Quanjude
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Quanjude SZSE: 002186 (Chinese: 全聚德) is a famous Chinese restaurant known for its trademark Quanjude Peking Roast Duck and its longstanding culinary heritage since its establishment in 1864 in Beijing, China .
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[edit] Company profile & Branches
According to Xinhua News Agency, Quanjude restaurant is nationally renowned, with its newest member (within the PRC) opening inside the famous Silk Street in Beijing and the oldest one in Qianmen. The newest and first franchised Quanjude restaurant to operate outside of China recently opened its doors in Melbourne, Australia. Now the world famous roast duck is available to those residing in this major Australian city. Although perhaps unclear why Queen Street, Melbourne was elected as the inaugural site for international expansion of the Quanjude empire, it is not surprising,[citation needed] given that Melbourne's Mayor (Mr John So) is of Chinese heritage and also the large population of Chinese people who call Melbourne (and Australia) home.
Their branches in the nation's capital and political center are relatively large scaled in nature such as the seven storey Quanjude on Hepingmen Ave., a location that was hand-picked by former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai himself. Serving up to 5,000 meals a day, this restaurant covers a floor area of 15,000 square meters with over forty private dining rooms and can simultaneously occupy 2,000 guests. Having established a history and affiliation with the Chinese government at the municipal and central state level, Quanjude has often been used to hold state banquets and to receive celebrities, dignitaries, and important government figures from over 200 countries as distinguished VIP guests. The restaurant chain sells over 2 million roast ducks served in 400 different styles to over 5 million customers annually. With annual sales reaching 500 million yuan (US$63m), the company has an estimated value of 8.458 billion yuan (US$1.02b)[citation needed] with 600 million yuan (US$76m) in assets and 700 million yuan (US$89m) in intangible assets.
[edit] History
Quanjude was established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty under the reign of Tongzhi Emperor. Although Peking roast duck can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty (1206 - 1368), Quanjude's heritage of roast duck preparation using open ovens and non-smoky hardwood fuel such as Chinese date, peach or pear to add a subtle fruity flavor with a golden crisp to the skin, was reserved for the imperial families. Soon after the first Quanjude manager Yang Renquan, who started out selling chicken and ducks, paid a retired chef from the palace for the imperial recipe, Quanjude became the first restaurant in the world to serve roast duck from the imperial kitchen to the common masses. Yang Renquan opened his first, small Dejuquan (reversed the name of the restaurant) inside Yangrou Hutong in Qianmen, which at the time was one of the busiest areas in Beijing. His restaurant became an instant success and has since grown into the current branch in Qianmen that employs over 400 staffs and can occupy 900 guests at one time, among many other Quanjude branches to form one of the largest food enterprises in the nation.
[edit] Symbolism
Once when Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was hosting important foreign guests at Quanjude and one of the guests asked, “what does Quanjude mean?” Premier Zhou answered with a smile, “Quan (全) means perfection without a flaw, Ju (聚) means gathering without departing and De (德) means virtues to be supreme.” Therefore, Quanjude together implies perfection, union, and benevolence... "Repertoire to All Virtues" regardless of the order.
[edit] Awards & recognitions
- In 1994, Quanjude was awarded the top brand in China's catering and restaurant business by World Brand Laboratory, ranking 56th overall out of the 500 most famed Chinese brands.
- In 1999, Quanjude was awarded the title of "China Renowned Trademark," which was the first and only for the restaurant service industry.
- In 1982, Quanjude was top ranked in the Chinese and Japanese publication, "Elite of Chinese Famous Dishes."
- In 1958, Quanjude was ranked number one in "Chinese Famous Dishes" compiled by all-China famous chefs under the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
