Put the soup in the first place. "A Sai Noodles" aims to be a noodle restaurant that everyone can afford. | Early-stage project

In the present market environment, budget-friendly catering is generating a strong consumption trend with its high cost-performance features.

For instance, Michonbibimbap, with its series of bibimbap products with distinctive flavors, has opened nearly 2,000 stores nationwide within just a few years, becoming one of the popular brands in budget-friendly catering. Saizeriya, featuring Italian Western cuisine, has transformed the originally high-priced Western food into an affordable choice and has maintained a growth myth for a long time.

The "Asai Noodles" that 36Kr recently got in touch with is a community-based chain catering brand that focuses on affordability. "Asai Noodles" was founded in 2023. Not long ago, it just completed its first round of financing. The investor is the beauty industry chain giant Liuxingmei Co., Ltd., and Asian Noodles Company followed the investment.

According to Luo Zan, the founder of "Asai Noodles", during the years of development of Chongqing noodles, a fixed perception has been formed in consumers' minds that "what you eat is the seasoning, and the soup is not important". In order to seek a differentiated development path in the highly competitive noodles market, "Asai Noodles" adopts a unique approach, starting from the concept of "Boiling soup with big bones makes the noodles more delicious", featuring "Ten catties of big bone marrow to make a pot of soup", and clearly positions the brand as "Big Bone Noodles", which is distinct from the traditional Chongqing noodles.

The interior scene of Asai Noodles store

Luo Zan, who is an architectural structure designer by profession, has been deeply engaged in the noodles industry for nearly 10 years. During his early years studying in Japan, he found that the Japanese chain Gyudon brand, Yoshinoya, sold a bowl of Gyudon for only 298 yen, which was cheaper than the school cafeteria. Chinese international students like him were regular customers of the brand. And this brand is widespread in the CBD of Tokyo and the small towns of Hokkaido. Like Uniqlo and Saizeriya, which originated in Japan, it made Luo Zan realize the potential of budget-friendly brands.

Therefore, when starting a business, Luo Zan tended to create a noodle restaurant that "everyone can afford", and "Asai Noodles" came into being as a result. It is reported that the per capita consumption of "Asai Noodles" is only 15 yuan. Its main target markets are targeted at the communities and surrounding areas of schools in first- and second-tier cities, as well as the sinking markets in third- and fourth-tier cities. These areas have a large flow of people, a strong consumer demand, and a high acceptance of budget-friendly catering.

Luo Zan believes that the community is the largest market for the branding of Chinese catering. Community catering needs to meet the needs of all age groups and all time periods as much as possible, provide products and experiences with ultimate cost performance, and integrate into the community culturally. He hopes that "Asai Noodles" can become an outstanding brand in Chinese community noodles in the future.

In terms of store development model, relying on the headquarters' supply chain and standardized operation system, "Asai Noodles" has opened more than 20 stores in the Pearl River Delta region through the franchise model. The table turnover rate of the Shenzhen store is as high as 15 times per day. In 2025, the goal of "Asai Noodles" is to have more than 100 stores in Guangdong.