Service Safari: Hot Pot
My comfort food is hot pot. As a Chinese born in Shenyang, the northeastern part of China, I haven’t eaten a lot of spicy Sichuan food as I grew up. I would say that I actually get to know Sichuan food and fall in love with hot pot in the States. And for the past three years, my favorite, go-to hot pot restaurant is Spicy World 香天下. Spicy hot pot is a very cultural and regional food in China. It was developed in Sichuan province because the weather there was very hot and damp, and eating peppers could help people clear the dampness in their bodies. And one reason I love hot pot is that it was designed for many people to share together. In many cities in China, families would have hot pot during Spring Festival or as a family reunion dinner. Another thing that I love about hot pot is that there are so many different choices and people can choose whatever they like to put in the hot pot and cook small portions each time.
Spice World Hot Pot is a chain restaurant that first opened in China. Now they have two locations in New York, one in Brooklyn and one in Flushing. During Covid-19 they were providing outdoor dining as well as home delivery services. But I do want to focus on the indoor dining experiences that I had before covid.
Touch point 1- Wechat Accounts
Spicy World has their own WeChat accounts that customers can add to make reservations or pick up / delivery orders. They would also post WeChat moments on special occasions like different festivals or events that they are holding. And those special events usually would include promotions and discounts, which is a great way to attract customers since eating hotpot is usually a “large” meal and on the expensive side.
Touch point 2 - Interior
The interior of the restaurant is designed in an ancient Chinese style. It brings customers back in time and enjoy the special environment of eating hot pot in Jiangnan or Sichuan.
Touch point 3 - Check-in
When you are there to check-in, a waitress wearing a traditional red cheongsam would help check your reservation and lead you to your table. A small drink will be provided if you have to wait for your table.
Touch point 4 - Coat Storage
When customers get to their table, the waitress would take out a couple of large cloth bags for you to store your winter coats so the smells of the spices won’t stick to your coats.
Touch point 5 - Apron and Hair Tie
When customers are seated, a plastic apron will be provided for each customer to prevent staining your clothes while eating. For customers who have long hair, the waitress would kindly provide you some hair ties to tie your hair back.
Touch point 6 - Ordering Base Soup
Customers have a lot of choices for the hot pot base. You can choose one, or two, or three at the same time. And there are also three spicy levels. We usually choose two, one is medium spicy and one that is not spicy. For people who love spicy hot pot, they can eat the spicy side, and vice versa.
Touch point 7 - Dipping Sauce
Because each person would have their own dipping sauce recipe, Spicy World has a large self-serviced dipping sauces table that provides a large range of selections. And for a traditional oil-based dipping sauce, they have their special packed oil in small cans that are imported from their factory in China.
Touch point 8 - Dish Garnish / Plates Design
Their dishes are all decorated carefully and in a special way. There are the one-meter sliced beef, iceberg bamboo shoots, porter beef, and so many more. All the containers are also specially made. One signature look is their teddy bear design in the house special spicy beef dripping pot.
Touch point 9 - Adding Base soup
This is pretty common in all hot pot restaurants. The waiter would add base soup for your pot when the soup level is low.
Touch point 10 - Traditional Performances
One thing that is very special about Spicy World is their daily performances. It usually happens during the peak time of the day, around 5–7. There will be face-changing performances which is a traditional Chinese performance from Sichuan opera, and other special performances to cheer up the environment.
Touch point 11 - Birthday Surprises
Another special service here is the birthday surprises. Customers can bring their own cake and have the kitchen help prepare it. When you give the waiter a notice, they will bring the cake with the candle lighted and play the birthday song in the BGM. The waiter and waitress from pretty much the whole restaurant would come and sing the song for you. They would bring different props and sometimes there will be people wearing teddy bear costumes as well.
Touch point 12 - Brown Sugar Ice Jelly
When customers are done with the hot pot, waiters would bring you the free brown sugar ice jelly. This is also a traditional dessert in Sichuan that they usually eat during or after having a hot pot to wash away the spice and greasiness and to cool down in hot summer.
