Tough competition

The move to expand its footprint in China comes at a time when the company is facing increasing competition from brands such as World's 50 Best Restaurants and local companies such as Dianping.com which have their own food influencers. In fact, the website launched its own China restaurant guide earlier this year and uses diamonds instead of stars for rating.

Called Black Pearl, the guide has singled out 28 one-diamond restaurants as "must try once in a lifetime" dining establishments, with five of them located in Shanghai. According to Dianping.com, each restaurant featured in the Black Pearl has been reviewed by at least three judges. About 200 anonymous judges, one-third of whom are chefs, are part of the judging process. The bills are covered either by the website or the judges themselves. None of the judges are paid for their efforts.