Pierre Cardin and then Ambassador to China Claude Martin attend the opening ceremony of Maxim's De Paris in Beijing.

'Commercial suicide'

Initially the French press criticized Cardin's decision to open a restaurant in the Chinese capital, calling it "commercial suicide", but Maxim's survived as China's reform and opening-up policy was implemented more widely.

The policy changes also provided more opportunities for the Chinese to experience foreign culture, and now the Beijing Maxim's is a top choice for a romantic meal.

China has been experiencing inflation since the early 1990s, but the prices of the dishes at Maxim's have not climbed remarkably. Medium-priced dishes are about 400 yuan, far lower than the cost at many of the newer high-end restaurants in the capital.

When the restaurant first opened, Manager He noticed that domestic food suppliers were unable to meet the needs of Maxim's menu, so produce had to be imported.

Now however, Chinese suppliers are usually able to fulfill the restaurant's requirements, and the imported goods are mostly authentic seasonings.

According to He, Maxim's Beijing has seen continuous sales growth in recent years, but he declines to provide details.

Shan says Chinese people have gradually gotten to know the culture of, and eating habits surrounding, Western food: "In the past 30 years, people have learned to eat steaks cooked 'medium rare', to deal with table settings that include knives and forks, the flavors of various dishes, and the service standards in foreign restaurants."

That readiness to learn indicated to the French restaurant that it should not change its strategy.

"Beijing is a cosmopolitan city, and people from all over the world live here," He says. "We can't change the flavor of the dishes to suit every customer, so we chose to maintain the most traditional and authentic French cuisine in Beijing."

Maxim's now trains chefs for the Great Hall of the People and even Zhongnanhai, the home of China's leaders, and will also cater for the 2014 APEC summit in October.