Zhu Guangyu Hotpot Restaurant Li Yang: Going global with Chinese cuisine is not about just copying domestic offerings abroad.

March 25, the 2026 China Catering Industry Festival and the 35th HCC Global Catering Industry Expo, hosted jointly by the World Chinese Cuisine Industry Federation and Hongcan.com, was held at the Hangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center. Among them, at the “2026 International Catering Exchange Forum,” Li Yang, co-founder of the Zhuguangyu Hot Pot restaurant and the Taise Duo self-serve grilled meat brand, presented a talk titled “A New Globalization Playbook for Local Hot Pot,” sharing the hands-on path he has taken to bring hot pot to international markets.

Li Yang noted, “When Chinese cuisine goes global, it’s not about搬ing domestic things out; it’s about using a global perspective to re-examine ourselves.”

△Li Yang, Zhuguangyu Hot Pot restaurant

Li Yang reminded that when opening a store overseas, compliance costs are higher than many people imagine: the timeline for setting up the shop, equipment procurement, fire safety, and hygiene—every item is more complex than expected. For example, Zhuguangyu’s first overseas location in Melbourne took a full two years from preparation to opening.

Li Yang said that the rapid explosion of Zhuguangyu’s first store in Kuala Lumpur was not accidental, but the result of strategic thinking on multiple levels:

First, the essence of exporting food and beverage outlets is “cultural export.” He pointed out that brands should use cultural export as their strategy, and complete local integration to serve local Chinese communities. For example, at overseas outlets, the team placed self-made travel guides at the entrance to tell Chinese people in Malaysia where “what’s good to eat and fun to do in China” is—this is taking culture out.

Second, going global must align with changes in local consumers’ needs. Taking the Malaysian outlets as an example, Li Yang said that by noticing that local private-room demand is mainly driven by gatherings, while there is also demand for meals, the team set the entire second floor of the outlet as private rooms with KTV.

Third, considerations for marketing approaches. In overseas markets such as Malaysia and Australia, the brand uses Xiaohongshu as a key front for marketing and promotion. At the same time, the brand also holds localized events locally, such as “snowing under Christmas,” and extends domestically feasible fan tasting events and member customized activities to overseas markets.

Fourth, the brand should have the possibility of diversity. For example, in the outlet in Macau, Zhuguangyu Hot Pot changed to a format of one small pot per person. Li Yang said, “If I do big ma la hot pot in the local area and everyone can’t handle it, then I should change it. ” The target customer base of the partners determines the product form.

Finally, Li Yang emphasized, “Zhuguangyu ‘localization’ is not about blindly emphasizing ourselves, but about adapting to local customs. When the brand takes root in different places, your core is the root, and it needs to coexist and thrive with the local ecosystem.”

Author: Hongcan Editorial Department