Interview with Jordan: how can make Chinese food business better involved and participate into UK market

Jordan was born in Manchester whose family has the background that his parents were doing Chinese food over 10 years in Manchester. In this interview, Jordan answered that how you think currently Chinese food business in Manchester and surrounding area in UK. Talked about his personal view, experience, what did he think the problems of Chinese business, what the next step is and how to improve the industry.

Q1: how do you think the current Chinese food business in Manchester, and surrounding area in UK, satisfied, good, or bad?

I think the current Chinese food business in the UK is at the standard level at the normal, maybe five years ago was quiet good but now is the standard level.

Q2: If they were not very satisfied, what is the problem in your mind?

The main reason could probably because the UK is in recession and the economic is falling, VAT has gone up and most of the British people are not willing to go out have meal and they want to save money.

Q3: do you think what are the necessary elements for Chinese food business make living and become more competitive in UK?

To become more competitive as a business in the UK, I think the business should expand on range of products specifically more traditional and get more choice on food, not only offer the same style of food and service.

Q4: who are the major audience or customers for Chinese food business? Chinese, British, or both?

Depending on the area, small town or big city, a small town with not many business and few Chinese people it could be British, but somewhere like Manchester, London, Birmingham which have huge number of Chinese people would be both.

Q5: as you see, most of Chinese restaurants in UK, offer the same style of food and service, the food are not totally “Chinese”, but mixed with British food style, do you think they should make some difference to catch the huge number of Chinese audience in UK?

I think in the main cities like Manchester there should be more restaurants serve the real traditional Chinese food and they could also spread into other town probably with universities it would be successful due to the numbers of international students, such as preston.

Q6: what is the next step, what is the future of Chinese food business in UK, how can they improve?

To improve a business they could become more creative and get events involved with Chinese celebration, such as moon cake festival, Chinese New Year, not only Christmas and traditional British celebration. Bring some more Chinese culture make their business more “Chinese”, because every year huge number Chinese visit or living in UK, they want to enjoy the same situation in UK as similar as in China.

In summary:

As Jordan said above, we pick up the key words of the interview. It is time to change most of the basic, normal, simplex, repetitive business model of Chinese food in UK. Creativity, make difference, become more Chinese to facing huge number of Chinese people in UK, and bring the Chinese culture and improve quality inside into business, realize the cultural difference is most attraction of Chinese food to all around the world, not only the taste.