Comments on: zest express http://youusedtobealright.com/2010/01/17/zest-express/ Fri, 18 May 2012 16:47:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: terence http://youusedtobealright.com/2010/01/17/zest-express/comment-page-1/#comment-459 terence Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:31:40 +0000 http://youusedtobealright.com/?p=746#comment-459 well, i was by there again today, and it looked to be a mix 60/40 for locals over foreigners, so there you go. well, i was by there again today, and it looked to be a mix 60/40 for locals over foreigners, so there you go.

]]> By: kl http://youusedtobealright.com/2010/01/17/zest-express/comment-page-1/#comment-458 kl Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:28:01 +0000 http://youusedtobealright.com/?p=746#comment-458 agree to most of what you say especially wagas but i get the impression most of the chinese there are of international background. i may be wrong as am not a huge fan of wagas as i think it's overpriced for what they serve. with awfully chocolate, my impression is that Chinese sees it as some sort of premium chocolate thus they are happy to pay even though it's nothing special. as for starbucks, locals are attracted to the 'image' / experience and am sure some like the drinks too. i guess what's curious for me is at what salary level would a local find rmb 42 for a salad a fair deal? wujiang lu has plenty of other food options at half the price therefore i just can't see how a local would be happy to fork out rmb 42 for a salad, albeit an organic one. there is of course a sizable number in the area that can afford it. totally agree that targeting expats is a bad idea. there's definitely a market for western foods here and it's interesting to see the changes on the street. agree to most of what you say especially wagas but i get the impression most of the chinese there are of international background. i may be wrong as am not a huge fan of wagas as i think it’s overpriced for what they serve.

with awfully chocolate, my impression is that Chinese sees it as some sort of premium chocolate thus they are happy to pay even though it’s nothing special. as for starbucks, locals are attracted to the ‘image’ / experience and am sure some like the drinks too.

i guess what’s curious for me is at what salary level would a local find rmb 42 for a salad a fair deal? wujiang lu has plenty of other food options at half the price therefore i just can’t see how a local would be happy to fork out rmb 42 for a salad, albeit an organic one. there is of course a sizable number in the area that can afford it.

totally agree that targeting expats is a bad idea. there’s definitely a market for western foods here and it’s interesting to see the changes on the street.

]]> By: terence http://youusedtobealright.com/2010/01/17/zest-express/comment-page-1/#comment-457 terence Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:14:32 +0000 http://youusedtobealright.com/?p=746#comment-457 kl - it's white collar workers. both foreign and expat. you say you'd be surprised if there were a lot of chinese there - however, wagas and element fresh are always packed with both expats and shanghainese. With travel, higher paying jobs and expanded palates, targeting local Chinese with Western food is no longer the money loser that it used to be in the 90s. on that same street is the expensive awfully chocolate, as well as a starbucks and krispy kreme. all of which produce products which are available at much lower prices (cake, coffee, donuts) at local or asian based chains, and yet all of those places do fine. And targeting expats - with global layoffs and shriking expat packages is a horrible idea. kl – it’s white collar workers. both foreign and expat. you say you’d be surprised if there were a lot of chinese there – however, wagas and element fresh are always packed with both expats and shanghainese. With travel, higher paying jobs and expanded palates, targeting local Chinese with Western food is no longer the money loser that it used to be in the 90s. on that same street is the expensive awfully chocolate, as well as a starbucks and krispy kreme. all of which produce products which are available at much lower prices (cake, coffee, donuts) at local or asian based chains, and yet all of those places do fine.

And targeting expats – with global layoffs and shriking expat packages is a horrible idea.

]]> By: kl http://youusedtobealright.com/2010/01/17/zest-express/comment-page-1/#comment-456 kl Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:55:51 +0000 http://youusedtobealright.com/?p=746#comment-456 who is zest's target customers? if most of their salads / menu are priced around rmb 40, then i would be very surprised to see many Chinese there. there's a lot of foot traffic on that street especially lunch time so there's hope. who is zest’s target customers? if most of their salads / menu are priced around rmb 40, then i would be very surprised to see many Chinese there. there’s a lot of foot traffic on that street especially lunch time so there’s hope.

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