Baikui Laohao: Braised Mutton Like No Other for 228 Years

There are certain qualities in some businesses in Beijing that make them more than just famous brands. To become a Zhonghua Laozihao (China Time Honoured Brand) requires good products, good services and a lot of luck. And in the old days, a little imperial or central government support couldn’t hurt.

But the main thing was having a good product served by those the people of Beijing could trust, day in and day out, generation upon generation. Such was the reputation of Baikui Laohao (time-honoured Baihui), which has been serving Beijing’s diners for more than two centuries.

In Beijing, if you want to eat shao yangrou (braised mutton with soy sauce), the local people, without hesitation, will recommend you try the Baikui Laohao Restaurant, a Zhonghua Laozihao. It is now taken for granted that no restaurant can match Baikui Laohao Restaurant in making shao yangrou. They will also likely tell you that while you’re in the area you should also stop by the restaurant’s nearby sister company the Longfusi Snack Restaurant.

Established in 1780, Baikui Laohao made its reputation with the special mutton creations of Bai Kui, a Muslim and the founder of Baikui Laohao. Initially, Bai opened a small mutton shop opposite the Longfusi (Longfu Temple), offering fresh beef and mutton and braised mutton and beef products. The shop was eventually expanded into a restaurant. All the while, he continued to search for ways to improve his menu, featuring braised mutton with soy sauce as his special product. His braised mutton with soy sauce was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside after braising and frying.

Baikui braised mutton was so famous that people paid scant attention to the neighbouring Dongguangshun Restaurant, which was famous in its own right, but which faded away and ceased operations because of the strength of Baikui Laohao. But the business environment was even more complex than it might at first appear. Nearby was also the famous Longshengguan Noodle Restaurant. To eat the Baikui braised mutton with Longshengguan’s noodles became a popular enjoyment when people visited the Longfu Temple. Years later, the Longshengguan Noodle Restaurant went the way of Dongguangshun: only Baikui lingered in the minds of diners.

The recipes and techniques that enabled Baikui to survive and prosper have been handed down through the centuries, a unique assembly of fine ingredients and cooking finesse. For instance, throughout its long history, Baikui has used goats with black heads and white faces imported from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The goats must be one year to two years old and should have been castrated. This yields mutton that is fresh, pleasingly fragrant and with less fat. Herbs used in cooking are found at Tongrentang, a renowned pharmacy and Zhonghua Laozihao. Preparations such as making soup, pressing, stacking, boiling and frying must follow strict Muslim practices.

Another factor for Baikui Laohao’s prosperity is its location at Longfusi. In antiquity, and until about a decade ago, Longfusi was the site of an important temple fair in Beijing. Any savvy retailer or restaurateur knows that traffic is everything, and the business cluster in this area greatly added to Baikui Laohao’s business fortunes.

But success comes in many forms: in addition to its famous braised button, Baikui Laohao also provides other Muslim foods and snacks for its guests.

But the modern market place has brought additional changes to Baikui Laohao, as with other traditional industries in the capital. In olden times, the goats used by Baikui Laohao were obtained in February only; the goats were perfect specimens at this time of year, especially with regard to fat and flesh. Therefore, during the long winter, Baikui braised mutton was a rare luxury. Now, there are sufficient goats to serve the same traditional Baikui dishes all year long.

Still, to keep abreast of the marketplace and the tastes of modern diners, Baikui Laohao has modified its business strategy and products. Modern people are more inclined to watch their waistlines and to try to avoid heavy, high-calorie foods; so Baikui Laohao now offers products that have a lighter colour and that use less salt and soy sauce. Still, the fine taste remains.

“When former guests come to Baikui Laohao, even some overseas Chinese returning to Beijing, they will re-discover the same taste of braised mutton,” said Guo Chaoyan, the general-manager and executive chef of the Baikui Laohao Restaurant.

As with other traditional foods and snacks in Beijing, the preparation of Baikui’s braised mutton and snacks involves relatively high labour costs and yields thinner profits than that found in some other sectors of the food industry. Several years ago, Baikui found its business tightly squeezed.

Its management group responded to the challenge. In adjusting to its market, Baikui demolished some barriers that had separated Han and Muslim traditions and brought some Han nationality foods into its restaurants, such as songshu guiyu (squirrel-shaped mandarin fish), a common, red-coloured Han dish. Yet, this tampering with tradition was accomplished with sensitivity toward the two traditions. Guo assured that Baikui Laohao respected the taboos and the Muslim culture. While the Han love the colour red above all, and the normal colour of songshu guiyu was red (the colour of blood), Baikui Laohao changed its presentation to a golden colour out of respect for its Muslim customers. In food preparations, the restaurant still strictly adheres to Muslim practice.

The changes in this Zhonghua Laozihao are far from merely cosmetic; the restaurant has worked hard to improve its management and service. The company has adopted methods to reduce costs and to be more efficient. The staff has been trained to better serve their guests.

Because of its adherence to the best traditions of the past and present, the constantly improving Baikui Laohao is again enjoying its tradition of success.

振兴百年品牌 继承传统文化

----白魁老号固本求新谱新篇

文/刘声 图/周斌

说到“白魁老号”，得先说说这家老字号所在的隆福寺街和那里的庙会。早年间，老北京逛隆福寺庙会的头等大事就是吃，其次才是买东西、看杂耍等等。当年在隆福寺街上云集着近百家小吃摊，风味各异的小吃品种应有尽有。每逢庙会这里就成了汇聚老北京饮食文化精华的一道独特人文风景——漏鱼、扒糕、烤肉、羊霜肠、爆羊肚、豌豆黄、艾窝窝、驴打滚、江米藕、灯笼包、如意卷、炸丸子……在这里，花很少的钱，就可以品尝到世间百味了。中国饮食文化讲究个色、香、味，而隆福寺还多了一个“声”——叫卖。这色、香、味、声每逢庙会便吸引着四面八方的游客乐而忘返。

在隆福寺各具特色的诸多吃食中，最能吸引顾客的，当属白魁老号的烧羊肉。按照老北京民间的说法，逛隆福寺不到白魁老号尝尝烧羊肉，差不多就等于白逛了。清代诗人杨静亭在《都门杂咏》中写道：“喂羊肥嫩数京中，酱用清汤色煮红，日午烧来焦且烂，喜无膻味腻喉咙”。 诗中赞誉的正是名满京城的烧羊肉。同各种小吃相比，白魁老号的清真菜品真可谓风味独具、百吃不厌、誉满京城内外。而今，当年的各种小吃早已一个不落地走进了大雅之堂——隆福寺小吃店，而白魁老号饭庄则作为隆福寺最具传统风味的清真老字号，与隆福寺小吃店一起，成为“隆福寺餐饮有限公司”的两个品牌老店。

历史悠久、底蕴深厚的百年老店

白魁老号饭庄始建于1740年（清乾隆五年），最初店名为“东长顺”，只是一家专营羊肉的小饭馆。白魁是第一任店主的名字。据说当年白魁烹制的烧羊肉因为选料严格、做工精细，得到清廷内务府御厨的肯定，所以有“供奉御膳”的资格。“白魁烧羊肉”的名声也就因而传遍京城内外了。乾隆年间京城的庙会是每月两次，通常除冬季“封锅”时段以外，白魁的店铺都是顾客盈门，各种菜品供不应求。久而久之，知道“东长顺”的人越来越少，更多的人索性习惯地称它为“白魁老号”。

经过百年来的社会动荡和历史变迁,隆福寺已经不复往昔气象，街上的建筑变了又变，庙会里的老字号去了又来。许多老字号在今天的隆福寺街头已经难觅踪迹，而白魁老号始终都在那里代代相传，从未中断经营。老北京家喻户晓的烧羊肉也一如百年前的真材实料、浓香扑鼻，仍然吸引着八方来客闻香而至。以“白魁烧羊肉”为代表的诸多传统名菜制作工艺，也世代承续至今。1956年公私合营后，白魁老号成为国有企业，由政府投资进行了重修和扩建，传承了二百多年的老字号又焕发出新的光彩。

老字号的变与不变

老字号的历久弥新不仅意味着制作工艺和经营理念获得了市场的认同，更是中华文化元素和民族品牌价值的直接体现。对此，白魁老号饭庄的郭朝燕经理总结了几个变与不变：在菜品的质量上要永远坚持精益求精，这一点任何时候都不能变；但是菜品的口味、种类和制作工艺则要针对不同时代消费者的饮食习惯而不断求新求变。“白魁老号”作为一个传承了200多年的餐饮老字号，它的品牌不能变；而其内在的经营理念和管理机制则应当根据市场需求的变化而不断调整变化。传统名菜内在的品质不能变；但其外在的色香味等则必须不断进行创新和改良。

据郭经理介绍，在1956年和1958年连续两届全国食品展评会上，白魁烧羊肉均被评为第一类第一级风味特色食品。

1993年10月，白魁老号被当时的中华人民共和国国内贸易部认定为中华老字号。

1999年，白魁老号在北京市烹饪大赛上荣获团体金奖；2000年，在北京市清真烹饪大赛上再获金奖；2003年，白魁老号又在第五届全国烹饪大赛上夺魁。

这些荣誉是白魁老号追求创新、精益求精的经营理念的最佳体现。在荣誉背后，是“白魁”人尊重传统但不拘泥于传统的艰辛探索过程。采访中，郭经理反复提到在继承中有创新的原则：“白魁老号始终不变的一个理念就是与时俱进、精益求精，时刻重视自我提升”，他举例说，“白魁的传统菜从原料选择到加工工艺等，一直针对不同的市场需求注意进行提升和改良。比如过去很多传统菜品的特点是味浓、色重、多油，而今天人们的饮食结构早已发生了革命性的改变，从营养和健康的角度出发，消费者越来越多地喜欢食用清淡、色轻、少油的菜品。针对这种变化，我们进行了多次成功的改良实验，在基本不改变传统特色菜口感味道的前提下，对制作工艺和加工工序等进行了充分的研究开发，使传统菜品的营养搭配更合理更科学，从而得到了消费者的广泛认可。”

白魁老号再创辉煌的“秘方”

距2008年春节还有一个多月的时候，到白魁老号饭庄和隆福寺小吃店定年夜饭和北京小吃宴的顾客就络绎不绝，老字号迸发出生机勃勃的气息。这与白魁老号和隆福寺小吃积极研究市场，注重品牌战略，是密不可分的。按郭经理总结的经验就是内抓管理、外抓服务、借鉴吸收、与时俱进，培养市场意识，注重品牌战略，不仅要把服务质量和菜品档次提升起来，而且要抓住市场机遇，大打文化牌，增强传统餐饮行业的文化附加值。因此，注重人才全面培养，突出老字号的传统文化价值，就成为整个公司上下非常重视的一项工作。

白魁老号饭庄现有在岗职工105名，其中高级技师10名，中级职称的职工30名，全部技术员工均持有上岗等级证书，并且其中大多数人是在白魁老号工作了20年以上的老员工，他们对传统技艺的传承和品牌文化价值的理解，成为白魁老号巨大的的无形财富。这一人才济济的阵容，是白魁老号振兴的源动力。

在改良和提升的基础上，白魁老号还进一步扩大了菜系领域，引进很多全新菜肴。比如以江南风味的香炸银鱼和苏州名菜松鼠鳜鱼等为代表的河鲜海味清真菜，就突破了传统清真菜品的局限，使众多的回民顾客也能放心地品尝非清真菜系的特色菜肴。此外，手抓羊肉、菊花羊头等西北风味菜肴，也出现在白魁老号的菜单上。老字号实现了真正意义的创新。