Why did a coffee restaurant menu stir up debate?

A Nayuki Tea House in Guangzhou has drawn attention for serving Cantonese fusion dishes alongside tea. The store, the brand's sixth Nayuki Tea House and its first outside Shenzhen, runs the dining space with Zhen·Songshan, so customers can eat while drinking tea. Prices and dish positioning have divided consumers.

Some diners found the value for money lacking and noted that dishes like orange-stuffed crab read more as Jiangzhe cuisine than Cantonese. The menu includes morning tea dim sum and regional specialties. The question of what distinguishes specialty coffee brands from mainstream ones matters here, as tea chains test cross-industry formats while Nayuki closes stores elsewhere.

Recently, a netizen discovered a Chinese restaurant menu at a Nayuki Tea House in Guangzhou, featuring refined morning tea dim sum and regional specialties, sparking widespread attention. Nayuki Tea House is a brand under Nayuki focused on the Chinese tea experience; it just opened its first Guangzhou store last month, also its sixth outlet and the first to step outside Shenzhen. The "Nayuki Chinese restaurant" netizens referred to is actually a Cantonese fusion dining space created by the store in collaboration with Zhen·Songshan, allowing customers to dine while enjoying tea. However, the dish prices and cuisine positioning have sparked controversy, with some consumers finding the value for money insufficient, and others pointing out that dishes like orange-stuffed crab seem more like Jiangzhe cuisine. Against the backdrop of Nayuki store closures in multiple locations, whether this cross-industry attempt will be accepted by the market remains to be seen.

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Recently, a netizen posted on social media that they had discovered a Chinese restaurant menu at a Nayuki Tea House in Guangzhou. According to photos uploaded by the customer, the food served at this store includes both finely crafted morning tea dim sum and some regional specialty dishes.

In public perception, Nayuki's most distinct label has always been milk tea and baked goods, and the netizen who posted was no exception. Precisely because of this, when he saw this menu, he was quite shocked and directly exclaimed, "I got up too fast... I see Nayuki has switched careers to open a restaurant..." Nayuki fans drawn to the post also expressed surprise. A local resident who had passed by the store said that at the time, judging only by the store name, they thought it was just a place for tea and never expected it to be a Chinese restaurant inside.

It is understood that "Nayuki Tea House" is a brand under Nayuki, and it opened its first Guangzhou store last month. This is also the sixth store currently opened by Nayuki Tea House and the first to step outside Shenzhen. The store focuses on the Chinese tea experience, offering freshly brewed pure tea, milk tea, specialty tea blends, and other products, while also selling premium tea, tea utensils, and more.

The "Nayuki Chinese restaurant" mentioned in the netizen's post is actually a Cantonese fusion culinary dining space operated by the store in collaboration with Zhen·Songshan, allowing guests who visit not only to experience tea culture but also to fill their stomachs.

Such a unique Nayuki store naturally aroused fans' desire to check it out, but some consumers had different views after seeing the dish prices: "It shouldn't have opened in Guangzhou; it should have gone to neighboring Shenzhen or Shanghai," "The dim sum prices are outrageous, while the main dishes seem okay—what kind of customer group are you even targeting?" "Two goldfish dumplings for 39, I'm dumbfounded."

Users speculated that the reason Nayuki incorporated morning tea dim sum and the like into its original tea beverage offerings may have been to cater to the consumption demands of Guangzhou residents. But compared with traditional Cantonese teahouses, diners do not think the meals Nayuki has launched offer good value for money, and it may be difficult to attract local consumers to spend there.

Some also pointed out that the official promotion mentions "Cantonese fusion cuisine," but dishes such as orange-stuffed crab seem more like Jiangzhe cuisine and do not quite match the public impression of Cantonese food.

Recently, posts shared by netizens about Nayuki store closures have appeared frequently on social media. Although some of these stores changed locations due to factors such as lease expiration, such news still made fans feel worried. Therefore, in their view, the brand's development of new products may increase its profits, but they also admit that Nayuki suddenly shifting from the tea beverage sector into Chinese restaurant dining is truly unexpected and not easy for users to accept.

In addition, some people said that although Guangzhou has a dietary custom of morning tea, Nayuki, having suddenly barged into this track, may find it difficult to compete with some teahouses in terms of product features aside from having a certain brand awareness, and may not be very able to attract local consumers to spend there.

Therefore, they believe that rather than boldly venturing into a dining track it is not good at, Nayuki would be better off focusing on tea beverage products and launching specialty drinks that distinguish it from other brands.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.