Recently, the lack of beef pellets at the self-service small ingredient counter of Hai Di Lao has attracted attention. Several netizens posted on social media that the self-service small ingredient counter at Hai Di Lao no longer has beef balls, and instead has ice noodles and spicy strips. Beef balls can only be ordered by waiters on iPads.
On July 18th, # Haidilao responded that the small ingredient platform did not have beef nuggets #, which topped the Weibo hot search list. In response to this matter, the relevant person in charge of Haidilao responded to an interview with a reporter from Nanduwan Caishe, stating that the supply of beef pellets has been adjusted to iPad. After selecting their own small ingredients for dine in, consumers can click on minced beef in the seasoning bar on their iPad without extra charge. The waiter will deliver the minced beef directly to the dining table.
The relevant person in charge further pointed out that in order to further enrich the dining experience of customers, Haidilao will continue to update its seasonings and launch more creative and delicious new products. The recently launched ice noodles and spicy strips are deeply loved by consumers.
This matter has sparked a lot of discussion on the internet, with some netizens questioning, "Why didn't you remove the chicken mince and release the beef meatballs?" "How did you remove the most popular beef meatballs from the self-service counter?" "Isn't this self-service seasoning? It's just a small amount when served, and the pattern of Hai Di Lao is so small?" Some netizens also believe that "it's still free, just a single order." "This form is not bad and can prevent waste.
This is not the first time that Hai Di Lao's beef nuggets have attracted attention. In March 2021, several stores of Hai Di Lao in Shanghai piloted the replacement of beef pellets on the small ingredient counter with "flavor partners" with similar appearances, which was questioned by consumers as "beef pellets becoming vegetarian". At that time, Haidilao told reporters from Nandu that "Haidilao Flavor Companion, as a plant protein product, is made using innovative technology and has a higher cost than beef jerky. At the same time, Haidilao's 31 stores in Shanghai have also started piloting the inclusion of beef nuggets in their menu and offering them separately at a low price of about 0.8 yuan/50g. Haidilao stated that this move is aimed at "guiding consumers to actively try plant-based protein products, while also continuing to meet the needs of customers who love beef jerky.
However, on July 18th, a reporter from Nanduwan Caishe called several Shanghai stores of Haidilao, and store staff all stated that the beef pellets in Shanghai stores are not "flavor partners" at present, and consumers can also order for free through iPads. The reporter from Nanduwan Caishe learned from insiders that the Shanghai store has indeed cancelled the supply of "flavor partners" and beef meatballs for a fee.
Haidilao was founded in Jianyang, Sichuan in 1994. As of the end of 2023, Haidilao has 1374 stores nationwide. According to the financial report of Haidilao, in 2023, Haidilao achieved a revenue of 41.453 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 33.6%, and a net profit of 4.495 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of about 175%.