Shuhai Supply Chain CMO Wu Dexing: The restaurant industry isn't short of hot opportunities; the key is whether the supply chain can keep up.

How does supply chain certainty help brands expand quickly?

On March 24, the 2026 China Catering Industry Festival and the 35th HCC Global Catering Industry Expo, co-hosted by the World Federation of Chinese Catering and Hongcan Network, kicked off at the Hangzhou International Conference and Exhibition Center.

At the “2026 China Catering Industry Conference,” Wu Dexing, CMO of Shuhai Supply Chain, stated that the catering industry is currently full of opportunities, but on the whole, the average lifecycle of chain restaurants in China has shrunk to 15 months. In this era of uncertainty, catering companies do not lack traffic and opportunities for viral success; the key lies in whether the supply chain can handle the traffic, support expansion, and maintain profits.

△ Wu Dexing, CMO of Shuhai Supply Chain

According to Wu Dexing, the goal of reshaping the supply chain in the catering industry is to allow the front end to conquer territories while ensuring the back end operates uniformly across thousands of stores. Specifically, three major certainties need to be grasped:

First, supply certainty. Ensuring that both direct-operated and franchised stores do not run out of stock, regardless of whether the store scale is ten, one hundred, or one thousand, the supply chain must be fully controllable and traceable, laying a replicable foundation for brand expansion.

Second, cost certainty. Catering operations need to accurately calculate the overall cost structure and maintain the profit “cut-off line.” Currently, the catering industry has entered a low-profit era, where saved costs translate directly into net profits. The essence of supply chain cost optimization is to identify and reduce hidden costs.

Third, expansion certainty. The essence of a chain is replication. The core of replication is the supply chain. A mature supply chain system supports chain restaurants. Stores should focus on sales and service, while the complex processes of processing, warehousing, sorting, and distribution are all handled by the back end.

As a leading chain catering service provider in the industry, how does Shuhai turn possibilities into certainties? Wu Dexing’s answer is to build four core capabilities to achieve three certainties!

First is the super warehouse network layout: 47+ three-temperature warehouses, covering over 90% of cities, ensuring timely delivery and stock availability.

Second is the reconstruction of the procurement model: through scale centralized purchasing, reducing inventory loss with the help of AI planning, allowing funds to circulate.

Third is AI empowering the supply chain, with self-developed systems achieving full-process digitization from suppliers to ordering, warehousing, distribution, and planning management; fourth is comprehensive service assurance, including VP exclusive services and full-process food safety control, making supply chain management visible and tangible. Shuhai Supply Chain uses the supply chain as its foundation and certainty as its basis, allowing every brand to expand more solidly, ensuring greater consumer satisfaction, and achieving profitability for every store.

Author: Hongcan Editorial Department