Top 25 players in China’s restaurant scene listed

A newly published ranking of China’s biggest restaurant chain companies and private restaurants will make for fascinating reading for those seeking to supply seafood to the sector.

The China Cuisine Association’s report for 2015 show Chinese catering revenues rose 11.7 percent year-on-year in 2015 to total CNY 3.23 trillion (USD 490 billion, EUR 435 billion), outpacing overall GDP growth of 6.9 percent. That’s good news for suppliers to the sector, which is being driven by rising incomes and growth among convenience and mid-priced chains. It’s noticeable from the report that restaurant chains are dominating the market, with several of them seafood-focused.

The CCA’s ranking of China’s ‘Top 100 Catering Enterprises’ shows these companies had revenue of CNY 221 billion (USD 33.5 billion, EUR 29.7 billion) in 2015, an increase of 2.4 percent. The bulk of the firms are headquartered in three cities: Beijing, Chongqing and Shanghai.

Yum Brands, which holds KFC and Pizza Hut in China, tops the list – as it did in 2012, when a similar ranking was published – but there’s a handful of local firms which have stayed in the top 10 since 2012. Among them is Tianjin Ding Qiao Food Service Consulting, which operates Dico’s, the leading local fast-food franchise. Dico’s menus are similar to KFC (both firms serve cod burgers as well breaded shrimp snacks).

Another firm holding its place in the top five since 2012 is Hebei Qianxihe Food & Drink Co., which operates small-scale snack booths across northern China.

Among the seafood-focused big players in the top 20, there’s Zhejiang Kai Xuan Men Macau Dou Lao Group Holdings Ltd., which operates restaurants all along China’s east coast. The Japanese firm Ajisen (China) Holdings Ltd., meanwhile, has outlets across the country selling noodles and cold fish dishes. A prevalence of restaurants from the megalopolis of Chongqing and surrounding Sichuan Province reflects the popularity of the region’s hot pot restaurant chains, which several chains have taken national.

The report also suggests that restaurant market has grown more concentrated. Online business soared in 2015 for the top 100 Catering Enterprises, with online sales revenue up 59.6 percent. Revenues from takeaway meals jumped 96.7 percent.

The 25 top players in China’s top 100 restaurant operators:

1. Yum China Division
2. Tianjin Ding Qiao Food service Consulting Ltd.
3. Hebei Qianxihe Food & Drink Co., Ltd.
4. Sichuan Hai Di Lao Food Co., Ltd.
5. Jiake Lai (Fujian) Restaurant Chain Management Ltd.
6. Chongqing Liu Yi Shou Restaurant Management Co., Ltd.
7. Zhejiang Liang An (C-Strait) Food Chain Management Co.
8. Inner Mongolia Small Tail Lamb Restaurant Chain Ltd
9. Beijing Huang Ji Huang Restaurant Management Co., Ltd.
10. Zhen Gongfu (Kungfu) Catering Management Co., Ltd.
11. Chongqing Chaotianmen Food & Beverage Holdings Limited
12. Zhejiang Kai Xuan Men Macau Dou Lao Group Holdings Ltd.
13. Chongqing Tie Ge Men Enterprise Management Services Ltd.
14. Beijing Lee California Beef Noodle King Co.
15. Jiangsu Pin Shang Restaurant Chain Management Ltd.
16. Beijing Huatian Catering Co
17. Xiao Nan Guo Group Co Ltd.
18. Ajisen (China) Holdings Ltd.
19. Chongqing Taoran Ju Food Culture (Group) Co., Ltd.
20. Chongqing DeZhuang Industry (Group) Co., Ltd.
21. Gabu Gabu Restaurant Management Co., Ltd.
22. Shandong JiaLi Restaurant Group
23. Beijing Jinfeng Food Co., Ltd.
24. Chongqing Jiangjun Food Culture Development Co., Ltd.
25. Chongqing Qin Ma Food & Beverage Management Co.