On September 20, the 2026 Meituan In-store Dining Industry Conference and the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide Shijian Pioneer Conference opened in Wenzhou. More than 800 quality dining operators, chefs and brand owners from various regions gathered for two days of deep exchange. This year the conference extended its agenda from Black Pearl restaurants to casual dining, chain brands, regional restaurants and a wider field of quality operators.
Why the conference came to Wenzhou
Zhang Benfeng, vice mayor of Wenzhou, said in his opening address that Wenzhou is bidding to be named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and is building a city food brand: "Wenzhou Cuisine, Boldly Fresh." He expressed hope that the conference would enable the concept of Benzhen (authenticity) to lead new trends in quality consumption, helping Wenzhou cuisine venture beyond Zhejiang onto the global stage, allowing the world to witness the growth and flourish of a thousand-year-old culinary heritage.
Three Wenzhou restaurants were listed as Black Pearl One-Diamond restaurants in 2026.
The conference's core theme, Benzhen (authenticity), takes a concrete form in this city. Jin Xiaoyang, professor and former dean of the culinary arts school at Tourism College of Zhejiang, finds similar threads running through Ou Cuisine. The first layer, he said, is an extreme respect for ingredients: Ou Cuisine is built on "no heavy seasoning, no needless embellishment," so that the ingredient speaks for itself. The second is reverence for technique: "two light, one heavy" — light oil, light thickening, a heavy emphasis on knife skills, presenting the fullest flavor in the most restrained way.
▲Jin Xiaoyang, professor and former dean of the culinary arts school at Tourism College of Zhejiang, speaking at the conference
In Wenzhou cooking, authenticity is something you do every day
When the whole industry talks about authenticity, Wenzhou's cooks offer a down-to-earth answer: put true dedication into ingredients and craftsmanship. Huang Zongyan, owner of Oujiangnan, a new-style Ou Cuisine restaurant, steams a yellow croaker with only a pinch of salt, rice wine, shredded ginger and scallion, so as not to mask the sweetness of the fish. "Refinement is not another word for high prices," he said. "It is an attitude toward ingredients, technique and service."
Hong'ou Restaurant has brought Wenzhou cooking to nine outlets in four cities. Its owner, Chen Jian, notes that while cold-chain logistics can slightly compromise taste fidelity in distant cities, preserving brand identity is far more vital than blindly catering to local palates. "I just focus on Wenzhou dishes," he said. "Do my own thing, doing it to perfection."
Diners are paying for value again, and Wenzhou faces the same question
The discussion around authenticity directly addresses current market shifts. Wei Wei, vice president of Meituan and general manager of Meituan's in-store dining division, noted on site that the proportion of long-established restaurants continues to rise, with concentration increasing on both the supply and demand sides. He observed that even exceptional restaurants face challenging market cycles. Low pricing is merely a short-term tactic; long-term survival hinges on a restaurant's "real ingredients," "true craftsmanship," "genuine experience," and "sustainable growth."
▲Wei Wei, vice president of Meituan and general manager of Meituan's in-store dining division, speaking at the conference
Wei summarized this trend: "Diners haven't left the market; they are simply changing how they vote." They refuse to pay for what isn't worth it, but remain willing to pay for genuine quality. Qin Shuo, a commentator on finance and society, shared a similar perspective at the event: consumers are now "spending with clearer standards and greater discernment." Where the mindset used to be "expensive means good," it has now shifted to "only what is good is worth paying for."
▲Qin Shuo, commentator on finance and society, speaking at the conference
As consumers cast their votes under stricter standards, restaurants of all categories must answer the same fundamental questions: how to maintain product quality, boost operational efficiency, retain talent, and deliver consistent dining experiences. Jiangsu Xiaochuniang, a restaurant group operating for nearly 30 years, has long cultivated its management from within. Group CEO Wei Jifeng summarized Benzhen as "returning to fundamentals and treating people with sincerity" — internally strengthening core product and organizational capabilities, and externally engaging consumers with complete honesty, ultimately standing the test of repeat visits. For Wenzhou's restaurateurs, this same equation applies.
The past three conferences focused on how Black Pearl restaurants operate. This year the conversation widened to quality restaurants of different price points and different sizes, so that more operators can take on the shared question together.
Not just traffic: online tools are moving into a restaurant's daily work
For Wenzhou's quality restaurants, the conference offered more than a read on the industry. It brought tools that restaurants are already using. Operators hold to what is real; the platform, Wei Wei said, has to hold to what is true. Meituan wants to be a long-term partner to quality dining, converting digital capabilities into tangible offline business.
Chen Jian of Hong'ou Restaurant observed that dining guides and restaurant lists have become a primary channel for acquiring new customers. Every step of the consumer journey — from discovery to repeat visits — corresponds to a specific merchant operational action. Spanning customer acquisition, in-store service, and daily management, Meituan integrates its dining lists, membership programs, reservations, queuing, ordering, and AI features — moving beyond basic traffic generation to embedding digital capabilities into every operational touchpoint.
To help restaurants maintain stable operations, AI is entering daily workflows. Over the past year, Meituan's Smart Manager tool has partnered with over 100 brands across scenarios like business analytics, reputation management, and store operations. Wei Wei noted that AI handles repetitive tasks such as report analysis and review summaries, allowing restaurateurs to dedicate more energy to their dishes and guests: "AI delivers operational speed, while people restore the human warmth of dining. Meituan will continue supporting offline dining through lists, membership, order fulfillment, and management tools — staying true to authenticity and journeying far together with the industry."
Authenticity ends up back in Wenzhou's restaurants
As the two-day conference concluded, the concept of Benzhen returns to Wenzhou as a set of concrete daily choices: a single dish, an individual restaurant, and every repeat visit. For Wenzhou, as it pursues the title of "UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy," this conference leaves behind far more than industry analysis. Carrying Wenzhou cuisine beyond Zhejiang and onto the global stage relies on a level of dedication that never slacks — unadorned, unembellished, and practiced every single day.
▲The 2026 Meituan In-store Dining Industry Conference and the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide Shijian Pioneer Conference