"Food Service Supply Chain Trends Development Report 2026" Released: The food service supply chain market size is expected to reach 3 trillion yuan in 2026.

Ask AI · How will AI technology change the way restaurant supply chains are managed?

On March 25, the 2026 China Catering Industry Festival and the 35th HCC Global Catering Industry Expo, jointly hosted by the World Chinese Cuisine Federation and Hongcan.com, opened at the Hangzhou Convention and Exhibition Center. In particular, during the roundtable segment of the “2026 China Catering AI Development Forum,” Lao Huahui, Senior Research Manager at Hongcan Industry Research Institute, represented the institute to release the “2026 Catering Supply Chain Trends Development Report,” and provided an in-depth interpretation.

△ Lao Huahui, Senior Research Manager at Hongcan Industry Research Institute

He said that in recent years, the market size of China’s restaurant supply chain has been showing a sustained growth trend. According to Hongcan big data, in 2025 the market size of the restaurant supply chain was about 2.8 trillion yuan, up 8.5% year over year. Hongcan Industry Research Institute estimates that, as the restaurant market continues to expand, chain restaurant brands’ demand for supply chains will keep growing, and the market size of the restaurant supply chain in 2026 is expected to reach 3 trillion yuan.

Under the influence of both internal and external factors, the restaurant supply chain has entered a comprehensive transformation and upgrade. Lao Huahui shared several changes that have emerged in the restaurant supply chain.

In terms of ingredients, price fluctuations have become the norm and show a “structural divergence” pattern. For supply chain companies, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Take niche segments such as fresh-cut beef hot pot and fresh-cut beef noodles: as beef prices declined, these categories rose, and related supply chain companies seized the opportunity, achieving high growth.

In terms of industrial chain integration, the integration trend between upstream and downstream has deepened, and supply chain companies have seen a “cross-industry wave.” Companies may strengthen their competitiveness by compensating for their weaknesses in categories, channels, or technology through cross-industry M&A or cooperation. They may also use existing advantages to enter new high-growth or high-profit fields and seek a second growth curve.

In terms of product innovation, behind brands launching breakout hits, supply chain companies are the ones “testing and iterating” and driving innovation on their behalf—exploring innovative possibilities across raw materials, flavors, seasonings, and functions.

Lao Huahui pointed out that for Chinese cuisine to go overseas, it needs support from supply chain companies. Restaurant supply chain companies are also actively planning overseas markets and developing in directions such as localization, collaboration, and digitalization. This includes building overseas ingredient supply chains and processing plants; by responding to locally designed seasonings, it becomes possible to deploy cooking robots that can achieve standardized, repeatable stir-fry results.

Finally, looking ahead to future trends in the restaurant supply chain, Lao Huahui also shared four major trends: supply chain companies will become even more proactive in cross-industry expansion, and on the channel front they will place greater emphasis on a two-engine drive from both B and C ends; AI+ will reshape the models of supply chain companies in areas such as product R&D, supply chain management, and AI cooking; more flexible customization will expand through faster demand response, small-batch multi-product production, supply chain systems, and data-driven decision-making; supply chain companies will be more proactive in researching consumer trends and market demand, accelerating product innovation, shortening R&D cycles, and leading innovation and iteration.

Author: Hongcan Editorial Team