Saria turned herself into an izakaya, and affordable dining has started to compete even in drinks.

Why can AI Saliya’s beverage pricing trigger consumer frenzy?

Recently, Saliya, nicknamed by netizens as the “Italian Shaxian” and the “Western Food界 Honey Snow Ice City,” has evolved on social media into an “Italian-style Izakaya.”

At a supermarket or restaurant, the price of a bottle of ordinary Yanjing beer can buy you a whole bottle of Asahi beer at Saliya. Consumers don’t mind that this Asahi is domestically canned; after all, it only costs 10 yuan and thoughtfully comes with a matching ice cup.

A restaurant owner admitted: “For beers like Asahi, unless you get the brand agency price, it’s hard to find cheaper. Some distributors’ purchase prices there are even higher than on e-commerce platforms.” On e-commerce platforms, the same 500ml Asahi at Saliya sells for an average of 8–10 yuan per bottle, almost the same as the in-store price.

If beer prices are relatively transparent, then the pricing of wine further cements Saliya’s reputation as the “King of Cost-Performance.” The semi-sweet blue布鲁斯科 wine, sold on e-commerce platforms for 70 to 100 yuan per bottle, costs only 6 yuan per glass or 36 yuan per bottle at Saliya, with highball glasses and corkscrew service included. Unfinished wine can be taken home.

This bottle of wine was quickly popularized online after being discovered by sharp-eyed netizens. On March 18, Guangdong Saliya’s official account posted on social media: “Due to high praise from everyone online for the quality of blue布鲁斯科 wine, the wine has become extremely popular and will soon sell out. The next batch is on its way from Italy to China, expected to arrive in mid-May.” During this period, Guangdong Saliya will offer Moscato wine at 5 yuan per glass, followed by Beijing Saliya and Shanghai Saliya announcing the sell-out of blue布鲁斯科.

Moreover, Guangzhou Saliya also announced that “the full wine list will be updated in late June, with wines transported via refrigerated containers, providing an experience indistinguishable from local drinking.”

This announcement not only disappointed fans with the sell-out but also shocked many to realize that the wine sold by Saliya is truly “Italian product,” not just “Italian flavor.” In response, some netizens joked, “It’s like discovering that a wife who has been in a business marriage for years truly loves her husband.”

Thus, after becoming a self-study room where college students eat and drink while studying, Saliya has once again become a “salvation” for workers after work: order a bottle of wine, snails with bread, plus mushroom cream soup and two drinking dishes, all for less than 100 yuan.

Senior researcher Jiang Han from Pangu Think Tank commented: " Saliya becoming an affordable izakaya for young people essentially captures the essence of ‘expectation management’. Simply put, consumers have a clear ‘affordable fast food’ perception of Saliya, which easily turns low prices into a sense of ‘super value.’ In the context of consumption tiers, young people no longer pursue high-end experiences solely but seek a balance of ‘quality and price,’ and Saliya just meets this demand, which spills over from high-end dining but is not satisfied with traditional fast food."

Founded in 1967, Saliya first entered the Chinese market in 2003. From Japan’s economic bubble to surviving subsequent financial crises, even now, new store openings still often attract long queues. Even last year, when Xibei faced backlash over pre-made dishes, Saliya openly admitted that its kitchens only do assembly of semi-finished products, and staff handle simple processing. Netizens didn’t blame but instead unanimously said, “Saliya doesn’t think I’m poor, so why should I worry about pre-made dishes?” From dishes to drinks, Saliya’s secret to longevity has always been extreme cost-performance.

For example, many consumers have heard the urban legend that “Saliya’s back kitchen has no chefs,” which is true because the kitchen only needs to assemble semi-finished ingredients, greatly ensuring efficiency and table turnover.

Furthermore, even in Japan, Saliya controls costs by building its own supply chain, directly growing vegetables, rice, and other raw materials. In China, this “self-production and self-sale” strategy is still used. In 2012, Saliya built its first food factory in Guangzhou. To support its expansion in China, in March 2024, Saliya announced an investment of over 200 million yuan to build a new factory in Guangzhou mainly producing sauces, pasta, and pizza.

“Saving wherever possible” is Saliya’s most straightforward business secret, reflected in major costs like rent and labor. A consumer told Zhiji that a nearby shopping mall had become abandoned with few visitors, but after Saliya opened, only that store started waiting in line, even seeming “a bit strange.” The consumer’s perception is correct: to save on rent, Saliya has always avoided prime commercial areas with high rent. Regarding labor, since it doesn’t employ “skilled chefs,” most staff are part-time, with a ratio of full-time to part-time employees reaching 1:4, greatly reducing labor costs.

Jiang Han analyzed: " Through vertical integration and standardized operations across the entire industry chain, Saliya has maximized frugality, creating a high barrier to competition. This low price isn’t achieved at the expense of profit but through eliminating waste, optimizing workflows, and streamlining SKUs, resulting in a structurally low-cost model."

However, despite this, as smart operators learn from Saliya’s model—optimizing supply chains and launching ‘poor guy packages’—Saliya faces increasing pressure in China.

According to Saliya’s fiscal year 2026 first-quarter financial report, the company achieved total sales of 70.2 billion yen, up 15% year-on-year; operating profit increased by 19% to 4.6 billion yen; adjusted net profit grew 16% to 3 billion yen, the highest in nearly two years. But at the same time, since 2025, Saliya’s Asian division has experienced ‘revenue growth but no profit growth.’ In Q1 2026, sales in Asia reached 23.29B yen, up only 7.1% year-on-year; however, operating profit was 3.09B yen, down 6.1%. Among them, Saliya’s sales in China account for over 80% of Asia’s performance.

Therefore, besides developing new ‘izakaya’ products and hot-selling items, Saliya is also trying to find new sources of income.

Most notably, recently, Saliya has begun to gradually “compromise” on takeout. Originally, only Guangdong Saliya offered delivery services. In March this year, a Saliya in Minhang District, Shanghai, quietly launched takeout. It is understood that currently, only this store in Shanghai has a delivery pilot; if successful, more stores may open delivery in the future.

Food industry analyst and founder of Foodie, Wang Hongdong, told Zhiji: " Generally, businesses choose not to offer delivery in two situations. One is when dine-in sales are already strong enough, and adding delivery would only increase pressure on staff during peak times. The other relates to the product, such as when Tuan Tuan Sliced Fish also initially refused delivery, worried about affecting the quality and reputation of their fish dish, but after sales declined, they still launched delivery."

Regarding Saliya’s move to open delivery, Wang Hongdong said: " Apart from concerns over profit and revenue data, a big reason is competitive pressure. For example, Pizza Hut’s new Wow stores directly target Saliya. And with Pizza Hut leveraging Yum! Brands’ extensive store network, as they begin transforming many outlets into cost-effective Wow stores, Saliya must feel pressure, which is one reason for launching delivery."

Although consumer reviews of Pizza Hut’s Wow stores are mixed, for many restaurant brands, becoming a ‘poor restaurant’ like Saliya has become a common pursuit, such as KFC’s Crazy Thursday and McDonald’s 1+1 Poor Guy Meal. At the same time, this also means that as Western restaurants shed the “high-end” label, industry-wide shifts toward cost performance, and similar models being copied, Saliya’s original cost advantages are gradually being eroded. Therefore, whether launching delivery or new wines, these are new attempts Saliya must make under competition and pressure.