China: Restaurant Promotion Boosts US Beef and Lobster Sales in Northeast China

ATO Shenyang organized a U.S. beef and lobster menu promotion at a high-end restaurant in Changchun, starting with a launch event on December 10 featuring a cooking demonstration with a Shanghai-based celebrity chef. With monthly sales of the two products surging 7 times higher than the previous month, the restaurant continued the promotion at no cost for another month before adding the dishes into its permanent menu. The promotion generated about $30,000 in additional sales of U.S. beef and lobster, plus $169,000 in projected 12-month sales. Moreover, the restaurant created a giftbox of USDA Prime beef available throughout China, selling $89,530 in the two months leading to Chinese New Year. The ATO spent $6,200 to fund this activity, resulting in a return of 46:1 in support of American ranchers and fishermen.