No Reservations: Beijing Restaurant Week's Onno Schreurs

Iain Shaw | Mar 6, 2012 10:00 am | 3 comments | 2256 reads

There are just a few days left until Dining City lift the lid on their first-ever Beijing Restaurant Week, which runs March 12 through to March 18 at around 30 participating restaurants. You can make reservations for Restaurant Week set lunches and dinners here, but to give you an idea of what the whole thing is about, we put a few questions to Onno Schreurs, founder and head of DiningCity China.

How many restaurants are involved in Restaurant Week?
At the moment, we have 30 restaurants confirmed. This event is going to be here in Beijing every six months, so we’ll build it slowly and add more restaurants every time. We’v refused a lot of restaurants as well.

There aren’t many Chinese restaurants taking part. Why so few?
Chinese restaurant owners normally don’t want to participate because it’s new. I’d love to see more Chinese restaurants as well, but I’m not worried. They’ll come when they see the effects.

How do diners reserve?
Reservations have to be made online. The online booking system is clear and works fantastically. In the US, 80 percent of all restaurant reservations are made online. Although it’s hard to imagine, that will come to China as well.

What strategies do people use to get the most out of Restaurant Week?
Some people only go for lunch every day. They save on cost and can still taste many restaurants. We see a lot of people actually saving for Restaurant Week. The costs for a three-course menu may be low, but at the end you’ll spend more on wine. You always spend more than you were planning.

Many people are writing off the Groupon phenomenon. What are your views on that?
Groupon is totally different. Groupon is a terrible thing, absolutely not suitable for restaurants. Restaurants don’t like Groupon websites, but they love Restaurant Week.

You tell us some diners set their alarm clocks to be sure of getting the Restaurant Week reservations they want. What food would you set your alarm for?
Oysters and champagne. You can wake me up in the middle of any night for that.

And who would you set your alarm for breakfast with?
I would love to have dinner with Ferran Adria – a mastermind in cooking.

DiningCity’s Beijing Restaurant Week runs Mar 12-18. Reserve at www.beijingrestaurantweek.com.

Click here to see the March issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Courtesy of DiningCity

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beijingsteve's picture beijingsteve Submitted by Guest on Wed, 03/07/2012 - 13:16

Thanks for your reply. That does clear up a few things. I didn't know the Restaurant Week organizers don't take a commission.
I think the jury is still out on the Groupon concept from the restaurant owners' point of view. Some restaurant owners must think it is worth their while as they repeatedly offer deals with various websites. I would probably agree that for most higher end restaurants it is probably not a great idea to offer regular discounts on groupon sites. The restaurants that do choose to do so must have their resons though. From my own perspective, as a customer, I can say I have been to many restaurants that I would't otherwise have been to. If the food is good, I also go back and pay the full price.
There is nothing wrong with the concept of Restaurant Week, and I wish the organizers all the best. Some of the restaurants in Restaurant Week have never offerd Groupon style deals, so this is a good chance to try them out. However, I still think there are good deals to be had on the Groupon sites. Even around my building in Wangjing, several restaurants are currently offering deals. I guess the owners believe a full restaurant is better than a half full one.

Iain S's picture Iain S Submitted by Guest on Wed, 03/07/2012 - 09:29

Beijing Steve,

Here's a fuller comment on Groupon/Restaurant Week from Onno Schreurs - let us know what you think:

"Groupon is a totally different thing. It has nothing to do with what we do. Groupon is a terrible thing, absolutely not suitable for restaurants.

First of all, we don' take any commission from the restaurants. We're not involved in any money transaction. Guests pay directly at the restaurants.

Second of all, Restaurant Week has been the most successful dining event in the world for the past 20 years. In New York, they just celebrated the 20th anniversary of Restaurant Week. This is the first Restaurant Week in Beijing, but it won't be the last. It will be back every six months for the coming 20 years.

The third thing is that restaurants don't give discounts. They offer three-course meals for fixed pricing. People can easily compare restaurants this way."

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beijingsteve's picture beijingsteve Submitted by Guest on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 16:42

I'd be interested to know how the Groupon concept is totally different to the restaurant week concept. The only difference I can see is that the prices for set menus in restaurant week are considerably more than deals that can be found on Groupon sites. A set meal for two at one of the restaurants featured in restaurant week was available for less than 300rmb including two cocktails on a groupon site. The set menu for the same restaurant in restaurant week costs 249rmb for one person. The main difference I can see from a customer's point of view, apart from price, is that the groupon sites are in Chinese so not as easy for foreigners to navigate. The restaurant week is basically a high end groupon concept, and you only have a week to use your voucher.

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