Spatial patterns and their influencing factors for China's catering industry

The catering industry is central to urban life services and reflects a society’s economic, cultural, and spatial vitality. Leveraging 4.49 million restaurant POIs across 336 Chinese cities (2020), this study examines spatial patterns and drivers using kernel density estimation, spatial autocorrelation (global and local Moran’s I), and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Restaurants were classified as Chinese (CRs), Western (WRs), fast-food (FFRs), and dessert and drink (DDRs). We integrated ten socio-economic indicators (population, economic, and social development dimensions) to explore causal influences. Results show a clear density gradient decreasing from southeast to northwest, with hotspots in the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and the Chengdu–Chongqing region. GWR reveals regional heterogeneity in drivers: in west/southwest regions, density relates more to GDP per unit area, tourism revenue, disposable income, and total retail sales of consumer goods; in the northeast, density is more linked to total retail sales, GDP per unit area, urban population, and tertiary industry share. The findings provide a scientific basis for strategic planning of restaurant types at municipal, provincial, and regional levels.

Li Tian, Xiaoyan Shen