Diaoye Niunan
Light luxury restaurant brand applying internet marketing strategies.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
$3.1m | Series B | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Diaoye Niunan was a high-profile Chinese restaurant brand known for its application of internet-style marketing and a focus on creating a “light luxury” dining experience. Founded in 2012 by Meng Xing, a serial entrepreneur also known as "Diao Ye," the brand quickly gained fame through aggressive and novel marketing tactics. Meng, who had previously founded the successful essential oil brand Afu, ventured into the restaurant business out of a personal passion for food. The concept for the restaurant was born after a trip to Hong Kong where Meng was inspired to create a superior beef brisket restaurant.
The company's business model was centered on creating hype and exclusivity, treating the restaurant itself as an internet product. A cornerstone of its marketing was the claim that it purchased the secret beef brisket recipe from Hong Kong's "God of Cookery," Dai Long (the prototype for the character in Stephen Chow's film *'The God of Cookery'*), for 5 million RMB. This story, along with a six-month exclusive testing phase for celebrities and influencers before opening to the public, generated significant buzz. The restaurant targeted urban consumers, leveraging social media and celebrity endorsements to build a large following.
The dining experience was meticulously crafted, featuring unique interior designs, high-quality tableware, and a theatrical service style where staff explained the origin of each dish. The menu was intentionally limited to perfect a few core dishes, with a focus on the entire meal as a cohesive experience, from appetizers to desserts. Despite its initial success and achieving a valuation of nearly 1 billion RMB within two years, Diaoye Niunan faced criticism over the taste and price of its food. As the initial novelty wore off, the business struggled to maintain momentum, leading to a decline in sales and eventual store closures. In 2019, Meng Xing announced he had sold the brand to a restaurant management company, officially ending his involvement.
Keywords: light luxury dining, internet marketing, restaurant branding, Meng Xing, Diaoye, celebrity endorsement, experiential dining, beef brisket specialty, viral marketing, O2O restaurant, Chinese cuisine, Beijing restaurant, Dai Long, food-tech, consumer hype, restaurant business model, high-end casual, culinary storytelling, social media marketing, restaurant case study