Yellow mud walls, low stools for dining, and black and red-edged flags flying everywhere... This is the artistic conception of the earth city in the game "Legend", and it is also the barbecue arena created by Mengzhong.
Changsha people lined up in the rain late at night, and many celebrities came to check in. In Dongguashan, Mengzhong BBQ, which is about 30 square meters and has only 9 tables, has grown into the top barbecue restaurant in Changsha in 7 years.
Meng Zhong is behind "Tucheng". Why is it so popular? What is its core under the spotlight? [Enterprise Record] Dialogue with Shi Yi, co-founder of Mengzhong BBQ, to explore the secret behind the success of Internet celebrity barbecue restaurants.
△Shi Yi, co-founder of Mengzhong BBQ. Photography/Wu Linhong
Optimize the taste step by step to attract customers
Dongguashan is one of the areas with the strongest fireworks smell in Changsha. Whenever night falls, this place is like a smart fish from north to south, showing its vitality.
In 2015, the four founders of Mengzhong, Liming Jie, Hu Yu, Kong Guoqiang, and Shi Yi, each called two family members and opened a barbecue restaurant in Donggua Mountain.
At that time, there were few people selling small skewers in the Changsha night snack market. Skewer 1 piece of yellow throat or 3 grains of butter on a bamboo skewer, only 4 grains of beef at most. "Southern people eat more delicately, and they look very proud when they sip wine." Shi Yi was dressed simply and plainly, with the word "Meng Zhong" clearly written on the collar of his T-shirt. He spoke softly and smiled shyly.
Although Mengzhong spent a lot of energy to innovate and improve the original Xiaochuan BBQ, the store was still empty in the first two months of its opening.
was anxious, but they did not attract customers at that time. They could only optimize the taste step by step. One person would eat it alone and then bring others around to eat. Gradually, business started to build. "When customers come to the store, they must want to eat delicious food." Shi Yi said. After the
taste was cooked, the guests came one by one. Three months later, the 30-square-meter store, which could only accommodate 9 tables, faced a peak in queues. The door was filled with diners waiting for a table, as if they were nailed to chairs, refusing to leave for a moment.
Ran all over Guizhou to find a chili pepper
For a long time, almost every media interviewing Mengzhong would ask: What is the secret of so many people, including celebrities, going to Mengzhong to queue up to check in? The four founders of
Mengzhong are all Changsha Yaozi. Living in this city for more than 30 years has taught them one thing - Changsha people with mouths in their mouths need some taste.
wins with taste, and good ingredients are an unavoidable topic. Several people have gone to Chaoshan, yangxin and other places to look for beef. Chaoshan beef is famous. Shi Yi went to the local place and bought several dozen kilograms. It was shipped to Changsha by express the next day. After taking it out of the freezer in the afternoon, he found that the original strong beef aroma had become much lighter after being refrigerated.
Later, they heard that Yangxin (Binzhou City, Shandong Province) had a large-scale beef decomposition plant with sufficient supply. Several people rushed over excitedly. Although there were many manufacturers, none of them could meet their requirements for material selection-beef preservation. Within 6 hours.
Changsha has four or five suppliers, and it took a long time to stabilize with Mengzhong. Suppliers sometimes complain that the beef they supply requires the belly and fascia to be cleanly shaved. "We pay 2 to 3 yuan more than the market price and let the other party do it according to our requirements." Shi Yi explained, fresh in and fresh out, and try to ensure zero inventory of beef every day.
returns to the simplest concept of food. Shi Yi said that only good ingredients can make good barbecue.
"Go back to the source. Every time we produce a product, we pay attention to the details. Where others put a period, we put a comma." Shi Yi said, even the peppers and cumin are selected and paid attention to.
For example, go to Guizhou to find a good line pepper. The dried peppers are fragrant and slender than the local peppers in Changsha. Why not buy it in Changsha? Firstly, it is not produced locally and the quantity is small; secondly, retail investors do not pay enough attention to the details of dried chili peppers. If the capsicum ester in the capsicum shells is not processed thoroughly, it will easily become bitter and taste bad if it is ground into fine powder. Mixing dry line peppers and local Indian peppers, the taste is just right. "The peppers are spicy but not spicy in the heart." Shi Yi said that after tasting more than ten kinds, everyone recognized this taste the most.
creates a taste and accumulates word-of-mouth. In the past seven years, Changsha's nighttime economy has become more and more developed.With consumption upgrading, barbecue, a highly personalized category, requires companies to innovate at all times, and changes from consumers have also made Mengzhong think deeply.
returns to the source of Changsha’s food culture
The four of them often argue late at night on how to increase profits through cost control, loss reduction, service upgrades, online traffic, etc. After
finished work late, several founders worked together again. After arguing back and forth, Hu Yu (the main product developer) who was smoking a cigarette suddenly stood up and said that the barbecue was originally named "Fire Beef" and "Fire" was (the game character's) most powerful move. Later, "Fire Beef" became a signature product with good sales. Why? "Because the taste is as awesome as the name, people will accept you!"
In the current market environment, it is a real test room for a company's survival and adaptability. Regarding the problems faced by almost all catering peers, Mengzhong has its own solutions.
The answer lies in Changsha’s unique food culture. Changsha people love to eat late-night snacks and pay attention to the atmosphere and taste. The food embodies a kind of Jianghu culture - after a busy day, make an appointment with a few friends, imitate the Jianghu knights, eat meat, drink heavily, and talk about everything.
"After traveling to so many cities across the country, Changsha is the most smoky and humane place. The food of Changsha people is delicious and not expensive. The more you eat, the better it tastes and the better your relationship becomes." In Shi Yi's opinion, deep cultivation in Changsha After seven years of reflection on the market and observation of the catering industry, we have finally returned to the starting point. Only by eating well can you live longer.
However, catering companies spend a lot of money on fresh ingredients and labor costs, and try to increase the unit price as little as possible, which will inevitably affect operating profits. "In the past seven years, Mengzhong's turnover has actually increased. By insisting on the quality of ingredients, we gain customer reputation."
At around 3 p.m., Shi Yi sat in the live broadcast room of Mengzhong's Gaozheng Street store and promoted the single product Fiery Beef to everyone. , from the selection of ingredients, baking, and taking out the oven, what is presented to netizens is a Mengzhong kitchen with more transparent ingredients.
Under the epidemic, many barbecue brands are trying their best to improve their survival. In Shi Yi's view, ensuring that every product is "extremely delicious is the best innovation of a company."
Xiaoxiang Morning News reporter Li Qionghao
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