Beijing Boyce

Guinness prices crawling up (allposters.com)

-

Your local pub may well increase alcohol prices, if it hasn’t already, as it faces higher costs from distributors. Several bar managers tell me their Guinness costs are up as much as RMB5 per pint, while the increase is up to RMB3 for Carlsberg and other draft beers. Certain spirits are also costing bars more and translating to higher cocktail prices, especially for those places with low markups. Managers are caught in a catch-22 — either raise prices and draw potential ire from customers or keep them the same and draw potential ire from owners as profit drops. In any case, tomorrow I’ll provide a breakdown on some of the costs…

If only 'stuff" meant this (maximumawesome.com)

-

Times must be tough for the dealers in Sanlitun given the new marketing tactic a few of them have tried on me of late. Normally, you hear a mumbled “Hey bro, want some stuff?“, walk past, and that’s that. But recently, the spiel — already annoying but thankfully short – took a twist.

“Hey bro, want some stuff?”

I say nothing and walk past.

“Hey, you don’t like Africans?”

I guess the idea is I should prove I like Africans by turning and talking to the “salesman” in question. Guess what happens when I do. He says, “So, you want some stuff?”

But at least I have established a relationship in which I can politely decline and say, “Actually, I don’t consider it wise to buy ‘stuff’ in the middle of a busy street “, “No, my apartment’s already pretty crowded”, or “If by ‘stuff” you mean packets of impossible-to-find Taco Bell hot sauce then, yeah, I want two dozen.”

It’s not easy being liberal.

Note: It’s also not often that 400 pounds of Taco Bell sauce is returned.

Tongli Studio (map) has seen plenty of changes over the past six months, including the opening of Muse and Cosmo Hot Dogs on the first floor, not to mention Juliette’s next door, and the members-only The Apartment on the third floor. And as noted, White Rabbit is slated to open, likely at the end of this week, in the former China Doll space. Here are a few other developments at Tongli:

Former Super Bar Street eatery Biteapita is looking to re-open on the second floor, taking over the former Kick and the retail space next door, in early to mid January.

Meanwhile, Bar Blu on the top floor has hired a new manager who is looking at changing the decor and focus of this long-standing Beijing spot. He says Bar Blu will hold a fund-raiser with Greening the Beige from 6 PM to 9 PM on December 17, which will include a movie screening and a raffle with prizes donated from nearby establishments. More on plans for Bar Blu soon.

First we take Macao, then we take Beijing.

-

It looks like Fatburger will open its first Beijing outlet by the end of next month. Plans for China outlets have been in the works for some time. This from a Fatburger press release dated October 1, 2007:

Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc. (OTCBB: FCCG) has announced the opening of the company’s first Fatburger restaurant in China, located in the Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel….

Additional Fatburger restaurants are scheduled to open in Hong Kong in the coming months: the first on Queens Road East and the second at Jia Hotel in Causeway Bay in early 2008. Fatburger also plans to open a Beijing location at Solana – the city’s first lifestyle center – in April 2008. Fatburger estimates call for approximately 25 locations in China by the end of 2010, all company-owned. Additional sites on the horizon include further locations in Hong Kong, Macao, Shenzen, Beijing and Shanghai. Customers will enjoy Fatburger favorites, including imported, fresh, 100 percent pure lean beef burgers, homemade onion rings made from scratch each morning and hand-scooped real ice cream shakes.

A source working on the outlet told me that the decor and training are on schedule for an opening as early as mid-January, and that Fatburger will be near the U.S. Embassy, rather than in Solana. A bit of Googling turned up this from examiner.com:

U.S.-headquartered hamburger chain Fatburger will open a Beijing location in January. The restaurant will open in the Liangmaqiao neighborhood at the Grand Summit plaza, a few steps away from the U.S. Embassy.

-

Some other burger posts:
Burger Burger Monday: Three firsts at Blue Frog
The Sanlitun Burger Battle: A quesadilla twist
Big Mac attack: The 24-hour McDonald’s in Sanlitun Village
Monday walk about: Let’s Burger, Saddle, LPG, Burger King
The Big Bite is back: Kiosk reopens
The Beijing burger battle rages on: 8 songs on CJW
Luga’s Villa: Bumping up burger prices
Sanlitun burger battle: The Rickshaw fights back
Today’s beef: Union Bar & Grill
Let’s Burger: A bit too saucy
Bits and bites: Burger battles et al.