CH.6 The Restaurant Business - Different Types of Tea House and Their Characteristics

What is Tea House?


People enjoys dim sum &
Chinese tea in tea houses

In Hong Kong, there is a special Cantonese Chinese term called “yum cha”, which primarily refers to the tradition of morning tea in Cantonese cuisine exemplified by the traditional tea houses of Guangzhou (Canton).  Similarly to a Western morning or afternoon tea, yum cha is focused on both the food items and tea, and it is the reason why “Tea House” got its name.

One of the traditional
dim sum - "Siu Mai"

Food items that served in tea houses are collectively known as "dim sum", a varied range of small dishes which may constitute or replace breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.  Dishes are usually steamed or fried and may be savoury or sweet.  They include steamed buns such as char siu baau, assorted dumplings, siu mai, and rice noodle rolls, which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options.

Traditional Tea Houses


Tea houses were run as the
independent restaurant in the past

At the beginning of tea houses industry, most of the tea houses are run as the independent restaurant, and usually located in the estates, or the business districts; they did not have much items for their customer to choose, and only serving the dim sum traditional dim sum and hot Chinese tea.  

Traditional tea houses were using a la carte menus.

Besides, as the technology was not developed well in the past, tea houses sold their dim sum by the “dim sum car”, which was controlled by the servers; all the dim sum choices are placed in front of the dim sum car or the wall, and that’s the most initial menu in tea houses.  As the “menu” is placed on the dim sum car and wall individually, and all the food items are individually priced, it shows that the traditional tea houses were using a la carte menus in the past.

Tea houses also used dim sum menu
for ordering food in a convenient way

Except the dim sum car, tea houses also used dim sum menu for customer to order food more conveniently.  Unlike the tea houses nowadays, the menu at that time was as like as the menu which placed on wall -- just showing the Chinese name of the food items, their price, and that's it.

On the other hand, the independent tea houses usually design their menus according to the capabilities of cooks, equipment capacity, consistency and availability of menu ingredients, and the price and pricing strategy.  It is because there were not many rules that the independent tea houses need to follow in their daily operation; the things that they concern most are their profit and their product quality, and it is the reason why they planned the menus based on their capacity, in order to provide the best quality food to attract and retain their customer.

One of the outlets of Tao Heung

Tea Houses in Today

One of the outlets of Super Star Group

By the early twentieth century onward, tea houses operating as a chain restaurant in Hong Kong are the trend; these groups of tea house can be found everywhere, for example, Tao Heung and Super Star Group.  These chain restaurants (tea houses) are using the same name, concept, outlet design, service procedure and standard, and food production in their operation, so that they can enlarge their market share, and enjoy the economic of scale when purchasing the raw materials, hiring the managerial personnel, and promotion, as they own a bigger bargaining power and can divide the fixed cost.

Tranditional Tea House - Central Luk Yu Tea House

Furthermore, nowadays, the tea houses began to run a restaurant business, and the tea houses which simply to provide dim sum were gradually phased out.  For this reason, Hong Kong now only remain a few traditional tea houses (e.g. Central Luk Yu Tea House), while the vast majority have been replaced by the restaurant also providing snacks, side dishes and banquet.

New dim sum menu

For the menu, except the original a la carte menus, as some dim sum set or business lunch set are now provided on the menu, table d'hote menus are also used.  Besides, more and more tourist would like to try the traditional dim sum while travelling in Hong Kong, so tea houses tend to use the tourist menu, which provide pictures to attract their attention, or at least understand what the dim sum is.

Disney theme dim sum - Mike

Moreover, tea houses nowadays have a boarder consideration in their menu planning.

Healthy steamed vegetable dim sum

For example, restaurants are not only concern about the food quality, but also the whole moment of truth in the operation, and that is the reason why tea houses tend to satisfy the customer's needs and desires through their menus, such as calculate the nutritional value of the food items on the menu, launch more healthy dim sum which are steamed and make of vegetables, and design a special theme of dim sum. The most importantly, chain menu is used due to chain restaurants become a trend in Hong Kong. The tea houses which under the same group have to follow a series of rules and standard, and all the food items, price, and lay out of the menu are probably the same.







References:
http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/chi/exhibitions/exhibition_details.aspx?exid=39
http://nosh.roundmenu.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Chynna-bg-3.jpg
http://www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk/rtcsa2005/pic/food.jpg
http://www.hongkong-purotour.com.tw/img/Food/U139P22T1D86796F1DT20110209112510(1).jpg
http://isanjay.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/dimsum_content.jpg
http://www.superstargroup.com.hk/
http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/zh_HK/hotels/latestOverview?name=HotelDiningPage#crystallotus