Once a difficult-to-find high-end catering benchmark, now the door is locked. The sudden closing of Nanjing Honggongguan is not only a brand's dilemma, but also reflects the in-depth adjustment of the entire high-end catering industry.
"Can the recharge money be refunded?" This is a lot in recent daysNanjing Red MansionThe most concerned issues for members.
Recently, this high-end catering brand that has operated in Nanjing for 16 years suddenly closed all its stores, including its Zijinshanyuan, which has won the honor of Black Pearl.
According to catering information, the closing of Honggongguan is not an isolated case. Since 2025, the high-end catering industry has experienced an unprecedented cold winter, and a number of well-known brands have closed down.
There is a wave of large-scale store closures in Nanjing Honggongguan
Nanjing Honggongguan was founded in 2009. It is a well-known local high-end catering brand. It focuses on Huaiyang cuisine and integrates Jinling cultural elements.
The brand has many branches, among which Zijinshanyuan has won the honor of Black Pearl Restaurant three times and was also selected as the Michelin Guide of Jiangsu Province in April this year.
It is such a restaurant brand with honors, but suddenly closed all its stores at the end of August.
It is understood that starting from August 30,All stores of Honggongguan in Nanjing have been suspended one after another, including its high-end brand Zijinshanyuan.
Many stores have been posted with "Power Outage Notice" and "Gas Absolute Gas Absolute Gas Absolute Gas Discharge Notice", indicating that the merchant has multiple arrears.
Employees reported on social platforms that their wages were not paid from April to June and that their social security was stopped. At the same time, they were exposed to the problems of suppliers' arrears of payments and the difficulty in cashing out large-value stored value cards for members.
Wu Bin, founder of Honggongguan, admitted in a post on WeChat Moments on September 7 that investment failures, debt operation and internal management loopholes are the main causes of the crisis.
Specified that the investment failure of Wangshan Street and Xinggong projects caused huge losses, dragging down the overall operation.
Why are high-end catering frequently "failed"?
Since this year, the high-end catering industry has been "cold", and many high-end catering that once had a glorious end have gone bankrupt.
In March 2025, there is a history of more than 30 years and carries many memories of old Guangzhou peopleGuangzhou Dongjiang Seafood Restaurant Yidu Branch decided to close due to the expiration of the lease contract.
At the same period,At the same period,The May Flower Shop in Guangzhou, Fulin Palace, Hong Kong also expired due to the lease contract, and was officially completed on March 31.
In Shanghai, the situation is also not optimistic. The world's first sensory restaurant, "Magic City Legend Restaurant" with a per capita of 7,000 yuan and a reservation of 3 months in advance, was officially suspended to the public on March 29.
This restaurant, which has won the Shanghai Michelin three-star honor for 8 years and has also been listed on the top 50 restaurants in the world, has sighed many industry insiders.
The reasons for the bankruptcy of these high-end restaurants are numerous.
For example, high-end cateringOperational costs have always been at the industry high, and have shown a "continuous increase" trend in recent years, directly swallowing up meager profits.
The changes in the consumer market are the key drivers for closing high-end restaurants. On the one hand, the core customer base has shrunk. Business banquets were once the main source of income for high-end catering, but due to the economic environment, enterprises have reduced their travel and banquet budgets, and their business customer base has been significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the consumption mentality has turned to rationality. Meituan data shows that the unit price of catering in high-tier cities fell by 7.2% year-on-year in 2024, and consumers prefer "cost-performance consumption" and their acceptance of high-priced catering has decreased.
Finally, traditional high-end catering has serious homogeneity,Most brands rely on a single model of "luxury decoration + exquisite dishes" and lack differentiated competitiveness. When consumption tightens, consumers are more willing to choose "small but beautiful" specialty restaurants rather than the same high-end restaurants.
Faced with such a severe situation, many high-end restaurants have also begun to "rescue the road".
Many high-end restaurants choose to reduce prices, launch affordable packages or create sub-brands. For example, Michelin "poor ghost package" is popular.
Sinrongji Beijing stores launched a new lunch dim sum package of RMB 288 per position. This package is only for the lobby on weekdays, starting from 2 people, and the package price includes service fees. It is called the Michelin-level "poor ghost package" by netizens.
The manager of a Fusion Cuisine Restaurant, whose per capita consumption exceeds 500 yuan, said that the more affordable lunch set was launched this year, attracting the surrounding working crowd, and the attendance rate at noon increased significantly.
However, price adjustments also bring brand damage issues. Some industry insiders said that many restaurants can only cut prices first to stop bleeding due to difficulties in capital turnover, but some brands have the strength to support them and are worried that it will be difficult to restore brand value after the price cut.
Seeking "change" to survive
At present, the high-end catering industry is standing at the intersection of change, and "seeking change and survival" has become the theme of its development.
The traditional model that once relied on high unit price and specific customer groups has been unable to support the sustainable development of the industry under the impact of changes in the consumer market and high operating costs.
High-end catering must be transformed from price system, business model, consumption experience and other aspects.
In terms of price, a reasonable price adjustment is not a self-destructive reduction, but a wise move to adapt to the market and be close to consumers.
By launching affordable packages, lunch discounts, etc., broaden the consumer group and attract more consumers who are price-sensitive but pursue a certain quality while ensuring quality.
In terms of business model, it cannot be limited to a single main meal service. It can learn from the diversified business model of hotel and catering, and introduce a variety of categories such as light food, afternoon tea, baking, etc. to meet the needs of different stages and different consumption levels.
At the same time, use the Internet platform to strengthen online marketing and takeaway services and expand sales channels.
In terms of consumption experience, in addition to exquisite dishes, we should also pay attention to the integration of cultural connotations and the improvement of service quality.
Like the Chang'an Xi'an Banquet, deeply integrating local culture and food and bringing consumers a unique immersive experience, so as to stand out in the fierce market competition, find vitality in the cold winter, and achieve sustainable development.
From another perspective, the cold winter of high-end catering may be the beginning of the industry's return to rationality.
When the bubble dissipates, companies that really focus on catering may achieve long-term development.
