Strategy Workshop: Using brand strategy to support growth for restaurant and supply-chain companies

This article is based on Xie Kangli's speech at the 2023 Chengdu-Chongqing Restaurant Integration Development Summit. Speaking as CEO of Strategy Workshop, she explained why brand strategy matters not only to restaurants, but also to food and supply-chain companies behind them.

Her argument begins with fierce competition in Chengdu and Chongqing restaurant markets. When categories, audiences and styles are increasingly segmented, brand power becomes a survival capability. Product launches, visual identity, content topics and customer communication all become part of brand operation.

For supply-chain companies, the challenge is deeper. Many traditional suppliers focus on what the factory can produce, then sell ingredients to restaurants. But strong suppliers must understand consumers, help restaurant clients design products, and build their own recognizable categories and brands.

Xie summarized the opportunity with a simple formula: hit product equals category equals brand. A supplier can grow by identifying a category that has not yet been fully occupied, investing in it, and helping it become a brand.

Strategy Workshop's role is to define strategy, build brands and promote hit products. Its experience connects front-end chain restaurants with back-end food supply chains, allowing it to understand customer demand, restaurant pain points and supplier capabilities together.