A vendor offers cooking services for hire. Photo: Courtesy of Zhou Kaikai

In Yiwu, east China’s Zhejiang Province, a new “cook for hire” food stall in markets has been growing in popularity since it opened in October. Customers now line up with the ingredients they have to prepare their meals.

This trend is not limited to Yiwu; Similar “cook for hire” services are quietly spreading across cities in China. At these stalls, customers bring their own ingredients and pay a small fee to cook these fresh ingredients on-site into a personalized, hot meal.

Why has this alternative food concept become widespread despite the prevalence of food delivery?

iMedia CEO Zhang Yi told the Global Times that one factor is the demanding schedules of people who have little time to cook, while another reason is the growing problems with ready-to-eat meals in the food delivery industry.

Hou Lei, 51, who works for a state-owned enterprise, regularly visits the third floor of Beijing’s Jingshen Seafood Market, where he offers “cook for hire” services for seafood and other fresh produce.

“I don’t have the confidence to cook complex meals myself, so I value the convenience of preparing meals at home without the hassle of dealing with food waste,” Hou said.

He stated that he would buy seafood and vegetables downstairs, then go upstairs to the cooking area, where he would pay a small fee for the “hired cook” service.

“It costs 10 yuan ($1.40) for cooking crab, 8 to 10 yuan for vegetables – it’s affordable, and I plan to continue using this service, especially on busy days,” Hou explained.

Guo Ting (pseudonym), one of the market’s experienced chefs, told the Global Times that he has been serving seafood cooking for nearly 20 years and has noticed a steady flow of customers, especially at meal times. Now the service is expanding beyond seafood into broader dining categories.

From an industry perspective, this trend reflects a broader evolution in consumer habits. According to CCTV (China Central Television), Jin Jingxiu, manager of Yiwu’s Xinmalui Market, stated that both vendors and consumers have adapted to the idea. Market research shows that demand is high in the local area, where many people are busy with work or have older residents who find it difficult to cook at home. “For young people, cooking after work is not always possible; for older people, it is often very physically demanding,” Jin said.

Zhang added that the first form of “cooking for hire” services emerged in the city of Sanya, Southern China’s Hainan Province, mostly for seafood, but soon became widespread as demand grew, especially among working families and the elderly.

The research team’s latest survey at the Zhihui Farmers’ Market in Shenzhen found that demand increased during after-hours hours; This suggests that these services may soon become a staple in markets close to residential areas, especially as the aging population grows.

The southern part of China appears to be the region with the highest demand for this service, due in part to temperature differences: In the south, food stays hot longer on the way home than in the cooler northern regions.

Another reason for the popularity of the service is the increasing number of problems associated with food delivery; This has led to an increasing prevalence of restaurants relying on pre-prepared meals, which has pushed some consumers towards fresher, more transparent food options.

“Some of these customers are actually shifting from ordering takeout to opting for ‘cook-for-hire’ services because they want fresh ingredients and transparency in food preparation,” Zhang said. he said.

The stalls that offer this service are plain and simple; It’s a far cry from tech-heavy ventures like online food delivery or at-home chef apps. Unlike start-ups that rely on heavy investments to build a customer base, these stalls reflect a simpler form of eating local. Customers can watch their food being cooked and then eat it immediately, giving them a sense of authenticity and transparency.

However, the question remains: Why wasn’t this seemingly natural business model adopted more quickly?

Zhang emphasized that a very important factor is that conditions have not been favorable so far: both environmental and logistical obstacles have prevented this before. With this service now expanding to many cities, ensuring regulatory standards and market entry conditions will be key to sustainable growth.

Ultimately, the rise of “cook-for-hire” service counters underscores a broader trend within marketplaces and communities adapting to meet evolving consumer needs. “I believe this could be a growing trend in the future,” Zhang said.