From four‐course Peking duck to take‐away Singapore rice

Draws on the concept of “mixed embeddedness” to challenge the popular culturalistic view that Chinese migrants enter the catering business simply because they are Chinese. Based on qualitative interview results and observations from fieldwork conducted in German cities, illustrates first the dynamic nature of the Chinese restaurant trade. Proceeds to explore how important factors such as Chinese migrants’ access to alternative employment, the development of in‐ and out‐migration policies in Germany and East Asia, the changing consumer demand and market conditions, as well as availability of set‐up capital, shape the volume and forms of Chinese restaurant trade, the kinds of food served, hiring practices and other business strategies.