Nothing is more divisive in Beijing than Annie’s chain of Italian restaurants. It’s like marmite, Michael Moore and France rolled into one. You’re either a lover or a hater. Controversial winner of “Best Italian” each year at The Beijinger’s Reader Restaurant Awards, Annie’s is repeatedly lauded for its value, family-friendly staff and reliable delivery on the Beijinger forums, and equally derided for an alleged lack of Italian authenticity.
But they’re clearly doing something right, as 11 years since the first restaurant at Chaoyang Park, they’ve opened their eighth opposite Gongti east gate, right next to pizza rivals and flashy upstarts Gung-Ho!
To mark lucky number eight, here are eight things you (probably) didn’t know about Beijing’s homegrown Italian chain:
- Annie’s started out as a café in 1996 on what is now Sanlitun Soho. According to their website, boss Annie only sold “one coffee a day”.
- The price of a small Margherita pizza has never changed. It was RMB 28 in 2000 and remains so today.
- Each Margherita has 120 grams of mozzarella cheese. Sounds like a lot.
- It might come as a surprise to some, but Annie’s has an Italian executive chef – Marco Trentin from Venice, who joined in January 2010.
- Annie’s basil, ruccola and other greens are grown locally at their own greenhouses in Shunyi.
- 1 minute 16 seconds into the promotional video on their website, there is a shot of a boy picking his nose.
- The 300 or so staff have their own monthly magazine called “Sharing” full of career advice and gossip.
- Apparently if customers don’t like the taste of a dish the staff will happily take it off the bill. Don’t abuse it, you lot.
