On the last days of the lunar year, many families gather around a New Year's Eve meal to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year of At Ty 2025. In Shanghai, China, many restaurants have started offering New Year's Eve dinner services for both owners and pets.
At Kongshan Yunnan Restaurant, pet owners had the opportunity to enjoy a unique year-end dinner, designed with an attractive menu specifically for pets to accompany them.
Yakult - a black and white dog named after a Japanese yogurt - is one of 11 dogs who joined his owner for a traditional New Year's Eve dinner, held before the Lunar New Year of the Snake. For the owner, Yakult is a confidant who provides emotional support, so she wanted to experience the Tet atmosphere with her pet through this year-end meal.
With young people reluctant to get married and the birth rate falling, the trend of keeping pets as companions is becoming more popular in China. To attract more customers, many restaurants have offered catering services so that owners can see off the old year with their pets with attractive dishes.
Gu Jiayu, co-owner of Kongshan Yunnan Restaurant, said the restaurant decided to give its customers the opportunity to have dinner with their pets to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. In addition to dishes ordered by pet owners, the restaurant also prepares delicious dishes suitable for their “special friends”.
On Chinese social media platform RedNote, a search for “pet New Year’s Eve dinner” returns dozens of results, ranging from pre-prepared meals to carefully packaged gift boxes.
China's pet care market, including food and related products, has grown nearly 40% since 2020, reaching a value of 94.6 billion yuan ($13.06 billion) last year, according to data from London-based market research firm Euromonitor.
Previously, in May 2024, another pet-related event in China also attracted attention. That is, many places in China have begun testing “pet-friendly” travel methods. Among them, China’s first pet-only airport lounge officially opened at the domestic cargo terminal at Shenzhen airport.