The "Rolling King" of Dining is Born! AI Product Selection + Wilderness Ambience + Cause Marketing, 2025's New Playbook.

"If the dining industry in 2025 had a script, it would read: Young people are busy seeking 'wilderness healing,' the silver-haired generation is quietly 'revitalizing commercial districts,' and if your restaurant is still stuck competing with 'second item at half price,' you might already be lagging behind at the starting line."

This year, the industry has fully moved beyond the singular narrative of "filling stomachs," transitioning into a complex symphony of "layered needs, full-scenario integration, and emotional value." From the per capita spending power of 4,442 yuan in first-tier cities to the explosive 102% surge in wilderness dining orders; from young people relying on "grass-planting" to decide what to eat, to AI boosting hit product accuracy by 35% — only by understanding this entire chessboard can one secure a ticket to the next round of growth.

Consumption Characteristics: Stratified Demand and Full-Scenario Integration

The consumption market exhibits distinct stratified characteristics, with significant demand variations across different cities and age groups. Data from the third quarter of 2025 shows that the average monthly per capita consumption expenditure for all surveyed households reached 3,004 yuan. Among these, households in first-tier cities recorded an average monthly per capita expenditure of 4,442 yuan, with housing and transportation expenses being particularly prominent, while spending on cultural entertainment and dining out remained highly active. In non-first-tier cities, basic consumption such as household groceries dominated. In terms of age dimensions, younger groups showed high consumption activity in cultural entertainment, dining, and durable goods; middle-aged groups focused on education and healthcare expenses; elderly groups prioritized basic subsistence consumption, while affluent seniors in first-tier cities have emerged as a significant and unignorable consumption force.

Health consciousness and emotional value have become central to consumption decisions. According to a survey by the Red Catering Industry Research Institute, over 30% of respondents prioritize ingredient freshness when dining. Leveraging natural ingredients and therapeutic settings, wilderness dining saw a 102% year-on-year increase in orders on Douyin in the first half of 2025. Simultaneously, family responsibilities significantly influence spending behavior: households with child-rearing or elder-care obligations allocate a higher proportion of expenses to rigid costs like education and healthcare, while households without such responsibilities enjoy greater consumption flexibility.

The trend of omni-channel integration is accelerating, with instant retail emerging as a key growth engine. Younger customers rely on content communities for decision-making, while the silver-haired generation still prefers in-store experiences. Platforms like Meituan Instant Shopping are breaking time and space constraints for dining consumption. For example, Haitian Flavoring Group’s "Meme Dining Festival" campaign generated nearly ten million yuan in sales within grocery shopping scenarios, highlighting that the integration of online and offline full-scenario experiences has become an industry consensus.

Track Innovation: Wilderness Dining Leads, Category Integration Becomes Mainstream

Wilderness dining has emerged as the hottest sector of the year, exhibiting a "everything can be wilderness" diffusion trend. The sector originated from early "agritainment" and, after 2020, integrated with the "Yamagatsu lifestyle" concept, evolving into a model centered on wilderness ingredients, settings, and emotional value. It has now penetrated multiple sub-sectors such as hot pot, barbecue, and tea beverages. Leading brands have shown outstanding performance: Sanshushan has expanded to over 30 outlets, while Shanhuanhuan Hot Pot has surpassed 120 stores, with per-customer spending concentrated in the mainstream range of 80-100 yuan. A well-developed supply chain supports its growth: ingredient suppliers are deepening their focus on regional and intangible cultural heritage ingredients, while cold-chain logistics technology ensures cross-regional delivery of wilderness-sourced produce.

Traditional categories are accelerating their evolution, with health and functional attributes becoming more prominent. The hot pot category is shifting toward wellness-oriented offerings, as wild mushroom broths and herbal original soups gain favor. Ginger-infused hot pot, valued for its cold-dispelling and health-preserving properties, is poised to become a hit in autumn and winter. Ready-to-eat food products are moving beyond mere satiety—for instance, Synear Foods leveraged Olympic-themed immersive marketing to achieve a 500% month-on-month sales increase. The condiment industry is stepping out of the kitchen and into the spotlight: Heinz collaborated with Huang Tian’e in a Spring Festival campaign, driving a 114% growth in e-commerce sales and expanding market share to 31.8%.

Cross-sector integration is blurring category boundaries, with innovative cases frequently emerging. Blending dining with entertainment, culture, and technology has become commonplace. Suning.com partnered with Honor of Kings to host esports-themed events, boosting 3C product sales by 39% across 64 participating stores. Tea beverage brands are increasingly launching drinks featuring wilderness-sourced ingredients. Brands like Nayuki Tea and Baifen Tea, through product innovation, align with health-conscious consumption trends, elevating the value dimension of their categories.

Marketing Transformation: Digitally-Enabled and Emotionally Resonant Dual-Driven

Digital marketing has become the industry standard, with AI technology deeply integrated into its applications. "Make Friends" launched the live-streaming e-commerce AI platform "Befriends AI," achieving an 80% increase in smart product selection efficiency and a 35% improvement in hit product accuracy. Brands are building high-value user loyalty through private domain operations—for instance, Xiaolongkan Hot Pot implemented a "scan-to-join group + membership points system" in stores, creating a closed loop from public domain traffic to private domain conversion. Data-driven precision marketing has shown significant results: GAP utilized the CloudGaze smart store solution to optimize multiple dimensions, including customer flow statistics and hotspot analysis.

Emotional and cultural marketing have become key to breaking through market saturation. Brands are building deep connections by tapping into the emotional symbols within food culture. Dong’e Ejiao, for example, launched a brand rejuvenation campaign during the "520" (May 20th) period, generating over 400 million exposures across all platforms.

Social responsibility marketing has become a brand consensus. Companies are strengthening their brand image through public welfare initiatives. For example, Qian Dama’s “Little Apron Project” transformed fresh food consumption scenarios into practical labor education sessions, resulting in an average 18% increase in fresh produce sales at participating urban stores during the campaign. Topsports created the "GREENBOX" public welfare IP, collecting nearly 3 tons of used clothing and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 10 tons, achieving a win-win for both commercial and social value.

In 2025, the dining industry is far more than just "cooking" and "eating." It is a multidimensional battlefield where technological empowerment, emotional resonance, and social value intertwine. The winners will be brands that use digital tools to understand people’s hearts, tell compelling stories through cultural IPs, and soothe anxieties with healthy ingredients. The dining table of the future brings the mountain breeze, the taste of intangible cultural heritage from memory, the warmth that arrives with a tap on a smartphone, and the quiet kindness that grows behind every act of consumption.