I had a very interesting conversation with a friend of mine today about the feel or mood of a restaurant in China as interpreted by the Chinese, particularly in the menu and how products are sold and marketed. He is Chinese American, working in China, and many times makes comments that really make me think about how to apply business practices for the Chinese culture.
The comment went something along the lines of, "some restaurants might have excellent products, but many foreign-run restaurants sell the food in such a way that the Chinese customers just feel like you are saying they are stupid." They lose face. I had to ask him to explain.
I had made a comment about "educating the customers". Now, all I meant was letting them know enough to be able to make an educated purchase, that is, buy the thing they want. That phrase raised some red flags for him, though.
His point was that if restaurants—this is going to be more applicable to Western food places—push the authenticity of their food so much and feel a need to help the customers know what good Western food is supposed to be, the Chinese will often feel ignorant. As my friend said, "they may need some education, but they do not want to feel stupid when receiving it." Good point.
So, I started thinking about it a bit. There is nothing wrong with little informational pamphlets or other explanatory propoganda for those who really want to be informed. But really, most people will either get what their friend suggests or go with the first interesting picture they see. That is, unless the sales staff are particularly good sales people.
And I really think that is what is comes down to. The people behind the counter can communicate an educational message in many different ways: everything from condescending to helpful. I have only begun to think it through for myself and my own cafe though. I would say it comes down not to the message, but how the message is communicated.
China's rural labor pool doesn't seem so deep:
China's rural labor pool is drying up, so much for those outsourcing outfits and their big promises:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/IF19Cb01.html
Posted by: curious observer | 19 Jun 2007 at 13:37
The research on which that article was written is based on false assumptions. Many of those workers are not temporary at all. They have moved permanently to the big cities. So, the workers are still there to work later on, and there will be less need to draw from the countryside. Humans are a renewable resource. Sounds crass, but true, none the less.
This is China's great urbanization. I would say it is similar to the builder and boomer eras in the United States (and many other countries in the West). The labor pool is not drying up; the water is just being moved to a new pool...the working pool.
Posted by: Cooper Strange | 19 Jun 2007 at 20:40