CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- A bowl of spicy and delicious noodles is a simple food that Chongqing people love to enjoy best. But have you ever tried the combination of Chinese and Western food such as "noodles plus coffee"?

In the Arhat Temple Miracle Street, Jiefangbei Business District, there is a noodle restaurant called "Miankaka". Every day, a continuous stream of people come to eat noodles.

Wu Peng, the owner of the noodle restaurant, said that "Mian" in the restaurant name refers to Chongqing noodles, and "Ka" refers to coffee. By combining a bowl of noodles with a cup of coffee, Wu Peng has embarked on a self-created "race track".

"Noodles plus coffee turns troubles into dust"

"Two liang of noodles with pea mixed sauce and a glass of latte."

"A bowl of noodles and a cup of American coffee!"

On the noon of March 6, Wu Peng cooked noodles while cooking a fragrant coffee. In no time, a bowl of spicy noodles and a cup of fragrant coffee were both served on the dining table.

Wu Peng is nicknamed "Uncle Fish" and is in his fifties. This restaurant on Miracle Street is his second noodle restaurant in Chongqing.

Chongqing people, who are not bound by details, believe that they can make do with the environment for eating noodles. As long as the food is tasty, they can still enjoy the food even though they sit on benches of different heights or even stand or squat. When drinking coffee, the environment should be more artistic and have a certain style.

"Noodles plus coffee turns troubles into dust. This slogan is my original creation and also the values conveyed by Miankaka." Wu Peng said, "Noodles are the local cuisine in Chongqing, loved by local residents and tourists from other places, while coffee culture has been popular among young people for many years." The contrast arising from the combination of "noodles and coffee" easily hits young people with curiosity, plus its good taste, making it quickly stand out in the noodle market.

Doing a good job in differentiated management is very promising

Wu Peng used to be a diving instructor, teaching as far as the Philippines. Later, due to career adjustments, he returned to Chongqing and had a new start.

What can I do when I come back? After extensive market research, Wu Peng decided to open a small noodle restaurant. "There are about 80,000 noodle restaurants in the city, with an average daily sales of 12 million bowls of small noodles and an annual output value of over 40 billion yuan." Wu Peng said that although there are many noodle restaurants on the market and competition is fierce, from the perspective of output value, the consumption potential of the small noodle market is still great. Moreover, the investment is small and the threshold is not high, so long as I do a good job in differential management, it has a lot of potential.

How to stand out while wandering in the noodle market of Chongqing? Wu Peng thought that when he cooked a bowl of noodles in his spare time, he would always make a cup of coffee. "Since noodles can be served with soybean milk, tea and egg flower soup, then why not serving a cup of coffee?"

Therefore, Wu Peng learns the skill of "double cooking" - cooking noodles and making coffee.

After mastering the skill, Wu Peng opened the first "Miankaka" restaurant in Hongqihegou, Jiangbei in 2022. The unique and unheard of way of eating noodles and drink coffee quickly caught the attention of foodies. One year later, "Miankaka" achieved profitability, which made Wu Peng more confident.

At the beginning of last year, Wu Peng opened his second noodle restaurant in Arhat Temple Miracle Street. "Jiefangbei is a must-visit place for tourists to Chongqing, and noodles are a typical food in Chongqing, which has a great attraction for tourists. It is easier to attract young tourists to open a noodle restaurant here," said Wu Peng.

As expected, "Miankaka" has gained a lot of likes on multiple platforms by word of mouth, becoming a popular internet-famous restaurant and attracting many tourists to eat noodles.

By "never swindling money out of customers and maintaining good reputation", we polish our signboard

Noodles, American coffee, and fried eggs cost 22 yuan, while noodles with pea mixed sauce, latte, and fried eggs cost 34 yuan... On the wall of the noodle restaurant, multiple options of "small noodles plus coffee" are clearly priced.

In the market where a cup of coffee is often priced at 20-30 yuan, the price of "Miankaka" can be considered very "reasonable". Wu Peng said that his noodle restaurants are mainly aimed at young consumer groups, especially tourists from other places, and their main goal is to not swindle money out of customers and to maintain good reputation.

Bar stools, open kitchen, and elegant coffee machines... Because the target customers are young people, "Miankaka" should catch the likes of young people, from the decoration style to the content of "small noodles plus coffee,” said Wu Peng.

Lunch is the busiest time for "Mianka". "Five waiters were busy hawking their wares, delivering bowls and cleaning tables, cooking noodles and making coffee..." These guys are all skilled in cooking noodles and making coffee," said Wu Peng.

Nowadays, "Miankaka" has a monthly profit of over 30,000 yuan and its sales continue to rise. However, Wu Peng is not lying in his comfort zone. On the contrary, he is still pondering how to polish the "golden signboard" of Chongqing Xiaomian with creativity.

Not long ago, after Wu Peng led his employees to learn skills again, he introduced not only other types of food such as Wonton, dumplings, minced pork rice, but also several coffee varieties such as raw coconut, cold brew, and rose summer, providing more choices for customers. He also plan to open another "Miankaka" restaurant in the near future in Nan'an District, allowing more people to taste the unique flavor of "noodles plus coffee". (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)