Interview with Louis ---- What are the key words to be successful of Cantonese cuisine business in UK?

Louis is the manager of Taiwu Cantonese manager and he also has already doing Chinese food business over ten years as a manager. Taiwu is one of Manchester’s biggest Chinese restaurants, largest and most successful Cantonese specialist of Chinese restaurant in Manchester.

In this interview, Louis answered that how can Taiwu become the best and outstanding in Manchester; talked about his personal view, experience for a manager, how to well control a big restaurant as; what did he think the threaten and challenge of Chinese business, what the next step is and how to improve the industry.

Q1: WHEN ---- did you begin to do Chinese food business, could you please introduce some background information of Taiwu?

We established the business in 2003 and already do the Chinese food business over 7 years. We choose the location between university and city town, I think it’s quite good position for our business.

Q2: WHY ---- are you choosing Cantonese cuisine this kind of business at the beginning, because you know some other Chinese food business is popular?

Even though, there are so many different cuisines of Chinese food, but Cantonese food is always the best. It is most famous, variety and tasty. Also, there are so many Cantonese people in UK, we gonna have huge audience. This is why we mainly do Cantonese cuisines.

Q3: WHAT ---- did you do, what is your business focus?

To be honest, we can’t stay here and does nothing change, because there are a lot of competitors in Manchester. Actually, we import the very traditional Chinese food from Hong Kong, Taiwan. We mainly do the Cantonese food, also Sichuan food and hot pot, always changing and try our best to maintain the quality.

Q4: WHO ---- are the major customers or audiences do you think for Taiwu? Chinese, British, or both? If Chinese are major, do you think how to attract the British customers?

I have to see everyone. But just like you see, our major customers are Chinese, because we do very traditional Chinese food, and Chinese people are always expecting nice meal. But it really difficult to attract local people, cause English don’t have the requirement as high as Chinese. Sometimes they just come to have a drink and not interest in food. Fortunately, we have a group of Chinese customers to manage to survive.

Q5: HOW ---- did you do that to become the best, to become outstanding? As we all know that, Taiwu is the largest of Cantonese specialist in Manchester, What are the key words for your successful? What is the difference and competitive advantage for Taiwu?

Firstly, we import resource directly from Hong Kong and China to do the very “Chinese” food. Secondly, try our best to provide the best service and make sure the customers are happy and they gonna coming back. We provide food quickly, you don’t need to wait too long. Finally, I can say that our menu is the biggest one comparing with other restaurants, always changing type of food is our strategy.

Q6: Market target and promotion: how did you target the market? Do you have any special way to promotion, just like advertising, online promotion, focus on the special festival and holidays, just like Chinese New Year?

Actually, we do not do too much advertisement. Pay more attention for the university students and different kind of Chinese society, just like Chinese New Year event, we always have discount for Chinese society and get huge party. We are also doing the online promotion and using social networking just like facebook to publish some truly important news for Taiwu.

Q7: Communicating strategy: as a manager, do you think how to well control and manage a big Chinese restaurant, to make every staffs involved and work as a team. What is the way do you like communicating with your staff?

I have working as a manager more than ten years. Even though I am manager, I am always working with my staff. Working as a team is very important, we need to work together and become effective. Do it by myself is very important for me as a manager. That is different comparing with other managers.

Q8: Threaten and Challenge: lastly, what is the limit and threaten for your currently business, and what is the next step, the future for Taiwu, how can you improve yourself?

For threaten, it may be the limit of UK law, we cannot import some very special resource just like “Snake Geng” which is very popular in China. It really depends on the macro environment of economic, a lot of people are scaring by the increasing VAT, the unemployment and new policy of remover the student visa from the government, these situations can directly affect our business. We have to look for the always changing UK government, we always following the new policy and waiting what happen for the new situation for the unknown future of UK economic.