Positive Reviews: The Semi-self-service Dining Model is the “Survival Wisdom” and “Innovative Breakthrough” in the Current Market Environment
Against the backdrop of the catering industry facing shrinking consumer demand and high cost pressure, the rise of the semi-self-service model is by no means accidental. Instead, it is the key balance point the industry has found between “cost reduction and efficiency improvement” and “meeting consumer needs.” Its positive significance is mainly reflected in the following three aspects:
First of all, the semi-self-service model precisely meets consumers’ core demand for “cost – effectiveness” and activates the mass consumer market. As mentioned in the news, self – service hot pots have quickly become popular with labels such as “one – yuan soup base, choose your own meat and vegetables” and “eat to your heart’s content for an average of 40 yuan per person.” Street – stall barbecues, with an average per – capita consumption of 50 – 60 yuan, have a distinct advantage compared with the high prices of traditional chain brands (such as “Long Ago Skewers”). This strategy of “saving money first and then making money” is essentially an accurate response to the current trend of “consumption downgrade” – consumers are no longer willing to pay for excessive service or brand premium, but are more willing to pay for “basic satisfaction.” Data shows that in 2024, the consumption scale of small hot pots increased by 28.9% year – on – year, with the stock of small hot pot enterprises nationwide exceeding 24,000, a year – on – year growth rate of 33.5%. The number of enterprises related to street – stall barbecues has exceeded 3,000, and the playback volume of relevant topics on Douyin has reached 290 million times. These data all confirm the strong market demand for the “high cost – effectiveness + basic experience” model.
Secondly, the semi-self-service model provides an effective way for catering enterprises to “control costs” and alleviates the industry’s survival pressure. Among the three major costs in the catering industry – food ingredients, rent, and labor, labor cost is the most flexible. Traditional catering stores need to allocate positions such as waiters, food runners, and chefs. However, the semi-self-service model significantly reduces the number of front – hall service staff through “customers serving themselves + self – cooking” (for example, street – stall barbecues only retain cashiers and greeters), and even eliminates the need for chefs (such as self – service hot pots that do not require professional cooking). Taking the street – stall barbecue mentioned in the news as an example, if originally 10 waiters (with a monthly salary of 4,000 yuan per person) were needed, only 2 are retained after adopting the semi-self-service model, saving 32,000 yuan in labor costs per month. The salary of chefs generally ranges from 8,000 to 10,000 yuan per month, and the semi-self-service model directly eliminates this expense, with a significant cost – compression effect. In the current situation of high revenue uncertainty, this logic of “saving is earning” has become a “survival necessity” for small and medium – sized catering enterprises.
Finally, the semi-self-service model promotes the standardization and chain – development process of the catering industry and lowers the threshold for industry expansion. The core challenges of chain catering are “standardization” and “management difficulty,” and the semi-self-service model solves these two pain points through “standardized food ingredients + simplified service processes.” For example, the ingredients of self – service hot pots mainly include frozen meat, vegetables, and desserts, which can be uniformly distributed through a central kitchen. The ingredients of street – stall barbecues are “sliced and skewered on the spot in an open kitchen,” but customers are responsible for the meal – taking and barbecuing processes, and the store does not need to rely on chefs’ skills. In this model, franchisees only need to focus on food ingredient supply and basic services, without having to invest a large amount of training costs, which greatly lowers the franchise threshold. As mentioned in the news, Wei La Hot Pot had more than 1,000 stores in 2024, and Wei Qingchun Street – stall Barbecue expanded to 20 stores in 3 years, both benefiting from the “easy replicability” of the semi-self-service model.
Negative Reviews: The “Cost Dependence” and “Experience Shortcomings” of the Semi-self-service Model May Become Hidden Worries for Long – term Development
Although the semi-self-service model has performed well in the short – term market, the “cost – oriented” underlying logic has also planted multiple hidden dangers. Excessive dependence on this model may hinder the long – term healthy development of the industry.
Firstly, the “de – servitization” leads to a downgrade in the consumption experience and is difficult to meet diversified needs. The core of the semi-self-service model is to “compress service,” but catering consumption is essentially a comprehensive experience of “product + service + scenario.” As mentioned in the news, customers at street – stall barbecues need to pick up skewers, prepare sauces, and barbecue by themselves, and even need to purchase charcoal (10 yuan) and barbecue sauce (1.88 yuan per pack) separately. Although self – service hot pots eliminate the need for waiters, customers need to handle the ingredients and control the heat by themselves. Consumers who are not familiar with cooking may burn or overcook the food. Some users on Xiaohongshu have reported issues such as “finding a fly in Wei Qingchun Street – stall Barbecue” and “having diarrhea after a meal,” which expose potential problems such as poor management of open – style cabinets and improper food storage. More importantly, some consumers (such as those having family dinners or business banquets) have higher requirements for service. The “zero – service” feature of the semi-self-service model cannot meet the needs of this group of customers, resulting in a single customer base.
Secondly, the “low – price label” may limit the brand’s premium space and lead to a “price war” trap. The success of the semi-self-service model highly depends on “low prices,” but low prices are a double – edged sword: on the one hand, they attract traffic, and on the other hand, they also create a “price anchor” for consumers, making it difficult for them to accept price increases. As mentioned in the news, Wei Qingchun Street – stall Barbecue maintains the label of “an average per – capita consumption of 50 – 60 yuan” through vouchers (41.9 yuan for 50 – yuan vouchers) and low – price dishes (8.9 yuan for 4 skewers of lamb kebabs), but the additional charges (for charcoal and sauces) have already triggered negative emotions among consumers – “having to buy tools additionally while doing it yourself feels like being taken advantage of.” If the cost of food ingredients rises in the future (such as fluctuations in the prices of meat and vegetables), if the enterprise raises prices, it may lose customers; if it compresses the quality of food ingredients, it will damage its reputation, falling into a vicious cycle of “low price – low quality – customer loss.”
Thirdly, the applicability of the model has natural limitations and is difficult to replicate across all categories of catering. The core of the semi-self-service model is that “customers can independently complete cooking or meal – taking,” so it is more suitable for categories such as hot pots and barbecues that have low requirements for cooking skills and easy – to – standardize ingredients. However, for categories that require complex cooking (such as Chinese stir – fries) and delicate seasoning (such as Japanese and Western cuisines), customers cannot replace professional chefs in completing key steps, and the semi-self-service model is difficult to implement. As mentioned in the news, “the semi-self-service model cannot be replicated for categories such as Chinese stir – fries that require complex production processes.” This means that the market coverage of the semi-self-service model is limited, and it is difficult to become a “universal solution” for the entire industry.
Fourthly, the risks of food safety and management are underestimated, which may lead to a trust crisis. The “de – servitization” of the semi-self-service model simplifies the process, but it also weakens the ability to control food ingredients. For example, if the ingredients in open – style cabinets are not replaced in time (such as wilted vegetables or spoiled meat), or there is cross – contamination when customers pick up food (such as directly picking up ingredients with hands), it may lead to food safety problems. The incidents of “finding a fly in the food” and “having diarrhea after a meal” mentioned in the news have sounded the alarm. If enterprises do not strengthen food ingredient management (such as increasing the frequency of cabinet disinfection and setting up special personnel to supervise meal – taking), a single negative event may trigger a chain trust crisis and damage the long – term value of the brand.
Suggestions for Entrepreneurs: Balance “Cost” and “Experience” and Build Long – term Competitiveness through “Differentiation”
The rise of the semi-self-service model provides new ideas for catering entrepreneurs. However, to avoid short – sighted behavior of “saving at all costs,” strategies need to be optimized from the following four aspects:
Clarify the applicable scenarios of the model and avoid blind following. Entrepreneurs need to evaluate whether their own categories are suitable for the semi-self-service model. Categories such as hot pots and barbecues with “low cooking thresholds + high standardization” can be tried, while those that require professional cooking (such as stir – fries and Japanese cuisine) need to be approached with caution. At the same time, they need to consider the needs of the target customer group. If the customer group mainly consists of young white – collar workers who pursue cost – effectiveness, the semi-self-service model is feasible. If the customer group values service experience (such as family dinners and business banquets), basic service links need to be retained.
Find a balance between “cost control” and “experience optimization”. The semi-self-service model can compress labor costs, but the experience shortcomings need to be compensated through detailed optimization. For example, street – stall barbecues can provide “barbecue guidance” (such as simple teaching by waiters), and self – service hot pots can add “food preservation tips” (such as marking the best cooking time). For additional charges (such as charcoal and sauces), they can be included in the basic package or charged on demand with clear notification to avoid negative feelings of “being taken advantage of” among consumers.
Strengthen food safety management and build a trust barrier. Under the semi-self-service model, stricter control of food ingredients is required. The frequency of disinfection of open – style cabinets should be increased (such as cleaning once every 2 hours), and special personnel should be set up to supervise meal – taking (to prevent customers from directly touching the ingredients with hands). Food ingredients should be marked with “freshness timeliness” (such as “this batch of vegetables is valid before 18:00”), and test reports (such as pesticide residues and microbial indicators) should be regularly publicized. Through transparent management, “safety” can be built into a differentiated label for the brand.
Explore the “semi-self-service +” composite model to expand the customer base coverage. The semi-self-service model can be combined with other services to cover more demand scenarios. For example, self – service hot pots can set up a “basic self – service area + premium a la carte area” (such as providing freshly sliced beef and live seafood for a la carte), which can meet the needs of consumers who pursue quality. Street – stall barbecues can launch “lazy packages” (pre – grilled semi – finished products, reducing customers’ operations), attracting customers who are not good at cooking. Through “tiered pricing + differentiated services,” both cost – effectiveness and customer unit price and repurchase rate can be maintained.
In general, the semi-self-service model is an “effective tool” for the catering industry to cope with market challenges, but it is by no means a “panacea.” Entrepreneurs need to take “consumer needs” as the core, find a balance between cost control and experience optimization, and at the same time build long – term competitiveness through refined operation and differentiated strategies to walk more steadily and farther in the “semi-self-service” boom.
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