The Beijing Venues so Far Laid to Waste by the Coronavirus
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After three months of lockdown and the vast majority of Beijing's populace having been stuck elsewhere in China or confined to their homes, the city is slowly coming back to life, with restaurants, parks, and tourist sights welcoming their first visitors. While Chinese wisdom holds that the Year of the Rat is characteristically the least auspicious of the zodiac signs, the full extent of how COVID-19 stands to damage the capital's F&B landscape has yet to be seen.
That being said, Beijing currently seems to be faring better than Shanghai, who has seen multiple venues laid to waste every week since Chinese New Year and the beginnings of the largescale outbreak, a fact all too conspicuous from SmartShanghai's frequent and long lists of casualties.
Meanwhile, Chinese analysis site Da Feng Hao describes how a combination of coronavirus fallout, as well as a "lack of innovation and sustained profitability," is to blame for many of Shanghai's famous chain and celebrity restaurants folding first, and that those "who rely on gimmicks to attract short-term traffic have no real catering foundation to retain customers or sustain profitability, and are therefore unlikely to continue to operate for long."
Jeffery Powell, co-owner of That One Place and current R&D head for Tubestation and who has been active in the Beijing and Shanghai service industries for over 17 years, explains that the significantly higher number of closures in Shanghai has a lot to do with location: "A lot of these businesses are in or adjacent to lane houses [owned by individual landlords and where rents are typically higher] and are not able to open because of neighborhood committees not allowing them to. Also, there are a lot of underfunded venues there with zero to very little cushion in the bank. So even a couple of weeks with zero to no sales could push a restaurant over the edge much less a month or even two."
In comparison, "A lot of places in Beijing are in malls and almost all of the malls are offering deals and reductions on rent, etc. Many malls straight-up closed down and some won’t even re-open. [Even if a mall is open] that is going to prove problematic in some cases because there is hardly anyone going to them. Only now are things starting to pick up and very slowly at best," says Powell.
Eva Biorck, business development director of Mosto Group, and Anna Lin Yip, marketing director of Mosto Group, say that while "It’s difficult to pinpoint a specific reason why there have been more closures in Shanghai than Beijing ... Some, not all, of our landlords have been willing to work with us to cut rents," adding, "There will need to be some review of the landlord-tenant relationship; landlords must be open to working with tenants or eventually neither party will be able to cover their costs."
Foreseeing cash flow issues arising from both serious reductions in customer numbers or stringent government restrictions on seating, many Beijing restaurants have turned their hand over the past few months to food delivery, either bolstering their preexisting waimai services or starting completely from scratch. Powell says that "reinventing your delivery game could be a good thing in the long run because the metrics of the restaurant business are changing rapidly," and with more and more people likely to continue dining at home in the future, "getting unique packaging and designing your menus to travel well will be key in a business that was before relying on dine-in business to survive."
Biorck and Yip add that "The model of delivery platforms might have to change to accommodate this 'new normal.' Right now, some companies charge up to 25 percent from the restaurant and then on top of that, the delivery fee to the consumer. As delivery continues to be a lifeline for many businesses, this split has to be more economically favorable for both consumers and restaurants." That's likely to have a knock-on effect, with "a lot of restaurants simultaneously raise prices and reduce their physical footprint in an effort to make up for the increased costs we are all facing."
With those points in mind, it's likely that we've only just witnessed the beginning of Beijing's closures and the capital's F&B scene stands to look significantly different even in six month's time to what it does now. Whether businesses survive will largely depend on their ability to evolve and work with the new circumstances that the coronavirus has forced upon them as well as ongoing support from their customers.advertisement
For some Beijing restaurants, however, that opportunity will unfortunately never come, with several prominent venues having already closed in the past several weeks. These are some of the biggest.
After their original venue was caught up in the Great Brickening of Xingfucun, Anchor Bar moved into Yoolee Plaza in 2017, updating its name to reflect their second coming. While the location and name changed, the vibe did not, and Anchor continued to be a welcome home to the city's gay community, drag queens, and anyone looking for a cheap cocktail in a safe space. As one of an already diminutive number of venues able to promise that in Beijing, it will be especially missed.
Cannon's
Cannon's' success was the type of story that gave you hope in the word-of-mouth, community-driven side of Beijing F&B. Having first started out in comparative middle-of-nowhere Gaobeidian as a husband and wife passion project, the Cannons soon had people talking about what might just be the best burger in Beijing. A hugely popular showing at the Beijinger's 2017 Burger Festival and a second-place finish in the accompanying Burger Cup backed up that initial chatter, and soon the restaurant had the wherewithal to serve their more centrally located fans in Xingfucun. Sadly, the Cannon family was forced to depart Beijing after only 18 months in business, and the burger magic that once drew the crowds started to putter out, culminating in a quiet closure in March.
Caravan
Caravan was arguably the first major Beijing casualty of the coronavirus, though its closure was perhaps not a huge surprise. That's because owner and manager Badr Benjelloun had announced his departure from Beijing just two months prior, leaving his staff to try and continue the venture that he had begun in 2015. It was also one of the spiciest splits, with every man and his dog apparently having an opinion of the Moroccan eatery and rum bar and its former owner. No matter where you stand, there's no arguing that the embassy area will be worse off without Benjelloun's openness to hosting communities, events, and bands that might not have otherwise had somewhere to gather. Whether the Embassy Cafe, touted to take its place will provide a similar is yet to be seen.
Fellas
Given that Shunyi is hardly awash with standout food and drink options, when a place takes a decent stab at both it tends to quickly become a local favorite. That was Fella's: nothing to write home about but a regular meeting point for Shunyi expats seeking warm service, a sports bar vibe, and big strong drinks. Luckily, while its scruffy pub charm will be missed, it's not all bad news, as TRB is currently renovating the space to open their second branch of Hulu in the coming weeks.
Moka Bros Shuangjing
Upon opening in 2018, we dubbed Moka Bros' Space 3 Mall space in Shuangjing "their biggest and best yet." Where their other locations felt a little too crowded and stuffy for comfort, this new branch provided the space needed to sit back and enjoy their healthy menu and juices without feeling like you were being stared down by each and every freelancer to step through the door. It was a formula that apparently wasn't lost on the team, and they later remodeled their Nali Patio to give it a similarly airy feel. Many Shuangjingers will likely be disappointed to see one of the most consistently good lunch and brunch spots close.
Q Bar
Easily the longest-running venue on this list, Nansanlitun Lu's Q Bar has been a go-to for Beijing's more seasoned expats since its founding in 2006. In a recent Facebook post, food blogger Jim Boyce captures those early days in vivid detail: "Those early years were something. You'd arrive at Q and find the bar inside packed while a band of bartenders shook up quality drinks to jazz and blues. Those heading outside to the rooftop deck had plenty of nooks and crannies, even private rooms, all tied together with the clever use of lighting, walkways, levels, and foliage. It was a true getaway in a city then more chaotic and polluted than now. (Sipping a martini to the soothing sound of a water fountain was not to be underestimated.)" However, in recent years it seemed the bar struggled to find a new set of regulars and its hidden location atop a hotel too few clicks south of Sanlitun meant that you'd be incredibly lucky to stumble across it. Those who did know about Q Bar will be sad to say farewell to one of the best terraces Beijing had to offer, as well as some of the city's warmest service from proprietor George Zhou, who manned the bar right through to its final night.
Rollbox
Rollbox was the brainchild of Jack Wang, who discovered his love for Vietnamese food while living abroad and decided that Beijing was severely lacking in the rich flavors of pork pate, piquant and fiery the kick of bird's eye peppers, and the crisp bite of homemade banh mi bread. Wang's passion soon found many a hungry a patron in Sanlitun, and with the addition of an expanded cocktails menu, soon became a place to hang out that was as relaxed as the Southeast Asian environs it espoused. I personally will miss their grilled tofu and mushroom bowl (pictured above), one of the best Beijing salads ever created.
READ: Gyms Close Again as Beijing Rolls Out Staggered Sports Venue Reopening Plan
Images: SCMP, Cannon's, Facebook, Tom Arnstein, Q Bar, the Beijinger
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