China is successful with these things because they have a large number of excess staff, and the staff are very obedient. Britain typically has too few staff, and the staff are very independent.
A person who has been to a chinese restaurant in china will understand the difference.
Service industries in China can't be expected to be superior based on their personnel numbers alone. Cultural paradigms can produce good and bad results - as when poorly paid workers with no expectations of tips and customers accustomed to certain things lead to a custom where to summon waistaff all you can do is loudly yell '服务员'...
I've lived in Beijing for years, and I have to say Chinese restaurant service is on the whole pretty horrible compared to restaurant service in societies with tipping.
A person who has been to a chinese restaurant in china will understand the difference.