By Cristina Ng
The good, the bad and the ugly. The weird and the wacky. As is the Thats tradition, weve compiled our 2019 China Year in Review series. So sit back, relax and relive the highs and lows of the last 12 months.
Who was hot (and not) in the world of China bars and restaurants last year? Our F&B thermometer measures it all up.
Hot
1. OmniPork on the Mainland
Image courtesy of Green Common
Plant-based OmniPork burst onto the scene with menu items at Grand Hyatt Beijing and Wagas stores nationwide (including sister brands LOKAL, Funk & Kale and Baker & Spice). Expect the alternative protein at Taco Bell and Tsui Wah next.
2. 'Luckin' for Gold
Image via @/Weibo
Homegrown Luckin Coffees rapid growth resulted in the chain matching Starbucks store-for-store in November 2019.
Warm
3. Netflix Documentary Puts Spotlight on Chaoshan Cuisine
Screengrab via QQ
A documentary highlighting Chaoshan (in eastern Guangdong province) fare called Flavorful Origins hit Netflix. Chinese morning meals also got some love with the inaugural World Jianbing Day and the Tencent/Haixia TV documentary Breakfast in China.
4. Shake Shack Expansion
Image courtesy of Shake Shack
Shake Shack continued its expansion into China with two new stores in Shanghai and the announcement of its first Beijing location due in 2020.
Meh
5. Beijing Michelin Guide
Image via Michelin/Pixabay
Michelin Guides launched its first Beijing edition in November. Only Xin Rong Ji walked away with three stars. While two locations of Dong Zhenxiang's famed Peking duck restaurant Da Dong received one star each, all branches of popular Temple Restaurant Beijing or TRB were overlooked.
6. China's Showing on 50 Best Lists
Image courtesy of The World's 50 Best Restaurants
The Chairman in Hong Kong and Shanghais Ultraviolet were the only China eateries featured on the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants 2019. Similarly, Shanghai bars Speak Low and Sober Company were the only two mainland entries on the Worlds Best Bars 2019; five bars total in Greater China made the list.
Not
7. Urban Redevelopment
Image courtesy of El Ocho
In a surprise announcement, popular venues at Shanghai F&B hub Zhang Court were told to move out. Since then, Logans Punch, Oji Cocktail & Whisky and Tomatito are the only ones to resurface.
Image by Sky Gidge/That's
Down south, redevelopment forced 150,000 tenants out of Baishizhou in Shenzhen, taking a swathe of local restaurants and bars out in the process.
8. Dwindling Pig Populations
Image via Pixabay
Chinas pig population has been ravaged by African swine fever, leading to rising pork prices. According to a piece published in the New York Times, China's pig population accounted for half of the world's pigs in 2018 and the epidemic in China has reportedly wiped out one-quarter of the world's pig population.
[Cover images via Green Common, Shake Shack, Weibo and QQ]
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