Ready-to-cook New Year's Eve dinner sets could become a major hit among urbanites during the upcoming Spring Festival, according to an representative of Eleme, an online food-ordering platform.

The representative noted that the number of searches for "New Year's Eve meal" on the platform this year is four times higher than during the same period last year.

The reason behind this rise is likely due to the government encouraging people not to travel during this period as part of pandemic prevention measures, said the representative. He added that local diners have already started preparing increased volumes of ready-to-cook meals and standard sets for one to two people to meet the expected spike in demand from young consumers in first and second-tier cities. Some merchants are also planning to launch deluxe New Year's Eve sets for singles.

Time-honored and well-known restaurants in Shanghai such as Xinghualou, Lanxin Restaurant, and Putian Restaurant have also launched takeout reunion meals, according to Eleme.