Pizza Hut is known for its Italian American cuisine like pizza and pasta. It has nearly
17,000 restaurants worldwide, making it the world's largest pizza chain. There are over
2,000 Pizza Hut locations in China alone! There, the chain is called Bìshèng Kè,
which combines the Chinese characters for the words “must”, “win or succeed”,
and “guest”. This translates to mean that, Pizza Hut is the guest's restaurant that must
win them over. Not only do they win over the foreigners with their prestigious look and
menu in China, but they have won over the Chinese folks too. So let’s explore the
top 10 reasons why China loves Pizza Hut.
Upscale Dining at Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is a totally different look and feel in China in comparison to the U.S or
Canada. Here they offer a five-star dining experience at a three-star price. Many foreigners
will agree that Pizza Hut is so much better in China because it's nothing like the North
American locations. In China, Pizza Hut is an upscale fine dining restaurant! Calling
in for reservations is highly recommended, otherwise, you might wait a while to get seats!
Yes, it's that busy and sought after. The biggest Pizza Hut in the world was built in
China! It is located on the 24th floor of a skyscraper in Xiamen, in the Chinese province
of Fujian. Pizza Hut had the opportunity to rebrand themselves abroad in China and used
an altered business model, offering a fine-dining atmosphere with forks, knives and an extensive
menu that caters to Chinese tastes. Its interior is modern and stylish and the menu is practically
unrecognizable to people that come from North America. Pizza Hut tends to be more formal
in China than it is America. In the U.S it is not a restaurant that is considered to
be "fancy" or "expensive" it’s more of a fast food chain. The company also has decided
that in their Chinese locations they will remodel with a new layout that will include an open
kitchen, bar, indoor garden and family dens. Maybe if things go well we can see some of
these changes come to North American restaurants.
Pizza Hut’s Customer Service
The environment at Pizza Hut's locations in China is not only clean and elegant but the
service is inviting and pleasant. We talked about Pizza Hut being a somewhat classy place
to go for lunch or dinner but another thing the Chinese people love about it is the environment
and the customer experience. As soon as you walk in, the decor is contemporary and the
staff are friendly, and this sets the tone for customers from the get-go. Pizza Hut is
owned by Yum! Brands Inc and they make sure to make the connection between the Western
brand and their customer's cultural roots. In China, Pizza Hut has rebranded itself into
a high standard restaurant that Yum! Brands Inc indicated the idea was for it to be “delicious
and safe, high quality and fast, nutritious and balanced, healthy living and rooted in
China.” After all, Pizza Hut’s Chinese name, means “Must Win/Succeed Customer”
and gives no indication that the restaurant is just about "pizza". Actually, the name
lets Chinese customers know that they are succeeding in providing exceptional service
and food and so the name resonates well with the Chinese people, as it implies success
and good fortune. To North Americans, sitting down for a proper steak meal at Pizza Hut,
being served by a friendly, professional, and well-dressed waiter may seem out of the
ordinary! But then again, maybe something we could get used to if given the chance.
The Chinese Pizza Hut Menu
Unlike in Canada or in the States, there’s much more to the menu than just simple pepperoni
pizza. In China, the company has included a full wine list and a three-course menu complete
with dessert. The menu is extensive, with an assortment and variety of pizzas, pastas,
salads and steaks. Pizza toppings include Beijing duck and seafood like shrimp and crab.
You also have the choice of picking a cheese stuffed crust for your pizza, #drool. Risotto
comes studded with mushrooms, there's clam chowder, fried squid, teriyaki octopus with
quail eggs, and entrees that range from salmon rolls to lamb shanks to escargot in garlic
oil. While some of these food dishes may not sound appetizing to the average North American,
Chinese consumers have a different opinion. Not only that but they do not have a predisposed
bias as to what hamburgers, pizzas or pasta "should" taste like, giving Pizza Hut a lot
more freedom and flexibility to be creative with the menu items. This seems to work both
ways as American Chinese food is not necessarily the same types of dishes you would get in
China.
Pizza Hut and Cultural Exchange
Western chains like Pizza Hut have been able to take advantage and leverage the Chinese
intrigue and trust of Western brands and give a completely new experience. Until recently
people bought foreign products or Westernized food solely as a status symbol. The more expensive
the better because you appear wealthier. China had opened its economy to the outside world
about 30 years ago which sparked a natural curiosity towards Western culture and brands.
The first Pizza Hut restaurant opened in China in 1990. Since then they have expanded to
thousands of locations and do a good job at providing a cultural experience for the Chinese
by serving everything from sirloin steak or meat lovers pizza to dim sum and rice dishes.
The location makes it inevitable to cater to the cultural tastes, all the food chains
that are successful in China had to localize. Chinese people would not line up and wait
an hour to dine at an American style Pizza Hut, it would have too few options and operate
on a take-out basis which is not popular in China. When dining out in China you don't
eat one type of food or meal, you would not see a Chinese person order one meal and eat
it all by themselves. They order many different dishes and share with the table, eating a
little bit of everything and trying all the dishes that are ordered.
Pizza Hut’s Food Is Amazing in China
Well, we know the menu is quite different in Chinese Pizza Hut locations. With an elaborate
menu acquired to Chinese tastes we can only imagine how delicious both the Italian-American
and the Chinese cuisine menu items are. There's something for everyone to try whether it’s
the traditional American Hawaiian pizza, Italian spaghetti and meatballs, or a Chinese favourite
like bacon wrapped quail eggs. With the menu being so exquisite at Pizza Hut locations
in China you can get anything from a scrumptious personal-styled pizza with coke to a fancy
spaghetti dish with a glass of wine. Pizza Hut has done a great job at combining the
two cuisine styles and tastes to create a menu with unique items that are not only loved
by expats but the Chinese as well! It's quite evident that the tastes are a lot different compared
to America. You can get pizzas innovated with new flavors for a more classic Chinese
palate, such as curry flavor pizza or seafood pizza, or to our next point.. a durian, or
stinky fruit, pizza. And we always thought that a Hawaiian pizza was worldly and extravagant.
Durian Pizza at Pizza Hut
Maybe you're a fruit on pizza lover like the classic Hawaiian featuring pineapples, or
maybe you think fruit does not belong on pizza and is criminal. Well, in Chinese Pizza Hut
locations they introduced the durian pizza. Durian is a popular fruit in many Asian countries
and is a favourite in China, but is also known as the stinkiest fruit ever! It is a spiky
yellowish-greenish-brown fruit about the size of a basketball known as the King of Fruits.
The new product created a lot of buzz with Chinese consumers, everyone had to try it!
The durian pizza was perfect if they want a little bit of both worlds, America and China!
Needless to say, it has been a hit combining the durian fruit flavor submerged in the American
melted gooey cheese and soft dough. The scent of the durian was described by Julia Child
as "dead babies mixed with strawberries and Camembert", others have described it as something
like "berries mixed with old gym socks". Nonetheless, it is a very popular pizza choice in China
and is just one their favorites when it comes to toppings.
Pizza Hut Delivery
The company introduced pizza delivery to China in 2001. Pizza Hut says "delivery enables
our busy customers to enjoy pizza, as well as our many Chinese dishes, in the comfort
of their home or office". As we know all too well having a pizza delivery to the comfort
of your home or for lunch to your workplace is convenient and very popular in Western
culture. Although China was not new to food delivery, they were new to "pizza" deliveries.
The nice thing about the delivery system in China is you will receive your food nice and
hot and the pizza will arrive right side up! Conveniently you can order from the click
of 3 buttons on your touch screen phone, any of the menu items available on food ordering
apps like Meituan, and have it at your door within about 40 minutes. Sometimes they even
offer discounted deals too! This adds to the convenience factor when you want to wine and
dine at home instead of getting out of your comfy pants and heading down to the restaurant.
Pizza Hut Express
Later in 2008 the company then introduced "Pizza Hut Express" and opened up several
locations in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. Yum! Brands Inc, the world's largest fast-food
chain operator, operates Pizza Hut and Pizza Hut Delivery. With its success in China, they
decided to introduce their third pizza brand, Pizza Hut Express, to the Chinese market. Pizza
Hut Express is different from the restaurants and the delivery locations because it provides
low-priced take-away snacks only. Previously take away food or on-the-go food was not much
of a thing in China, but times are changing. Since Pizza Hut has become a well known and
popular restaurant for Chinese customers, when they spot the express locations they
line up to support a brand they trust and find tasty. The president of Yum! Brands Inc
China Division said, "We've introduced all of our pizza brands to China because of the
strong consumer demand and good sales achievements in the market”. How long before they see
Pizza Hut Express locations popping up in shopping mall food courts all over China?
A Pizza Hut Dream Come True
Pizza Hut is a very common and basic restaurant in North America and people don't fantasize
about getting a pizza, it's easily accessible at many different pizza joints. You don't
plan for pizza, you just decide "pizza for dinner tonight" and stop in at a pizza joint
on the way home from work or call and place an order for the family size. So Pizza Hut
doesn't invest much in North American soil and keeps it pretty basic. In China on the
other hand pizza is special, it's not their common meal, it's a Western delicacy and people
plan for the night out with family or friends in advance. It's usually the upper middle
class that can afford it and for all these reasons it is exactly why the experience is
better in China. It's no secret that China doesn't trust their food, their drinks or
even products but they have expressed repeatedly that they trust Western brands and having
it available to them is a dream come true. Pizza Hut offers a foreign food experience,
a taste of the West and provides tasty meals made with imported food right at the Chinese
consumer's fingertips.. something that was not always a possibility.
Salad Towers at Pizza Hut
If you could only make one trip to the salad bar, how would you get your money's worth?
Well, crafty Chinese customers started a foodie trend of "salad stacking", the art
of stacking fruits and vegetables on one plate to create very tall and elaborate salad
towers. This began when Pizza Hut restaurants in China introduced salad bars serving veggies
and fruits to promote healthy eating but only allowed one trip to the salad bar! Seeing
as customers could not go back for second helpings, they found a way to utilize the
plate to its full potential and we mean FULL. The Chinese Pizza Hut customers became known
as salad engineers or salad stacking artists! So a few years ago when the company announced
they were removing salad bars in China as part of a menu revamp it was questioned if the
real reason was the hefty salad towers! The Chinese customers came to enjoy building these
salad towers sharing tips online that the trick is to build a stable base with a veggie
like cucumber slices and carrot sticks and held together with salad dressing. Sounds
like an interesting concept, who's ready to start trying out this method next time your
at the salad bar? Get the most bang for your buck!
We’ve got way more than pizza on our menu, so stick around and click on another one of
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