Quanjude is the most renowned roast duck restaurant in Beijing. For more than 100 years, it has received a great number of heads of state and foreign dignitaries. In 2006, it was successfully listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Then, in 2008, Quanjude was selected as the food caterer in the Olympic Village to serve the international athletes and staff. Recently, it also opened a new restaurant on behalf of Beijing cuisine on Chinese Gourmet Street at the site of the Shanghai Expo. 

On Dec. 4, Jiang Junxian, the president of China Quanjude (Group) Co., Ltd., granted an exclusive interview to a reporter of China.org.cn, touching on a number of questions which may be of interest to foreign visitors.

China.org.cn: Could you please tell us the percentage of overseas visitors to Quanjude?

Jiang Junxian: The number of foreign guests depends on the timing. For example, during the Olympic Games last year, a large number of foreign visitors came to Quanjude. According to our statistics, one quarter of our guests at that time was foreign visitors. They wanted to taste authentic roast duck and experience the roast duck culture of Quanjude. Most of our guests felt very satisfied with our food and service and told us that they would come again the next time they came to Beijing. They also said that they would recommend Quanjude to their friends and relatives. In that spirit, we have summarized our advertising words as, "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man, and he who has never tasted Quanjude roast duck will regret it for the rest of his life."

China.org.cn: Does Quanjude have waiters or waitresses who speak English?

J: We have a large number of waiters and waitresses who speak English well and provide service in English to foreign visitors. We have also strengthened English training among the rest of our service staff. Now there are more and more waiters and waitresses in Quanjude that can fluently communicate with foreign guests. I can say with confidence that our waiters and waitresses can meet the requirements of foreign guests in English. During the Olympic Games, we found that some guests have other language requirements, such as Japanese, Russian and French. Thus, we are also considering recruiting staff fluent in other foreign languages besides English.

To prepare for the Paralympic Games last year, we also trained a number of our staff in sign language. Additionally, we have the menu in Braille as well to provide convenience to the blind.

China.org.cn: A lot of foreigners know of roast duck, but only a few of them know the name "Quanjude." As the most famous roast duck restaurant in Beijing, does Quanjude have any marketing plan to publicize the brand abroad?

J: Quanjude is a historical brand. In the 1970s, Quanjude was temporarily changed to Beijing Roast Duck Restaurant, but in the 1990s, we changed the name back to Quanjude. In 1993, we tried to register the name "Beijing Roast Duck" with the Industrial and Commercial Bureau as our official name but failed because "roast duck" is the name of a kind of food, which can not be assigned to any one restaurant. Admittedly, there are thousands of roast duck restaurants in Beijing right now, but among them, there are only a few good brands. Among the few good brands, we can say with confidence that Quanjude is the best. We always try to let foreigners know that Quanjude is the most influential roast duck restaurant in Beijing, with the best quality and brand.