HaiDiLao may have more than 250 outlets worldwide this year

BEIJING — Sichuan HaiDiLao Catering, the Chinese spicy soup chain that offers free massages and manicures to awaiting customers, may open 80 outlets this year as it expands abroad.

As many as 10 of the new restaurants will be outside China, Chairman Zhang Yong said. The Beijing-based company, which entered Los Angeles in 2013, is testing the appeal of its signature hotpots — steaming broths that diners flavour with meat, vegetables and noodles — in the US and UK.

HaiDiLao expects revenue to jump more than 30 per cent to 10 billion yuan (S$2.0 billion) this year, Mr Zhang said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. The company, whose strategy of offering customers “delightful dining experiences” made it a Harvard Business School case study in 2011, is betting on China’s growing global influence to draw consumers to the nation’s cuisine, much like the US has done with its own consumer brands.

“McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks are all a reflection of American culture,’’ said Mr Zhang last weekend in Zhengzhou, where he attended the China Green Companies Summit. “As the Chinese economy grows and the world starts to put more focus on China, I believe there’s a chance for Chinese restaurants.”

Others are already pursuing that opportunity. Yum China Holding announced plans last year to expand its Little Sheep hotpot outlets globally through franchises, adding to its 40 outlets in North America.

NOODLE DANCERS

HaiDiLao has expanded to 176 outlets in 53 cities in mainland China since it was founded in 1994, according to its website. It also has restaurants in Singapore and Seoul. While its only US outlet is performing well, Mr Zhang said it’s important the brand not rely on the Chinese diaspora for business.

Local Americans currently make up about 1 in 10 customers in Los Angeles, where Mr Zhang said he’s trying a new approach of offering individual pots, set menus, pop music and a night-club-like atmosphere. In China, customers are routinely entertained by staff resembling rhythmic gymnasts who twirl ribbons of dough into noodles that they plunge into bubbling pots of broth on diners’ tables.

It will take time for Western consumers to understand what a hotpot is and flavours might need to be tweaked to broaden their appeal, said Mr Shaun Rein, managing director of the China Market Research Group in Shanghai. It’s difficult for the chain to replicate its Chinese model in the US because of higher labour costs, he said.

‘COST-PROHIBITIVE’

“When you’re waiting in line in China, you get a free manicure,” he said. “It’s cost-prohibitive in the US. They might have to adjust their value proposition and, slowly, foreigners will eat their food.”

In any case, there is more than enough opportunity for HaiDiLao in the domestic market, Mr Rein said.

“They need to expand more in China before they start looking overseas too much,” Mr Rein said. “They don’t have enough restaurants in China. You often have to wait two or three hours to get into HaiDiLao.”

Expansion of the HaiDiLao chain is a potential boon for Yihai International Holding, the soup-flavouring and dipping-sauce unit that is controlled by Mr Zhang and his wife. The shares have climbed 12 per cent to HK$3.70 (S$0.66) since it was spun off from HaiDiLao and went public in Hong Kong last July. Yihai’s net income may increase 20-to-30 percent this year to at least 200 million yuan, Mr Zhang said.

Subsidiaries may continue to be listed in either Hong Kong or China, but the parent company has adequate capital and no plan for an initial public offering, Mr Zhang said.

“Our bottleneck right now is we don’t have enough store managers who understand the culture difference of the UK and US well,” he said. “It will be several years later should we start to consider funding with either IPO or bank loans.” BLOOMBERG