Riding the wind of rebirth

"what's up?"

“Tian Rui and I have been through thick and thin together,” Mingyi said. “Just when Lengdanbei was starting to look up, this demolition issue came up again. I was thinking of waiting until her new business stabilized before coming over. What do you think?”

"Oh... what was the new project that Oda just mentioned?"

“It’s skewers,” Zhou Zhi said. “We discussed it and decided that we can’t lose the supply channels that we’ve built up with Lengdanbei before, such as alcohol, meat, and seasonings. These are relatively similar and have considerable sales volume. I’m afraid skewers are the only ones that are comparable to Lengdanbei.”

“Your considerations make sense.” Zhang Yuanfu thought for a moment and nodded. “Actually, there’s always been a problem with skewer shops. Do you know what it is?”

Tian Rui knew that Zhang Yuanfu was giving him pointers, so he quickly said, "Teacher Zhang, please give us some pointers."

“The soup base,” Zhang Yuanfu said. “There’s a common misconception among street vendors that they see themselves as a low-end version of hot pot.”

"Ladies and gentlemen, thinking of skewers as a lower-end version of hot pot is the mindset of customers, not the mindset of us shop owners!"

"Shouldn't our mindset be that customers come to our store, pay only the price of skewers, and enjoy a taste experience that's no worse than that of a hot pot restaurant?"

"The simplified version of hot pot means that the tables turn quickly, it's convenient to eat, and you can choose whatever you like, depending on your budget. Compared to hot pot restaurants, two people can order five or six dishes and be almost full. In a skewer restaurant, two people can eat a dozen or twenty dishes and still have room to eat. That's the advantage of a skewer restaurant!"

“That’s right!” Tian Rui suddenly felt like a whole new world had opened up above him: “So we still need to hold ourselves to the same high standards as hot pot restaurants and do a good job in quality control and management.”

"Yes, I think as long as we do a good job in quality management, one is the soup base and the other is to ensure the freshness of the ingredients. If we do these two things well, given the people of Chengdu's love for hot pot, there's no way we can't make it well."

"Your words are like a wake-up call. With Teacher Zhang's words, I feel like I've found my direction!" Tian Rui immediately beamed with joy and asked Niu Er to raise his glass as well: "My wife and I would like to toast you."

"Hot pot restaurants have always had a hygiene problem, which is the reuse of oil," Zhou Zhi asked. "It seems that recycling oil is an industry tradition, right? Isn't there a problem with doing that?"

"But I heard that using aged oil in the base makes it more fragrant?"

“It’s no problem to make it at home,” Zhang Yuanfu said. “The claim that old oil is more fragrant is just marketing. Even if old oil is more fragrant, the risk is still too great compared to the uncontrollable quality.”

"Besides, does adding old oil really make it more fragrant?" Zhang Yuanfu said, "From a modern chemical point of view, if old oil is more fragrant, it is the result of extracting aromatic substances from spices and ingredients for a long enough time, right? So we can do this work in advance, by extending the time for stir-frying and simmering the ingredients. Wouldn't that solve the flavor problem and eliminate safety risks at the same time?"

“But doing that would increase the cost,” Zhou Zhi said.

“That’s for sure,” Zhang Yuanfu said with a smile. “A portion of the profits will be taken away, but is it worth it?” He then pointed to the furnishings in the private room and bowed to Fei Guan and Zhang Cheng. “The arrangement of this room was based on your suggestion, and I also asked Brother Fei and Brother Zhang for help. In fact, to be honest, even if some ordinary modern handicrafts were mixed in, most people, I mean, apart from the experts here, wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the real and fake, right?”

Everyone nodded.

"About two months ago, the provincial government office hosted foreign guests from the island here. One of the guests was an expert. He carefully examined these items and then happily said, 'They're all genuine.' I was sweating bullets."

"If we had tried to get away with it by mixing in some fakes, making it look fancy and exciting, we usually wouldn't have been caught. But what would have happened if we had been discovered, like in that situation two months ago, when foreign guests pointed it out in front of relevant leaders?"

"So in our line of work, reputation is extremely important. Reputation is our most important asset. Preserving it is more important than making any amount of money."

“No wonder you like Brother Ming so much, Teacher Zhang.” Tian Rui laughed, “When Brother Ming helped us make cold snack cups, he was very strict about the ingredients and the quality of the product. Anything that wasn’t sold out that night was not allowed to appear on the stall the next day. It turns out it’s all from the same lineage!”

The phrase "inherited from the same lineage" hit Zhang Yuanfu right where it hurt, and sure enough, the wrinkles on his old face appeared: "I have a few hot pot base recipes on hand, I'll give them to you all later. Xiaoming, you can help me add or subtract ingredients. If you're going to help, you should help well. Also, there's the matter of sourcing. Sourcing is also important. Some of my apprentices are in charge of distribution channels. By the way, do you have a car?"

"Yes, but only a Fukang, no trucks," Tian Rui said. "Before, we had others deliver them to our door."

"Fukang is also fine. Fresh vegetables and dried goods are okay, but when opening a hot pot restaurant or skewers restaurant, there are a few things that you should choose yourself from the sales point to get the best quality goods, namely tripe, beef aorta, duck intestines, and duck gizzards."

"Blood is the same, but it's best to buy fresh blood directly and make your own blood curds. Buying blood curds from sales outlets is unreliable."

“It’ll be a bit tough for people,” Zhou Zhi said to Tian Rui. “We have to go around three or four o’clock. But the things Teacher Zhang pointed out are details that differentiate us from other shops, and they’re ways to make money.”

"I'm not afraid of hard work!" Niu Er said. "I'm used to working the night shift anyway, I'll do it!"

You know what, with Niu Er's江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) nature, those kinds of places are really suitable for him. Zhou Zhi was overjoyed and said, "Then Sister Rui's matter will be resolved in one meal today. Come on, let's toast Teacher Zhang again! Thank you, Teacher Zhang, for your careful guidance, and I wish you and your student a happy reunion!"

After everyone had finished their drinks, Zhang Yuanfu smiled and said, "It's really great to see Xiaoming again today. By the way, I came here to ask for your opinions. What do you all think of this table today? Are there any areas that need improvement?"

Everyone showered the meal with compliments, saying that today's banquet was indeed a leading example of modern Sichuan cuisine, meeting a very high standard in every aspect. In particular, the side dishes, such as square fried cakes and plum-flavored braised duck, showed that the person who designed the banquet had put a lot of thought into it. They had a good understanding of the person who made the reservation, knowing his hometown and where he had been recently, and designed the dishes accordingly. This alone was enough to demonstrate Zhang Yuanfu's dedication.

If every private banquet were like this, then it's no wonder Rong Leyuan is making a fortune every day. Details determine success or failure. (End of Chapter)