Recently, there has been an increase in the number of buffet restaurants in many cities. In the WeChat group of the Catering Innovation Association, many restaurant owners are consulting about self-service hot pot and some hot pot owners even mentioned that they are planning to transform their business into self-service hot pot. What does this signal mean?

In 2023, the popularity of self-service dining has not diminished. According to data from Qichacha, as of the time of writing, there are over 2,600 new self-service dining enterprises in 2023, with over 900 of them specializing in self-service hot pot.

Why are so many hot pot owners choosing to do self-service?

Zhang Tengfei, the founder of the member company "Chuansanhu Hot Pot Skewers," recently transformed one of his mall stores into a self-service wagyu beef hot pot. He told Hot Pot Insights that the primary reason for the transformation is that it sells well. In the context of intense competition, traditional hot pot businesses are struggling, and who wouldn't want to find a new path? For restaurant professionals, having a product that sells well, caters to consumer preferences, and meets their consumption needs not only improves their income but also provides a great sense of achievement.

The reemergence of self-service hot pot is not only favored by the catering industry but also by many "foodies." The decrease in consumer spending power is an undeniable fact, and consumers are tightening their wallets and looking for higher value-for-money options. As the slogan hanging in the Beibu Hot Pot Village says, "Apart from the product, we don't want to spend an extra penny." In a society where prices are generally rising, the market and consumers themselves are driving the upgrade of self-service dining. Eating self-service hot pot has become an act of "taking advantage," and who wouldn't want to take advantage of such an openly "cheap" opportunity? This is another reason why self-service hot pot has become popular.

However, not all categories of self-service hot pot are equally popular!

Hot Pot Insights has summarized three types of "well-selling" self-service hot pots, each with its own advantages. Let's take a look!

First: Beef Self-Service Hot Pot

Beef has always been a highly ordered item in hot pot restaurants, attracting attention from both businesses and customers. Therefore, self-service hot pot cannot miss out on this popular product. Currently, there are two main types of popular beef self-service hot pots.

One type is self-service hot pot featuring Chaoshan beef, such as Niu XiXi Chaoshan Beef Self-Service Hot Pot, Donglai Chaoshan Specialty Fresh Beef Hot Pot, Wei Shu Niu Chaoshan Beef Self-Service Hot Pot, and Mu Niu Dao Fresh Beef Hot Pot. These self-service hot pots emphasize "freshness," and customers can enjoy unlimited beef for less than 100 yuan per person. The other type is self-service hot pot featuring wagyu beef. In recent years, self-service restaurants in the style of shabu-shabu have rapidly emerged, attracting consumers with high-quality beef and a variety of side dishes. Wagyu beef is internationally recognized as the best beef, and consumers generally perceive it as being expensive. However, wagyu beef self-service hot pot allows consumers to enjoy the legendary wagyu beef at an affordable price. How could the crowd pursuing "value for money" not love it?

Second: Fish Self-Service Hot Pot

When it comes to the most popular category of self-service hot pot, fish-based self-service hot pot deserves the title without a doubt. There are numerous brands offering various types of fish-based self-service hot pot, and they are gradually becoming branded and franchised.

Although self-service hot pot has regained popularity, it is still a category without strong brands. Hot pot restaurant owners who want to transition into self-service need to do their homework and avoid pitfalls.

Firstly, controlling the quality of self-service hot pot products is essential. Product quality is a major concern in self-service hot pot, but ensuring high quality is also the key to breaking through and becoming an internet sensation in the self-service dining industry. Whether it's a low-end or high-end self-service hot pot, maintaining good product quality and aligning prices with value is crucial. Otherwise, negative feedback will flood in and ultimately lead to failure.

For example, a high-end self-service brand known as the "top player of self-service hot pot" charged high prices but used industrial oilfish and white tuna to pass off as cod, with no live seafood available in the seafood section. The desserts were all frozen products, resulting in a barrage of negative reviews.

Secondly, controlling the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is vital for survival in the self-service dining industry. Having too many SKUs is a common problem in self-service restaurants. An excessive number of options makes it difficult for customers to choose, and they end up wanting to try everything and taking a little bit of each, leading to significant food waste. This not only increases the operating costs of the restaurant but also violates the "Anti-Food Waste Law" and poses food safety concerns.

Self-service restaurants already suffer from homogeneity and a lack of innovation. Having too many SKUs exacerbates the problem of homogeneity and makes it challenging to innovate and create new products. This results in a lack of brand appeal, insufficient brand strength, and a lack of distinctiveness. It becomes challenging to achieve long-term profitability.

As the founder of Jing Xiaoyao, a member of the Firepot Creative Alliance, Zhuang Qiang said, "We are thinking about building brand influence!" Homogeneous products can only make some short-term profits but cannot become a nationwide brand.

With the current trend of "price sensitivity" returning, self-service hot pot has an opportunity to thrive. This also means that there are more opportunities in the hot pot industry. However, it is crucial for individuals to find the right brand positioning, be customer-oriented, and avoid blind transformation, lest they become "a drop in the ocean of the times."

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