Quanjude, China's iconic restaurant chain for original Peking roast duck with a history since 1864, has embraced the nation's "Internet Plus" strategy, with a new online platform that features duck rolls and about 30 other dishes.

"Internet Plus" has sparked integration of the internet with traditional industries, and the food and beverage business has been no exception. In the catering and dining industry, the past year has witnessed a big growth in online ordering, delivery and payment.

"Chinese people say life is all about clothing, eating, housing and traffic. The internet has changed all the other three industries before it started to change the dining and catering industry very recently, and Quanjude has been adapting to the new environment to make the most of it," says Xu Jia, chief accounting officer with Quanjude and chairman of a new joint-venture company that is targeting the online takeout and e-commerce market.

The State-owned restaurant chain announced recently in Beijing that it established the company, Yage Technology Inc, in October 2015 with Chongqing Kuangcao Technology Inc, an online-service company based in Chongqing.

"We believe that with our time-honored brand image, experienced artisan cooking skills, detail-oriented service and superb supply chain, we will succeed in this new sector," Xu says, "because even in the era of the internet, what matters most in the industry is still the food and service."

After more than a year's research and development, the new company has developed patented techniques to make high-quality Peking roast duck rolls available for takeout diners, testing the product in a six-month pilot project in Chongqing.

Under the brand name Xiaoyage, literally "little duck brother", the online-ordered duck rolls are made in Quanjude restaurants, with the same recipe and ingredients as rolls served there.

At home or work, diners can re-heat the duck rolls to 65 C in six minutes, using a special bag that generates steam by evaporation when water is added.

The takeout duck rolls taste almost the same as those served in a Quanjude restaurant, according to Yang Ai - xiang, general manager with Yage Technology.

The package costs 200 yuan ($31) each, and apart from the duck dish, there are also more than 30 Quanjude signature dishes available through online ordering channels, such as mustard duck feet and spicy sliced duck wings. All the items can be ordered through the official WeChat account (xiaoyage222) and the Baidu Takeaway platform.

Meanwhile, several municipality authorities have imposed new regulations on speed and route limits for delivery vehicles, including Beijing, the first and most important market for Quanjude Takeout and e-commerce.

Yang Xun, a publicity officer with Baidu Takeout which is in charge of the delivery service of Quanjude's takeout delicacies, says all their deliverymen will obey laws and regulations to ensure good service for diners, including adjusting routes to avoid barred roads and streets for delivery vehicles.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 04/28/2016 page10)