Liu Xiaoli felt a little uneasy about Shen Fang's praise. Although she was quite happy, he was, after all, her future son-in-law, and she didn't know how to respond to his words.
However, Liu Xiaoli remains very confident, after all, she has been a beauty since childhood, and has maintained that beauty for decades. Coupled with her long-term attention to diet, whether it's her figure or skin, Liu Xiaoli can easily outshine many young girls.
"It's not as good as you say. I'm already quite old," Liu Xiaoli said somewhat shyly, her face slightly flushed.
This sudden appearance stunned Shen Fang. Even without makeup, she was breathtakingly beautiful. To be honest, Liu Xiaoli's beauty was at the peak of her mature womanhood. Her long-term dance training had instilled in her every gesture an air of elegance and grace. Her looks were simply stunning. Even in candid photos online, Liu Xiaoli was breathtakingly beautiful, even in casual snapshots taken by reporters.
“Mom is the most beautiful. I’m the ugliest in our family.” Liu Qianqian strongly agreed with Shen Fang’s words. Whether it was her cousin, her mother, her aunt, or her grandmother, they were all stunning beauties when they were young. She was the ugliest in their family.
Shen Fang quickly avoided eye contact. Good heavens, a mother and daughter... that's terrifying... Madam, you didn't want this either... Ugh, what an evil thought.
When the three returned to their room, Shen Kun and Xiao Ming had already started eating, along with Zhang Da Hu Zi and director Yu Min, who had just arrived.
The group sat in a circle.
Zhang Dahuzi raised his glass and looked at Shen Fang: "President Shen, we've already generated some buzz. The next step is to see how to guide it. I'm thinking of asking the company's public relations department for some guidance?"
Shen Fang took a bite of the beef skewer and found it surprisingly delicious: "You contacted Chang Jihong and asked her to cooperate with you. Xiaoming's barbecue is pretty good."
"Mmm, it's super delicious!" Liu Qianqian's face was covered in oil from eating; it smelled so good!
"It's not far from our hotel. I always have my assistant buy some after filming. It tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
Shen Fang nodded: "That's certainly possible."
“If it weren’t for the fact that barbecuing is too troublesome and the owner sells the recipe, I would have bought it all. Just to buy this little bit of stuff, my assistant had to queue for two hours.”
Shen Fang suddenly had a brilliant idea for making money: celebrity-owned restaurants. This concept originated with a group of TV hosts in Changsha, and after they profited, capital began to target this lucrative market. Following them were Zhengxin Chicken, Chen He's Huofengxiang, and La Sancheng, with Chen He's Xianhezhuang being the most successful. Xianhezhuang expanded to 800 stores in just two or three years. Business was booming at first, but as the hype died down, the number of celebrity-endorsed restaurants declined.
Xianhezhuang has successively withdrawn from multiple cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. Chen He has certainly made a good profit from this situation.
Most of the celebrity restaurant brands that became popular through franchising ended up in a mess.
The "fan economy" model of franchising celebrity restaurants faced even more severe challenges in 2023. Those celebrity restaurant brands that relied on rapid expansion through franchising almost all failed miserably, with virtually none ending up well.
Han Han's "Nice to Meet You" brand, even before its launch, was plagued by a wave of bankruptcies, with its Tianjin franchise store facing a lawsuit for unpaid wages. The brand was also reported to have lost over 100 million yuan, and all "Nice to Meet You" stores are currently closed. Later, the milk tea brand "Natural Dai," endorsed by celebrity Guan Xiaotong, was involved in a franchise contract dispute, resulting in a 4.3 million yuan enforcement action, and the company and its legal representative were subject to consumption restrictions.
Joining a celebrity-owned restaurant chain aims to leverage the star's fame to attract customers, and this model itself isn't inherently problematic. However, the frequent failures of celebrity-owned restaurant brands stem from the fact that, without establishing a viable business model and focusing on product and service as the core elements, they resort to rapid expansion and aggressive hype to achieve large-scale growth. The operators' initial intentions and driving logic were flawed, naturally leading to problematic outcomes.
This is something that can actually be done, but you can't just think about making money. To do it well, you need to have a deep understanding of the catering industry. Quality, service, brand promotion, ingredients, and location all need to be carefully managed and arranged. Otherwise, just thinking about making money is meaningless.
If you're going to do something, don't think it's a one-off deal; otherwise, it's not worth it at all if the artist's reputation is damaged.
Celebrity-owned franchise stores have a natural advantage over other catering businesses. They don't have to worry about attracting customers in the early stages. As long as they provide good service, control the quality of ingredients and prices, and do things properly, it's easy to succeed.
"Xiaoming, what are your thoughts on celebrity-owned restaurants?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaoming put down the skewers in his hand. Shen Fang wouldn't suddenly ask such a question; if he did, it meant the boss might have some ulterior motive.
"Celebrity-owned restaurants? You mean, celebrities opening restaurants?"
Shen Fang nodded: "That's right. The domestic economy is gradually improving, and more and more people are going abroad. Whether it's banquets or late-night snacks, there are more and more people. People have more money in their pockets. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—these four categories account for more than 50% of our people's consumption. Actually, there's a saying that goes, 'Food is the first necessity of the people.' Everyone needs three meals a day. Are you interested?"
"That would be wonderful, Mr. Shen. Do you have any good ideas?"
Shen Fang smiled at Xiao Ming: "I will personally fund the establishment of a catering brand foundation. I already have existing resources. I also own 5% of South Beauty's shares. I can borrow South Beauty's suppliers at any time. However, if we are going to do it, we can't do high-end. What we need to do is an economical and high-volume business. We will earn franchise fees, and the ultimate goal is to go public."
"The most common foods eaten in China right now are hot pot, barbecue, and the recently popular grilled meat, stir-fries, and buffets."
"Our company's artists don't need to invest any money; as long as you have their names, we'll give you shares. Later, you can withdraw from your own personal restaurant brands and become subsidiaries of the main brand, establishing a nationwide restaurant empire."
"Your task is to promote and publicize the brand. You won't be paid endorsement fees, but you will receive a profit share at the end of the year."
"President Shen, can we still have shares?"
Shen Fang smiled and said, "Of course, the purpose of doing this is to build your reputation. How much the brand can earn depends on your promotional efforts. In the early stages, the restaurant business will rely on your reputation to generate revenue, and we will also need your cooperation in promoting the directly operated stores."
“I have no problem. If I can do business with the boss and you are willing to take me under your wing, of course I will do my best and follow your instructions.”
Shen Fang nodded: "Qianqian, please mention this in your group of artists. This will help increase your income. You all need to be there when the restaurant opens."
"If I go to eat there, does that mean I don't have to pay?" Liu Qianqian grasped the key point.
Shen Fang laughed loudly: "Of course, we don't need money for our own businesses."
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