Quanjude
The Qianmen restaurant, along with the many other Quanjude branches, together form one of the largest food enterprises in the nation. Once, when Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was hosting important foreign guests at Quanjude, one of the guests asked, “What does Quanjude mean?” Premier Zhou answered with a smile, “Quan (全) means perfection without a flaw, Ju (聚) means gathering without departing, and De (德) means virtues to be supreme.” Therefore, Quanjude together implies perfection, union, and benevolence. . Serving up to 5,000 meals a day, this restaurant covers a floor area of 15,000 square meters with over forty private dining rooms and can simultaneously occupy 2,000 guests. Having established a history and affiliation with the Chinese government at the municipal and central state level, Quanjude has often been used to hold state banquets and to receive celebrities, dignitaries, and important government figures from over 200 countries as distinguished VIP guests. There were two Quanjude branches in Hong Kong, in Wan Chai, where it is known as QuanJude Roast Duck Restaurant (全聚德烤鴨店) .Yang Renquan opened his first, small Dejuquan (得聚全, the first two characters being reversed from the current name) inside Yangrou Hutong in Qianmen (前門), which at the time was one of the busiest areas in Beijing. In February 2009 the Wanchai branch of Quanjude closed its doors. The newest franchised restaurant outside China recently opened in Melbourne, Australia.
One possible influencing factor may be that Melbourne s Mayor (Mr John So) is of Chinese heritage and Melbourne (and Australia) has a large overseas Chinese population. Quanjude was established in 1864 during the Qing Dynasty under the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor. The original location operates in Qianmen with several other branches in other locations in Beijing. The seven story restaurant on Hepingmen Ave., was a location that hand-picked by former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
Although Peking Duck can trace its history many centuries back, Quanjude s heritage of roast duck preparation - using open ovens and non-smoky hardwood fuel such as Chinese date, peach, or pear to add a subtle fruity flavor with a golden crisp to the skin - was originally reserved for the imperial families. The first Quanjude manager, Yang Renquan, who started out selling chicken and ducks, paid a retired chef from the palace for the imperial recipe. His restaurant became an instant success and has since grown into the current branch in Qianmen that employs over 400 staff members and can occupy 900 guests at one time.
Soon after, Quanjude became the first restaurant in the world to serve roast duck from the imperial kitchen to the common masses. Quanjude (Chinese: 全聚德) SZSE: 002186 is a famous Chinese restaurant known for its trademark Quanjude Peking Roast Duck and its longstanding culinary heritage since its establishment in 1864 in Beijing, China . The restaurant chain sells over 2 million roast ducks served in 400 different styles to over 5 million customers annually.
With annual sales reaching 500 million yuan (US$63m), the company has an estimated value of 8.458 billion yuan (US$1.02b) with 600 million yuan (US$76m) in assets and 700 million yuan (US$89m) in intangible assets . There are 50 affiliates across China. Quanjude has eight direct branches and several other franchises in Beijing.
