# pre‑prepared food

China’s Chains at a Crossroads: Cut Costs, Rebuild Supply Chains or Cede the Middle Market

Wang Dongming, a Chinese restaurant chain strategist, warns that the industry’s problem is not pre‑prepared food itself but a cost‑structure mismatch between restaurants and consumers. He urges chains to outsource heavy manufacturing to specialised third parties, sharpen customer targeting, and choose between premium or mass‑market positioning rather than clinging to a shrinking midmarket.