Consumer foodservice in 2024: The big picture
Consumer foodservice in China saw solid current value growth in 2024, although the momentum was weaker than seen the previous year, as growth in the industry tempered after post-pandemic recovery. Consumer trading-down presented the biggest challenge to players, with the majority of foodservice providers reporting a decline in spending per visitor.
2024 key trends
The fulfilment landscape in China continues to shift towards delivery, driven by third-party platforms such as Meituan and Ele.me.
Competitive landscape
Within cafés/bars, Starbucks is increasingly being challenged by domestic competitors such as Luckin Coffee and Chagee. In terms of foodservice value sales, the brand share of Starbucks in chained specialist coffee and tea shops more than halved between 2019 and 2024, whilst Luckin Coffee’s brand share grew almost fivefold, thanks to its aggressive low price strategy and franchise scheme.
Independent foodservice developments
Growth in chained consumer foodservice outpaced that of independent consumer foodservice in 2024, in terms of both outlets and value sales, thanks to better infrastructure support and economies of scale, which translates to lower supply chain costs for the network. Some niche consumer foodservice channels, such as independent street stalls/kiosks, present more resilience, as the channel is evolving against smaller chained freshly-made tea shops and food stalls.
What next for consumer foodservice?
Consumer foodservice in China is expected to see solid growth over the forecast period in terms of both current value sales and outlet numbers. Foodservice value growth is also likely to catch up with growth in foodservice transactions, given the anticipated return of consumer confidence, coupled with consumption vouchers distributed by regional governments.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Consumer Foodservice industry in China with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Cafés/Bars
- Full-Service Restaurants
- Limited-Service Restaurants
- Self-Service Cafeterias
- Street Stalls/Kiosks
- Consumer Foodservice by Location
If you're in the Consumer Foodservice industry in China, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Consumer Foodservice in China report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Consumer Foodservice in China?
- Which are the leading brands in Consumer Foodservice in China?
- How are multinational and local operators competing and expanding in China?
- How are consumer lifestyle trends and eating habits shaping Consumer Foodservice in China?
- How is the Consumer Foodservice industry adapting to a post-COVID-19 market environment? Where are the opportunities amidst the challenges?
- How significant are health considerations in shaping the future of Consumer Foodservice in China? Which of these trends hold the greatest potential demand?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Consumer Foodservice in China
Consumer foodservice in 2024: The big picture
2024 key trends
Competitive landscape
Independent foodservice developments
What next for consumer foodservice?
DISCLAIMER
Cafés/Bars in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Cafés continues to lose steam due to the rise of speciality coffee and tea shops
Starbucks Corp is increasingly challenged by domestic rivals
Players in specialist coffee and tea shops leverage WeChat to encourage repeat sales
Growing popularity of “home bar” poised to challenge bars/pubs
Price war amongst coffee players set to alleviate amidst higher commodity prices
Loyalty emerges as a priority for chained players
Full-Service Restaurants in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
All-you-can-eat hot pot gains popularity in 2024
Competitive landscape remains stable, as leading players continue to expand
Trading down continues to impact players in full-service restaurants
Regional cuisines and specialities likely to remain prevalent
Outlet expansion set to slow over the forecast period
Growth anticipated for Alimentari by addressing the gap in mid-priced Italian dining
Limited-Service Restaurants in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Chained limited-service restaurants continues to expand in 2024
Concentration remains low within Asian limited-service restaurants
Leading players lower first-party delivery fees
Infrastructure support critical for future expansion
Prefabricated food likely to play a bigger role in limited-service restaurants
Popularity of gelato presents opportunities for players in ice cream limited-service restaurants
Self-Service Cafeterias in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Mr Rice remains the largest player within self-service cafeterias
Pay-per-weight pricing strategy popular, but there are reservations
Vegetarian self-service cafeterias continue to rise
Growing popularity of solo dining presents opportunities for self-service cafeterias
Self-service cafeterias to see competition from supermarket operators
Ageing population presents growth opportunities
Street Stalls/Kiosks in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Chained street stalls/kiosks sees a decline in outlet numbers
Delivery remains important for street stalls/kiosks
Players experiment with 24/7 operation
Milk tea penetration likely to increase at the expense of fruit tea
Landscape to consolidate amongst leading players
Supply chain capabilities critical for building up barriers to competition
Consumer Foodservice By Location in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Consumer foodservice through standalone remains dominant in China
Consumer foodservice through travel sees expansion, thanks to robust infrastructure spending
Retail locations will remain important for foodservice operators
Shop-in-shop concept gains momentum
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Consumer Foodservice
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- Chained Consumer Foodservice
- Independent Consumer Foodservice
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- Chained Cafés/Bars
- Independent Cafés/Bars
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- Chained Bars/Pubs
- Independent Bars/Pubs
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- Chained Cafés
- Independent Cafés
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- Chained Juice/Smoothie Bars
- Independent Juice/Smoothie Bars
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- Chained Specialist Coffee and Tea Shops
- Independent Specialist Coffee and Tea Shops
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- Chained Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Asian Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Asian Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained European Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent European Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Latin American Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Latin American Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Middle Eastern Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Middle Eastern Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained North American Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent North American Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Pizza Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Pizza Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Other Full-Service Restaurants
- Independent Other Full-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Asian Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Asian Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Bakery Products Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Bakery Products Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Burger Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Burger Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Chicken Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Chicken Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Convenience Stores Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Convenience Stores Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Fish Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Fish Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Ice Cream Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Ice Cream Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Latin American Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Latin American Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Middle Eastern Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Middle Eastern Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Pizza Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Pizza Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Other Limited-Service Restaurants
- Independent Other Limited-Service Restaurants
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- Chained Self-Service Cafeterias
- Independent Self-Service Cafeterias
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- Chained Street Stalls/Kiosks
- Independent Street Stalls/Kiosks
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- Consumer Foodservice Through Standalone
- Consumer Foodservice Through Leisure
- Consumer Foodservice Through Retail
- Consumer Foodservice Through Lodging
- Consumer Foodservice Through Travel
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- Takeaway Online Ordering
- Takeaway Offline Ordering
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- First-Party Delivery Services
- Third-Party Delivery Services
- Delivery Offline Ordering
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- Drive-Through
- Eat-In
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- Takeaway Online Ordering
- Delivery Online Ordering
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- Takeaway Offline Ordering
- Delivery Offline Ordering
- Drive-Through
- Eat-in
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Consumer Foodservice
Consumer foodservice is composed of cafés/bars, full-service restaurants, limited-service restaurants, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks.
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This report originates from Passport, our Consumer Foodservice research and analysis database.
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