Secret behind success

Hai Di Lao achieved remarkable success amid fierce market competition. Diners are impressed the moment they set foot in Hai Di Lao hot pot restaurants. Dinnertime in particular, the number of people waiting to eat is no less than those actually sitting down to eat. Some are even willing to wait two to three hours to taste Hai Di Lao hot pot. What's the secret behind Zhang Yong's success?

It's easy to understand the two factors that lead to Hai Di Lao's business success. Namely the satisfaction of diners as well as employees. These two factors make up the major part of the performance evaluation of Hai Di Lao's management, as opposed to the amount of revenue and profit generated, which is the usual measure other catering companies judge themselves. But how did Zhang Yong come up with this concept?

In 1994, 24-year old Zhang Yong was a worker in a factory located in Jianyang in Sichuan. He soon realized he could hardly afford an apartment of his own if he relied merely on his small income. It was then he decided to begin a business. He would open a roadside stand offering Malatang. Soon after his first attempt, he tried to run a hot pot restaurant. It was a difficult time for Zhang Yong, who knew little about hot pot. One day, a group of diners arrived at his restaurant. Zhang Yong focused on exceptional customer service which was appreciated by diners. But when Zhang Yong tasted the hot pot he made after the diners all left, he was shocked by the soup's bitterness.

Special service gives surprise

Zhang's restaurant has exceptionally good service to boot. Customers can really get spoiled here by the additional services, and they get a pleasant surprise from the small gifts given by the restaurant. All this attracted an increasing number of diners to the eatery. Some warm-hearted diners are happy to offer their advice on how to improve the chafing dish. From then on, Zhang Yong's hot pot business prospered and its flavor won even higher recognition from diners.

Long queues are now a reality. While waiting for a seat, the restaurant provides free services such as manicures, drinks, fruit and cake as well as shoe-polishing. Customers have even more options to kill time such as surfing the Internet and playing cards and chess. This greatly lessened the anxiety of diners waiting for a table.

After customers are led to their tables, they are happy to find they can order half dishes and are treated with free drinks and fruit. In addition to this, they are often given small gifts on special occasions.