"Our customers? This is the generation of Wechat!"

How did the idea to create O'Steak come?

As often in the restaurant business, the story of

O'steak began with a location. A very nice place that

I've been watching for a long time: at XingFuCun,

near Sanlitun, with many laowai and Chinese people

around. When the place was available in July 2013,

I didn’t hesitate one second: I jumped on the

opportunity! I asked a group of friends to invest

with me. They all said yes! And only then, they asked

me what I was going to do with the money. And since

I wanted to open a French Steakhouse for a long time,

I pursued my dream! The last thing was to find a name.

My friend Patrick and Marie Herbet, during a special

evening drinking wine, created the name: O'Steak.

Success came quickly. So, we thought it would be

interesting to try to develop our concept elsewhere.

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What makes you different from the other Steak Houses?

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Probably our philosophy. Most steak house are very expensive. We decided to adopt another strategy: high quality products at a reasonable price. For example, we cut our steaks from the fillet, which is the best part of the beef. This gives a light, tender and tasty meat. The thickness of our steaks is a key factor. It allows the steak to have a perfect balance when cooking and therefore an authentic taste.

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Do Chinese customers like this French cooking way?

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That is precisely why I launched O'Steak. The Beijing market is now mature. Our Chinese customers are more and more. They are usually young, curious, and open to the outside world. They have resources that their parents did not have and share their experiences on Wechat. This is it: our customers are the Wechat generation! And they love the steak …

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Is it difficult to import French products in China?

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In Beijing, the challenge is more to find quality products rather than Western products. This is what our customers expect: quality, quality, and quality. And if I was able to launch O'Steak, it's because the Chinese meat market has become mature. My supplier is Chinese. He is professional and organized. His rates are competitive. He controls the entire production process. In two years, we have never had a problem with him. It is a very important thing. Because all our customers have to be sure to find the same quality of our steaks in all our restaurants.

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Today, what are your ambitions?

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Well, I'd like to open O’Steak restaurants in other cities of China. To do this, I'll have to adapt the concept to the habits of very different customers, less cosmopolitan than Beijing or Shanghai. I will also look for local partners in each city. If you know any people who are interested, I would love to meet them!