In these fast-paced times, life as an adult is full of stress and challenges. We are busy running around every day, for life, for dreams. On days like these, we long to find a little comfort, a warmth. Recently, an unexpected delicacy has become our new favorite – children's meals.
Yes, you heard it right, it's a children's meal. What we once thought of as "little things" is now a favorite of us "big kids". From the "Xibei Children's Meal" in Xibei Noodle Village, to the 99 yuan children's meal, and then to the children's meal of major catering brands such as McCann and Lao Xiang Chicken, these delicacies that were originally prepared for children have now become the new favorites of us adults.
Why is this so? The reason is simple: it's cheap, it's healthy, and it provides emotional value. For many migrant workers, children's meals are a good lunch option with plenty to eat and toys to deliver. The portion is not large, just finished eating; The variety is rich and the shape is cute; Low oil and low salt, comparable to a healthy meal. What's more, it really treats us as children and gives us cars! Send balloons! What used to cost one takeaway meal can now be ordered at two different children's meals. Spend less, eat more varied, and be healthier.
Of course, this is also inseparable from the continuous innovation and upgrading of catering brands. From the overall decoration style to the menu dishes, from the functional areas to the experience activities, they are trying to provide consumers with better choices. For example, Jiumaojiu, the parent company of Taier Sauerkraut Fish, opened the country's first children's experience store, and the attendance rate exceeded 6% during off-peak hours; Beijing's recently out-of-the-circle "Anpanman-themed restaurant" Yakusho Izakaya is more "childlike" and "anime-like".
According to the "2023 China Children's Food Industry Research Report", the size of the children's food market in 2022 will be 36232.7 billion yuan, and is expected to exceed 500 billion yuan in 2025. Behind this, more and more catering companies are betting on the children's meal track, and the actual purpose is actually to target the family meal market. For more caterers, it still takes a long time to try and explore children's meals as the second curve to make profits and increase income.
In this competitive and stressful society, each of us needs a warm harbor, a place where we can let go of our burdens and relax. The children's meal is just such an existence, it is not only a delicacy, but also an emotional sustenance, a memory of childhood, and an expectation for the future.
So, let's enjoy this gift from childhood together, and let children's meals become a beautiful scenery in our lives. In this fast-paced era, may we all find our own warmth and happiness.