IT Times reporter Qian Lifu "A hundred cities with thousands of flavors, food from all over the world, but a bowl of human fireworks." On June 27, Dianping's 2024 "Must Eat List" was officially announced, with 2,797 restaurants in 119 cities and regions on the list. This time, th

it Times reporter Qian Lifu

"A hundred cities with thousands of flavors, food from all over the world, but a bowl of human fireworks." On June 27, Dianping's 2024 "Must Eat List" was officially announced, with 2,797 restaurants in 119 cities and regions on the list. . This time, the number of cities on the "Must Eat List" has exceeded 100 for the first time, and the number of merchants and cities have reached record highs.

Among them, Shanghai has won many laurels, ranking first in the country in terms of the number of restaurants on the list, Jing'an Temple Business District is the top business district in the country in terms of the number of merchants on the list, and Jinhongqiao Mall is the top shopping mall in the country in terms of the number of merchants on the list.

's "Must Eat List" has not only become a "big stage for small merchants" and "a weather vane for the catering industry", but also a "city gourmet business card" that highlights the culinary characteristics and cultural heritage of various places.

"Fireworks Shop" has a "big stage"

"Food is the best business card of a city. The development of every city and the development of food are very closely integrated." said Zhang Chuan, senior vice president of Meituan.

Just like the city of Shanghai, the food in Shanghai also embodies the spirit of "inclusion" to the extreme. There are local dishes that reflect traditional culture, as well as delicacies from all over the world, delicious Western food, Japanese food, etc.; there are both Michelin restaurants, There is also a popular fireworks shop.

Renhe Guan is a representative restaurant of local cuisine in Shanghai. While adhering to the inheritance of old-fashioned Shanghai cuisine, the restaurant also incorporates old Shanghai style such as old bungalows, cheongsams, and oil-paper umbrellas. "When the store first opened, there were queues every day. The first batch of customers were the aunts and uncles nearby. Through them bringing in the new with the old, the customer base gradually spread to young people." said the person in charge of Renhe Guan.

’s insistence on delicious food is the main reason why Renhe Guan is so popular. “For example, although everyone is making braised pork, Renhe Guan insists on using Chinese domestic pork, cooking it four hours apart every day, and has persisted for many years. Do not change chefs to ensure the stability of the product and taste. "

Based on the new trend of catering consumption, more authentic restaurants that insist on fresh ingredients and full of fireworks appear on the list. Among the 2,797 merchants on the list, nearly half are city-specific merchants, with fireworks shops accounting for 46% and more than 500 snack merchants.

Among the restaurants on the list in Shanghai, nearly 30 are fireworks shops rooted in the streets, and new merchants on the list in 2024 will account for nearly 40%.

In July 2020, Xiao Yong opened the Ingenious Kitchen in Meilong Market, with cheap rent and a splendid public life. The store did not do much publicity and gained a good reputation by making cost-effective gourmet food.

Xiao Yong believes that when a small store is opened, it relies on word-of-mouth to gradually accumulate a large number of customers. Later, as online platforms such as Dianping became more popular, some customers spontaneously wrote reviews and publicity for the store. Many customers who are now visiting Shanghai came to check in after reading the recommendations of bloggers, and even guests from abroad came.

58 cities are newly listed

The era of in-depth tourism is coming, and "food destinationization" has become a trend. In addition to traditional food destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, this year's Dianping "Must Eat List" follows the footsteps of 800 million users to discover more food destinations. 58 new food cities have been added to the list. Many gourmet merchants who adhere to the original intention of catering, have strong local characteristics, and can highlight the city's culture are on the list.

In Qingyuan, Guangdong, a newly ranked city this year, Xiangzai Farm Cuisine Fresh Fig Chicken Shop is more than 50 kilometers away from the city center. It is a typical "Shankara Farm" in the hearts of Cantonese people. According to the person in charge of the restaurant, their free-range chickens use Qingyuan Chicken No. 1 seedlings, which are raised in a village 5 kilometers away. They adhere to the authentic way of eating "chickens must be caught and fish must be killed" to restore the most natural way for diners. The taste of Lao Guang.

Rice Intestine Soup Rice, a 20-year-old restaurant in Yancheng, Jiangsu, uses a bowl of pork bone soup that is freshly cooked for 12 hours every day to coexist and prosper with the city. "In 2004, Korean companies started to settle in Yancheng. We came from Changchun to start a business with Korean traditional craftsmanship," the restaurant owner said. Nowadays, Yancheng is developing rapidly and has become a new treasure destination for "taste bud tourism".

The beytirestaurant Bedi restaurant opened by Muhannaid in Yiwu has been on the "must eat list" in Jinhua this year. “The store now has ‘chefs from eight countries’, with a total of more than 300 dishes covering the tastes of nearly 20 countries."Beidi introduced. In recent years, tourism in Yiwu has exploded, with more and more Chinese tourists. The store's signature dishes such as Turkish barbecue are very popular.

"Taste Bud Tour" became popular in 2023, and many tourists went to a restaurant for a dish. City. Dianping data shows that in the past year, the proportion of non-local users on the "Must Eat List" has reached 42%. .A richer and more comprehensive food list has further become a "food journey guide" in the minds of consumers.

Enhance local consumption momentum

After these 8 years, the must-eat list has always had three persistences: The first is persistence. "Pick one out of ten thousand"; the second is to insist on selecting based on the real reviews of users that year; the third is to insist on no human nominations and make a list that is truly "eat by 800 million users"

Based on this year's "Must Eat List" For example, users are diversifying their search for destinations. In 2023, the scale of platform user reviews increased by more than 200%, leading the list to 58 new cities and regions. On the basis of "delicious food, low price, and good experience", The 2024 "Must Eat List" selected 2,797 restaurants from tens of millions of merchants based on hundreds of millions of evaluation data, of which non-cooperating merchants accounted for nearly 20%.

"I was very surprised when I learned that I was shortlisted, because the store never does this. Online group buying makes us realize the 'credibility of the list'. " Boss Ye from Shenzhen Jiahua Snacks (Shekou Market Store) said. "When we were first listed on the list, we didn't cooperate with Meituan. We didn't know until the medals arrived. This is not only an honor but also a spur. We must continue to improve in order to live up to consumers. "Boss Zeng of Xianzhi Weibo Bobo Chicken in Leshan, Chongqing also shared his journey.

A credible list, consumers love to read it, and merchants will naturally receive good business. The "Must Eat List" is being supported by online traffic, Measures such as digital business guidance help merchants and platforms grow together. Data shows that after the listing in 2023, online traffic of merchants on the list increased by nearly 50% year-on-year, and the first "Must Eat Festival" drove merchant transaction scale to increase by more than 80% year-on-year. " After being listed on the list last year, I found it a bit incredible that there were even tourists coming from Ningbo. " Boss Li of Ah Zeng Jinniu Chaoshan Beef Restaurant said.

"Must Eat List" is connected to consumers at one end and catering merchants at the other. With the improvement of the "sense of discovery" in the list, users are enthusiastic about "Taste Bud Tour" , consumption vitality has been further stimulated, and the "urban food business card" has further become a new driving force for local consumption. It is understood that in July, Dianping will invest hundreds of millions of marketing resources to hold the second Must-Eat Festival to support the development of catering. , the new speed of local consumption.

Zhang Chuan said that the responsibility of the must-eat list and the must-eat festival is to connect more authentic delicacies of Shijing Changxiang with more consumers and pass them on for a long time.