英闻天下——328 High-end Catering Business Affected by Policy Promoting Frugality

 　　In a nationwide survey by the China Dining Industry Association, high-end restaurants whose income mainly comes from business dinners fell by about 20 percent during the Spring Festival period.

 

　　Liu Wei, a manager of a high-end restaurant in Beijing, says his business was affected¹.

 

　　"The number of business banquets booked by companies and organizations fell the most. Bookings for about 600 tables were cancelled. This caused a revenue loss of about 3 million yuan."

 

　　Most high-end restaurants experienced a similar situation. Luxury foods like shark's fin² soup and sea cucumbers, as well as expensive wines, are no longer popular orders.

 

　　This resulted in the cancellation³ of minimum consumption fees for the VIP room service by many of the high-end restaurants.

 

　　To deal with the big change in customer flow, Liu Wei says his restaurant is considering removing its VIP dining rooms and setting up more tables for individual diners.

 

　　"We will focus our business on individual customer sales, not like in the past when we were more interested in business banquets and even hoped to attract sales from government expenses."

 

　　But some high-end restaurants believe the current high-end customer loss is temporary. Some say it may take six months to a year to regain⁴ the lucrative⁵ business.

 

　　Shi Wei, a manager of a consulting company that provides service for the high-end catering⁶ business, says the current policy may result in a reshuffling of China's high-end catering market.

 

　　"Some purely⁷ high-end restaurants can serve people who enjoy more privacy and customized service. These restaurants may become more private."

 

　　But Bian Jiang, assistant director of the China Dining Industry Association, doesn't agree.

 

　　"I don't think the catering industry's business will change a lot. Because of China's economic development, the problem of the over-consumption of luxury meals like business meals can't be solved in a short period of time. The market demand for high-end products is huge. It's a tradition."

 

　　According to figures from the Ministry⁸ of Commerce, the revenue of high-end restaurants in Beijing dropped by 35 percent during the Spring Festival holiday. In Shanghai and Ningbo, the figures were down by 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

 

　　Sales of bird's nest, an expensive delicacy⁹ in China, dropped by about 40 percent, while sales of shark's fin soup, which the government has banned from official banquets, fell by more than 70 percent. Sales of high-end food packages in luxury hotels also dropped by 45 percent.

 

　　For CRI, I am Li Dong.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 fin   

n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼

参考例句：

• They swim using a small fin on their back.它们用背上的小鳍游动。
• The aircraft has a long tail fin.那架飞机有一个长长的尾翼。

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

5 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

6 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

7 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。