MAXIM'S Caterers has adopted a cautious approach to setting up new restaurants in China, which is seen as a difficult market to tackle.
''We're doing a lot of research to find out more about the market. But as a restaurant is not a small investment, we should be discrete,'' said senior manager Pierre Tang.
He said the choice of location was important. Good locations were not easy to find as old cities such as Guangzhou had developed in such a way that there were awkward patches of land between buildings.
''And then you have to worry about which group of people to cater for. Large restaurant chains usually run high-end restaurants which have a narrow band of clientele,'' he said.
Maxim's, a leading catering chain in the territory, operates three restaurants in Shanghai and Beijing whose customers Mr Tang said were mostly business visitors.
The kind of cuisine served would depend on the city, he said.
''As our restaurants are outside Guangdong, we serve Cantonese food. It doesn't make sense for us to serve Pekinese food in Beijing where Pekinese dishes are so readily available,'' said Mr Tang.