Creating a Customer: Lessons from Peter Drucker and China’s Restaurant Giants

From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO, Oddle

I was in China recently for a restaurant association study trip. Over several days, I listened to founders who each ran more than 500 stores across the country. Despite their scale and speed, one thing stood out—they had clarity of mind about how they ran their businesses. Many of them referenced Peter Drucker.

Drucker once said that the purpose of a business is to create a customer. It sounds simple, but it is easy to forget. Many F&B operators jump straight into running operations without first asking: Who is my customer, and what am I really selling?

What Does It Mean to “Create a Customer”?

Creating a customer starts with clarity.

You must understand:

• What you sell – your price point, cuisine type, and signature dishes.
• Who you sell to – the audience that truly finds value in your food and price.
• Where they discover you – the online and offline places your potential customers go before deciding to visit or order.
• When they buy – the daypart patterns that shape demand.

A weekday lunch crowd is often different from a weekend one. The best restaurants design their menus and promotions accordingly. It might sound intuitive, but many F&B operators overlook this step once daily operations take over.

A Story That Stuck With Me

One of the founders I met in China shared a story that perfectly illustrates Drucker’s idea in action.

She operates more than 500 outlets nationwide. At that scale, she said, it’s inevitable that some outlets will underperform. One particular outlet was located in a mall surrounded by kids’ enrichment centres and residential families. Yet its lunch menu focused on “executive lunch sets.”

It was selling the wrong product to the wrong customer.

She did a trade zone analysis and found that her nearby competitors priced their lunch sets at RMB148, while hers were RMB168—and none catered to families. Her response was straightforward: she introduced a family-friendly lunch set priced at RMB146.

Lunch sales tripled.

She didn’t change the brand’s core identity. She simply adapted to the local market. In her words, “Think national, act local.”

That phrase captures Drucker’s philosophy perfectly. To create customers, you must understand who they are, what they value, and how their needs differ across locations and times of day.

Clarity Creates Results

In China, I also noticed how restaurants obsess over their online reputation. Many encourage you to 打卡 (check in or post) while waiting in line. I saw firsthand how ratings and review counts influenced our group’s decisions—where to eat, which café to visit, even which massage parlour to choose.

It made me realize that having channels of discovery isn’t enough. You must manage them with intention.

Where Are You Discovered?

Each discovery channel serves a different audience.

TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google, Google Maps, and Xiaohongshu all play distinct roles.

• Google and Google Maps are often the most direct paths to discovery. People who search there are ready to buy. The number of reviews and your average rating both influence ranking and trust.
• TikTok and Instagram build social proof. They encourage sharing and tagging, and the number of posts featuring your brand is a real measure of awareness and appeal.

Drucker said, what you cannot measure, you cannot improve.

To grow discovery, you must first know where you stand, know what good looks like, and then plan how to close that gap.

Designing for Dine-in and Delivery Customers

Creating a customer also means recognising that not all customers behave the same way. Dine-in and delivery audiences often have different needs and spending habits.

• Marketplace delivery customers are impulse-driven. They order smaller portions, decide quickly, and prioritise convenience. Your menu should reflect that—fast, easy, and craveable individual meals.
• Direct delivery customers are more intentional. They may order in advance, from further away, and often for groups. These menus should feature bundles, bentos, and sharing sets that drive higher average orders.

A restaurant that designs its offerings with this level of clarity will naturally grow both segments more effectively.

The Drucker Mindset for Restaurants

To create a customer, you must build your restaurant with intention.

Clarity of product, clarity of audience, clarity of discovery, and clarity of measurement.

It is not about running more ads or adding new channels. It is about designing every touchpoint—from menu to online reputation—to serve the customer you want to create.

That is what I took away from China. The best operators are not just chasing customers. They are creating them.

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