When we mention Chinese food, what is the first that pop into your mind? Kung Pao Chicken? General Tso's Chicken? Or simply Panda Express?

Last month, Grandma's Home, a catering brand originated from Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, announced its first overseas store in Manhattan. One month earlier than that, Xinrongji, a catering brand also from Zhejiang, debuted in Tokyo with set course charging over $300 per person and its reservation for the whole April is booked up.

As more and more Chinese catering brands are making their appearances across the world, Chinese food is more than you know. 

For the past century, Chinese food has been always labeled with low-end and cheap. Be it General Tso's Chicken, Beef and Kale stir fry or Mongolian Shrimp, none of these are authentic Chinese cuisine but hybrids developed by the early Chinese restaurant owners to please locals. The fortune cookies, by the way, never really exist in China.

While the new generation of Chinese restaurants like Grandma's Home and Xin Rongji march into the global market, Chinese food is no longer an item that helps the owner to survive in a foreign country, but to make a difference.

From decoration, investment, brand image to supply chain, these brands have kept their own culture while running overseas. 

The Manhattan branch of Grandma's Home started preparation since 2021. It was not until last month that the restaurant was finally unveiled. It also took Xinrongji three years and over $10.45 million in its Tokyo branch. The two catering brands retain the original characteristics of their brands in decoration. While in the core aspect of catering, they also keep their own style to the greatest extent from the formulation of menus, the selection of ingredients to the choice of cooking methods.

However, it is still a question whether the market will buy these brands.

Chinese catering brands going overseas is not a new concept. But in the past, the widely known Chinese food was mostly concentrated in hot pot, tea drinks and other categories which are mostly standardized production.

It will take time to prove whether the catering mode like Xinrongji and Grandma's Home, which are highly dependent on the cooking and food selection in the back kitchen, can really become bigger and stronger in the overseas market.

Chinese catering brands should not only adapt to the overseas market, find the living environment of the right time, place and people, but also have additional elements to arouse the interest of local diners.

Dadong, a famous Chinese roast duck brand, walked into New York in 2017 and ended in defeat. The founder of Dadong said in an interview that due to cultural differences, management mode, labor system, and even the "acclimatization" of ingredient purchase, the loss was as high as $14 million.

Can Grandma's Home and Xinrongji stand the test of global gourmets? Leave the problem to time, and all we have to do is enjoy different types of food.

Reporter Yan Yiqi, Xiao Yanyan, Zhao Yaxin