appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ben Jiang

Meituan and JD.com are taking China’s delivery war to another level, as the two instant commerce rivals have started building thousands of central kitchens in strategic locations to speed up fulfilment of online food orders.
On-demand local delivery giant Meituan is expected to continue leading the market through its launch of 1,200 so-called Raccoon Restaurants over the next three years, a plan it revealed early last month.
These facilities are designed as food court-like hubs that host various restaurant chains, which operate their kitchens only for takeaways. These sites are expected to help drive down costs and boost efficiency for Meituan’s restaurant chain partners, according to a company statement.
JD.com, meanwhile, announced a plan to invest 1 billion yuan (US$139 million) to recruit “cuisine partners”, as part of the firm’s roll-out of 10,000 self-operated 7Fresh kitchens over the next three years. This infrastructure would enable the company to promote 1,000 different sets of menus to a nationwide audience.
The e-commerce giant described 7Fresh kitchens as “the largest supply chain innovation over the 15-year course of the local food delivery industry”, the company announced last week.
The like-minded central-kitchen initiatives of Meituan and JD.com reflect a major transformation in mainland China’s catering industry, as large internet platform companies become closely involved in the back-end operations of partner restaurants.

Beyond cutthroat pricing, the central kitchen strategy of Meituan and JD.com would boost these platforms'’s engagement with consumers because of improved delivery capabilities, according to Cao Lei, head of e-commerce research at consultancy 100ec.cn.
“Supply chain ability is becoming a core competitive strength for these internet platforms, as they optimise data sharing and resource coordination,” Cao said.
For Meituan, the Raccoon Restaurants leveraged the firm’s food supply chain expertise – developed over the years by working with different bricks-and-mortar dining establishments.
According to Meituan, the goal is to build a “trusted food delivery infrastructure” in which the firm is involved in the whole process of running central kitchens, from sourcing ingredients to managing stock and regular replenishment.
The central kitchens must also prepare meals under “transparent” standards, which means partners are expected to livestream to consumers how their kitchens are run on the Meituan app. Partners include Peking duck chain operator Quanjude and Cantonese cuisine specialist Tang Palace.

The Post on Wednesday visited a two-storey Raccoon Restaurant in Beijing’s Dongzhimen neighbourhood. There were 14 food operators spread across the second floor in dedicated kitchens where they prepare and store meals for Meituan food couriers to pick up.
Meituan currently runs 10 Racoon Restaurants in Beijing and Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang province.
JD.com, which ignited instant commerce competition in China when it entered the food delivery sector in February, said on Wednesday that it had received more than 60,000 cuisine partner applications across the country. Its central kitchen programme offered at least 1 million yuan as guaranteed revenue for a vendor and all-around operational support.
The company’s first 7Fresh kitchen in Beijing recorded an average of more than 1,000 daily orders in its opening week.
The central kitchens also show how China’s major internet companies are helping traditional services go digital.
Toby Xu Hong, the chief financial officer of Alibaba Group Holding, was quoted by Xinhua in a report that the company, which owns the Post, planned to move more services to online platforms. Xu said only 20 per cent of China’s catering industry revenue was currently generated via digital platforms, which means there is ample room for growth.


In a first, top European design prize awarded to €20 uniform for China’s delivery drivers

Qatar seeks stronger logistics ties with China as war disrupts trade routes

Why Chinese shoppers are ditching supermarkets for small ‘community stores’

Taobao’s ‘ugly’ goods find a growing market among China’s young consumers

E-commerce

China’s delivery war intensifies as Meituan, JD.com build central kitchens for takeaways

Instant commerce rivals JD.com and Meituan are changing mainland China’s catering industry. Photo: Shutterstock

The facade of Meituan’s Raccoon Restaurant in Beijing’s Dongzhimen neighbourhood. Photo: Ben Jiang

Around a dozen branded food operators’ kitchens are located inside Meituan’s Raccoon Restaurant in Beijing. Photo: Ben Jiang

ByteDance’s Douyin takes on Alibaba, Meituan and JD.com in China’s instant delivery race

TikTok’s Chinese counterpart is reportedly merging its online supermarket and instant delivery service. Photo: Reuters

China’s top market regulator summons Alibaba, Meituan, JD.com over delivery price war

A a food delivery rider in Beijing. Photo: AP

Meituan executive bemoans ‘irrational’ instant-commerce price war with Alibaba, JD.com

Delivery couriers cross paths in Beijing on September 1, 2023. Photo: Simon Song

Delivery workers drive on a street in Beijing on May 19, 2025. Photo: AFP

Alibaba to roll out ‘Super Saturdays’ event as China’s on-demand delivery market heats up

Alibaba’s latest programme reflects the intensifying price war in China’s quick delivery services market. Photo: Shutterstock

An online food delivery rider sorts out orders in Beijing on July 11, 2025. Photo: AP

Tech

Tech Trends

Big Tech

Business

China Business

News

China

Money & Wealth

China’s catering industry is transforming, as internet platform operators become more involved in the food supply chain


China’s catering industry is transforming, as internet platform operators become more involved in the food supply chain.


China’s delivery war intensifies as Meituan, JD.com build central kitchens for takeaways

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}China’s catering industry is transforming, as internet platform operators become more involved in the food supply chain

China’s catering industry is transforming, as internet platform operators become more involved in the food supply chain