Hotpot deliveries boil over in Chongqing

CHONGQING－Tan Yayun picked up the phone at the first ring, grabbed her keys, darted downstairs and rushed to her compound's gate to claim a package she'd eagerly anticipated for days and nights－a hotpot dinner.

Residents in Chongqing, which is virtually synonymous with hotpot, have been encouraged to stay home since the Spring Festival holiday in late January.

"Finally! My favorite! Hotpot!" she exclaimed as she picked up the package she'd been eagerly awaiting.

Hotpot is typically less likely to be ordered as takeout or delivery, since fresh ingredients are part of its identity.

China's catering businesses had prepared to cash in on the Spring Festival high season. But the sudden novel coronavirus outbreak has kept people from dining out.

Earnings during the holiday last year accounted for about 15 percent of the sector's total annual revenue of over 4.6 trillion yuan ($657 billion), the China Cuisine Association reports.

Nearly all meal reservations and wedding banquets have been canceled, and many restaurants have suspended operations, according to the association's report on the outbreak.

Restaurants that relied heavily on sit-down dining have had to shift to delivery to ease the pressure from such overhead costs as rent and labor.

Under the guidance of Chongqing's commerce commission and relevant departments, 35 hotpot restaurants in the city have started to provide zero-contact delivery.

Consumers can order food through various platforms, including phone calls, WeChat and apps.

"We actually launched delivery services five years ago but had very few orders－only five or six a day," says Li Jie, president of Chongqing Qinma F&B Management, which owns the national chain, Chongqing Qinma Hot Pot.

That has surged to over 100 a day since the outbreak, Li says.

Chongqing-based startup Zhoushixiong Hot Pot also started to offer delivery for the first time and became instantly popular due to its reputation built up in brick-and-mortar restaurants.

"We receive about 400 to 500 delivery orders a day," says CEO Zhou Dao.

The municipal government has also adopted measures to help small and medium-sized businesses, including financial support and tax cuts.

"We experienced a dramatic turnover drop during this year's Spring Festival, which has taught lessons to everyone in the catering industry,"Zhou says.