices and services. According to the survey data of iiMedia Research, in the northwest and northeast regions, the proportion of families who choose to order takeout is more than 50%, which is close to the proportion of cooking at home and dining out. There are many types of restaurants and diverse flavors on the takeaway platform, which meets consumers' pursuit of different flavors of food. When choosing takeout, many families will consider the different taste preferences of family members and choose a diverse combination of dishes.

It is worth mentioning that in the overseas Chinese food market, hot pot has always been a popular "Internet celebrity item". According to data from Tehai International (Haidilao's overseas business company), in the first quarter of 2024, its overseas hot pot stores received a total of 7.3 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%. Hot pot is so popular that Sichuan, as one of the hometowns of Sichuan and Chongqing hot pot, the "leader" in the hot pot industry, has naturally become an important stop for foreign tourists to check in.
Foreign tourists are more inclined to taste local specialties in tourist destinations. In order to meet the taste needs of foreign tourists, the catering industry in tourist destinations has begun to focus on international development. Local cultural tourism and catering businesses not only provide traditional food, but also incorporate more international dishes and catering elements, striving to provide foreign tourists with a better experience. The 144-hour visa-free policy has had a positive and far-reaching impact on the catering industry in my country and tourist destinations. It has not only promoted the growth of the number of foreign tourists and the increase of catering industry revenue, but also promoted the innovation and upgrading of the catering industry and the development of related industrial chains.