Young people hunt for meals from the poor

"I filled my stomach with the $0.42 breakfast buffet and found a $3 lunch at KFC. The coffee that kept me awake in the afternoon cost $1.50. Then I continued to hunt for $2 discounted noodles for dinner," said a young man.

Terminologygood luckThe concept of “cheap as a meal” has emerged on Chinese social media as a meal or bargain for the poor. It originated when McDonald’s introduced “cheapest possible” meals that were well received by consumers. Western fast food chains and Chinese restaurants have also jumped on the bandwagon.

Over the past two years, the trend of hunting for poor meals has become popular among young Chinese. According to a survey by social media site Xiaohongshu, posts related to poor people’s bargains received an average of 2,366 interactions per day at the end of last year. By the end of March, that number had quadrupled to 8,265. On Douyin, the topic has also attracted at least 800 million views.

Users mainly discuss how to stock up on coupons and “hunt” for the best meals.

Analysts say that in the context of economic recession, consumption is down, the middle class is having a hard time. They are trying to spend the least amount of money but the quality of the meal must be of the highest quality.

That means restaurants have to come up with a different strategy. Xin Rong Ji, a high-end restaurant in Zhejiang province, says its average customer spends $150 per visit. But it recently created a “poor meal” for $60.

Pizza Hut offers a “poor meal” for $1.40. Convenience stores 7-Eleven, Lawson, and Family Mart all offer breakfasts for under $1.00. Social media users have called fast food brand Nanchengxiang’s $0.45 breakfast buffet a must-try for Beijing’s poor.

Report ofcanyin168.comshows that since offering the poor version of the meal, Nanchengxiang branches have seen a spike in sales from $600 to $1,500 in the morning. Similarly, when beverage brand Luckin Coffee launched a $1.40 coffee coupon, it increased sales from 700 cups to 1,300 cups.

The F&B catering industry is one of China's largest consumer markets. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's catering industry revenue reached US$201.675 billion in the first quarter of 2024, up 10.8%.

Statistics fromqcc.comshows that there were 731,000 new registrations related to food and beverage businesses in the first quarter of 2024. However, there were 459,000 food and beverage businesses that ceased operations in the same period, much higher than the 140,000 last year.

Yicai's 2023 Consumer Trends Report shows that price-quality ratio has become a new concept in China. The gloomy job market and economic difficulties have also contributed to the decline in confidence, attitudes and consumer culture among young people.