China Chain Store & Franchise Association Peng Jianzhen: The "takeout war" erodes the survival foundation of the catering industry

At the 2026 China Chain Catering Summit, Peng Jianzhen, president of the China Chain Store & Franchise Association, pointed out that the catering industry is facing severe challenges, with the growth rate of catering revenue slowing down in 2025, and the industry is undergoing a major reshuffle. Data from Meituan shows a slight decrease in the number of catering merchants, with a significant increase in closed businesses. Peng Jianzhen believes that while the takeaway war and price wars benefit consumers in the short term, they erode the industry's innovation capacity and survival foundation in the long run. The association will advocate for platforms to stop large subsidies to support the healthy development of the catering ecosystem