As the curtain for the super Golden Week, an official holiday combining the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day, was lifted, the demand for a Mid-Autumn "Reunion Dinner" is skyrocketing in Guangdong's catering market. Data from platforms like Meituan and Dianping show that as of 12:00 PM on September 29, dine-in orders in the catering industry have increased by 110% compared to the first day of the National Day holiday in 2022, while the orders for Mid-Autumn "Reunion" group meal packages have grown by over 90% year-on-year.

A 'Reunion Dinner' is hard to come by on Mid-Autumn Festival

As the Mid-Autumn Festival represents the hope for family reunion, the "Reunion Feast" on the dining table is highly valued. As the Festival approaches, many restaurants in Guangzhou have decorated their halls and rooms with festival-related elements such as lanterns, models or posters of written Chinese characters "中秋佳节" (meaning a merry Mid-Autumn Festival) and so on.

With the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, popular Cantonese restaurants such as Guangzhou Restaurant, Tao Tao Ju Restaurant, and Nan Yuan Restaurant are running out of tables. "During lunchtime today, a single branch of us has served over 1200 customers. After 1 PM at the Beijing Road branch, you still have to wait after 100 tables to get a small table. That is because the customer flow on Mid-Autumn Festival day has increased by 20% compared to previous years," said Zhang Jianwei, the owner of the long-established restaurant, Xiangqun Restaurant, to the reporter.

"As the peak of consumption is coming, we are deploying extra staff and stocking up!" said the person in charge of a Chef Fei branch. They mentioned that with the approaching Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, there will inevitably be a surge in customers and popularity. Therefore, the restaurant has started to deploy extra staff two weeks before the festival while stocking ingredient reserves 30% more than during regular times.

'Culinary travels' are boosting the popularity of small cities

Apart from those who rush to restaurants for the "Reunion Dinner", there are also long queues of consumers who are on a "culinary journey" for the sake of delicacies. Many catering business owners have reported that their phones have been ringing off the hook since early in the morning, with a continuous stream of customers who came to line up for dining directly from the train station with their luggage.

"At 10 AM, the first batch of diners had already arrived at the restaurant, some of whom were even carrying their luggage. Around 80% of the lunch diners are out-of-town tourists," said Pan Weiwen, the owner of Song Ji Restaurant in Shunde, Foshan. She mentioned that their phones have been "ringing non-stop" these days. The consumption enthusiasm in the Mid-Autumn Festival is far stronger than in previous years, indicating that the entire Golden Week will be bustling with business.

Since the beginning of 2023, "culinary travels" have become increasingly popular, attracting consumers to explore and experience unique gastronomic flavors in various small cities. Meituan's data shows that as of 12:00 PM on September 29, the accommodation reservations in food cities like Yanji, Taizhou, Shantou, Liuzhou, and Yibin have all increased by more than 400% compared to 2019.

Not long ago, the 2023 Autumn Consumption Promotion & 6th "Food in Guangdong" gourmet event was launched in Guangdong, kicking off a series of dining promotion activities across the province with a focus on the three major culinary styles: Cantonese cuisine, Chaoshan cuisine, and Hakka cuisine. Various restaurants in Guangdong will showcase their exquisite delicacies, making "Food in Guangdong" a driving force for urban consumption.

Data shows that from January to August 2023, Guangdong's total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 5.7%, maintaining its leading position nationwide. Among that figure, the revenue of the catering industry hit 371.2 billion RMB, up by 25.2% year-on-year, making itself a significant booster for consumption growth throughout the province.

黄金周首日，“中秋团圆饭”一桌难求！

中秋与国庆合并的超级黄金周正式开启，为吃一顿中秋“团圆饭”，广东餐饮市场十分火爆。美团、大众点评数据显示，截至9月29日中午12时，餐饮堂食订单量同比2022年“十一”首日增长110%。与去年同期相比，中秋“团圆”主题团购套餐订单量增长超90%。

中秋团圆饭“一桌难求”

中秋节承载着举家团圆的寄望，餐桌上的“团圆宴”尤被人们看重。临近中秋，广州许多家酒楼已经在大厅、房间装点上了节日相关的元素，如灯笼、“中秋佳节”的字样及海报等。

中秋节到来，广州酒家、陶陶居酒家、南园酒家等知名广式酒楼上座率爆满，几近“一桌难求”。“今天午市，单个门店接待餐客数超过了1200人。在北京路门店，下午1点多，小桌还需要等位近100桌，中秋节当天客流量较往年提升20%。”老牌餐厅向群饭店老板张剑炜也向记者表示。

“消费高峰来了，我们正在加派人手，增加备货！”费大厨辣椒炒肉门店相关负责人告诉记者，中秋国庆“双节”将至，客流势必会有所增加，人气更加火爆，对此，餐厅从节前两周起就已开始加派人手应对客流，同时，门店食材储备比平时增加30%以上。

“味蕾游”带动小城热度

除了为团圆饭而奔赴餐厅的人们，为“吃”而动、奔赴“味蕾游”的消费者们也已经排起了长队。不少餐饮商家表示，一大早“电话被打爆了”，从火车站拉着行李箱前来排队的客人络绎不绝。

“上午10点，第一批游客就已经到店，还有直接拎着行李箱到店的，八成午市食客是外地游客。”佛山顺德松记食店老板娘潘魏文表示，这几天“电话都被打爆了”，中秋节的消费热度比往年更甚，由此可以预见整个“十一”黄金周生意都会很旺。

今年以来，“味蕾游”持续走红，众多小城因独特的美食风味吸引消费者探访打卡。美团数据显示，截至9月29日12时，延吉、台州、汕头、柳州、宜宾等美食城市的中秋国庆住宿预订量较2019年增长均超过400%。

不久前，2023广东促消费（秋季）暨第六届“食在广东”美食活动启动，一系列的全省餐饮促消费活动矩阵开启，立足“广府菜”“潮汕菜”“客家菜”三大菜系，广东各地餐饮将各秀珍馐，让“食在广东”成为城市消费的流量担当。

数据显示，今年1-8月广东社会消费品零售总额增长5.7%，继续位居全国前列。其中，餐饮收入3712亿元，同比增长25.2%，对全省消费增长的拉动作用明显。

文｜记者 孙绮曼 沈钊 实习生 杨晓岚 王瑶涵
图｜记者 严锦程
译｜洪婷
责编 | 王楠
校对 | 马曼婷