From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Perhaps no one expected that Feng Zhengming would have the idea of ​​acquiring some shops at tourist attractions in Beijing.

This is a thought that others probably never even considered.

After all, those shops near tourist attractions, even though they are no longer century-old establishments.

However, given the prime locations of those stores, acquiring them would likely require a significant amount of capital.

The key issue is that for many stores, having money alone may not be enough to acquire them.

The person who holds the operating rights to the store may not be willing to hand it over to Feng Zhengming.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming's idea was indeed somewhat unexpected by everyone.

Luo Qing noticed that everyone had something to say, but they were hesitant to speak in front of Feng Zhengming.

She thought about it and realized that she could only try to dissuade him herself.

"Do you know how much it costs to acquire shops in those tourist attractions? Besides, aren't you planning to reopen Yanxilou in Beijing? Where are you going to get that much funding?"

Feng Zhengming smiled at his wife: "Our group can still lend out enough funds."

Luo Qing was stunned for a moment, and she realized that her husband was right.

With so many chain stores under its umbrella, Zhengluxing's stores in Shanghai alone could probably be valued at extremely high levels.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming has so many branches throughout Shandong Province, plus his Huiquanlou, Old Western-style House Restaurant, and even two branches in Beijing.

He really wanted to mortgage everything, and he could indeed get enough money from the bank.

By simply presenting these things, Feng Zhengming can directly attract enough investors to invest.

So money seems to be the least of Feng Zhengming's problems.

Luo Qing asked, "Have you already made up your mind?"

Feng Zhengming shook his head: "I was also inspired by these geniuses."

These words surprised Luo Qing and everyone else present.

Feng Zhengming then explained to everyone why he had this idea.

"The main reason is that I actually went to see the shops in those tourist attractions during my stay in Beijing these past few days, and the food there was really not up to par. I feel that the existence of those shops is ruining the reputation of Beijing's catering industry."

Many shops that appear to be old Beijing establishments actually serve dishes that have absolutely nothing to do with Beijing's traditions.

Rather than letting them ruin the reputation of Beijing's old shops, I'd rather acquire them all and reorganize the shops in the tourist areas.

This time, Cao Zhiguo spoke up.

"Zhengming, have you thought about this? If we want to integrate those old shops, where are we going to find enough manpower right now?"

Feng Zhengming's answer was very direct: "Looking in the capital is like finding Yu Fuxiang in Hongcheng. There must be some old craftsmen in the capital, they just haven't had the opportunity."

We took over the old shops in the tourist attractions and then found the corresponding veteran craftsmen in Beijing to take them over.

After the experienced craftsmen in Beijing take over, we'll arrange for some apprentices to learn from them, so that the old craft can be passed down.

After listening to Feng Zhengming's words, everyone present seemed to understand his thoughts.

His real intention was not just to acquire those old shops in tourist attractions.

More importantly, he wants to pass on the legacy of those time-honored classic snack shops in Beijing.

Or rather, Feng Zhengming wanted to become the person who controlled the popular and distinctive catering industry in Beijing.

Luo Qing looked around and saw that everyone present was one of her own, people who were absolutely loyal to Feng Zhengming.

She then said, "So you still want to use the same method as in Shanghai, first take over all the popular snack shops, and then integrate the old shops in Beijing to gain control of the public catering industry in Beijing."

Then you can move into the mid-to-high-end market in Beijing, gradually establishing your store's presence in the capital.

Feng Zhengming looked at his wife, smiled, and nodded.

"My wife understands me best. That's right, I want to replicate this whole thing. But in Shanghai, we mainly use recommendation guides to support small restaurants and food stalls on the street."

However, the old shops in those tourist attractions in Beijing were in such poor condition that we changed our approach and decided to directly acquire and take over the old shops.

By restoring the old restaurant to its former glory, we're essentially revitalizing Beijing's small eateries and snack shops.

This time, Feng Zhengming's idea was accepted by everyone present.

Because Feng Zhengming does indeed have successful examples to follow.

Moreover, as Feng Zhengming himself said, acquiring those old shops in tourist attractions is actually not a difficult task.

We'll start with some small shops, those that have long been facing operational difficulties.

In the past, those small shops could make some money by relying on tourists visiting tourist attractions because they were near the attractions.

However, the emergence of Feng Zhengming's branch stores has led many tourists to walk a bit further to find Feng Zhengming's rice shop branch to eat at.

This undoubtedly made business difficult for those small shops all of a sudden.

Now is the perfect time to strike against them.

Once he has acquired enough small shops, Feng Zhengming will be able to target some well-known established shops.

Feng Zhengming's strategy was simple: to achieve big results with small investments.

After acquiring the small shops, we integrated them to improve their service and quality.

The small shop and the fifth brother in charge of the dry rice stall form an encirclement.

Surround those famous old shops in those tourist attractions.

By cutting off the customer flow of those old shops and forcing them to their demise, the only option left was to sell them to Feng Zhengming.

The most crucial part of this whole plan is to first secure some small shops in key locations.

Luo Qing spoke again: "Have you decided which small shops you want to acquire?"

Feng Zhengming: "I haven't decided yet. We need to observe this and talk to the owners of the small shops. The key is to see if some of the small shops are worth acquiring."

Luo Qing thought for a moment and said, "Should we consider preserving some small shops with good craftsmanship as much as possible?"

Cao Zhiguo agreed: "Yes, some small shops actually have good craftsmanship, and we should try our best to preserve them."

Lü Chongshan: "But if we invest in those small shops and support them, won't they become potential competitors to our shops?"

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Chongshan, are you already worried about being overtaken by others?"

Lu Chongshan's expression immediately changed: "Impossible, my skills will not be surpassed by those small shops."

Feng Zhengming: "Since we are confident, we don't need to be afraid that those small shops will be supported after we acquire them. In many cases, the fact that they can be supported shows that the small shops are indeed very unique."

Cao Zhiguo agreed with this statement: "Yes, if a small shop has a unique feature, then it should be supported."

Feng Zhengming: "Alright, I'm just letting everyone know. I'll start investigating the next steps. Fifth Brother, Chongshan, you two continue to run your shops well, and keep up the promotion."

We need to create a buzz and put some pressure on the business owners in Beijing.

Hearing Feng Zhengming's words made Cao Zhiguo, Lü Chongshan, and the young chefs from both restaurants laugh.

In just one week, the business at both branches has been booming.

This has indeed put considerable pressure on the surrounding stores in Beijing.

It even caused some shops to lose all their business at one point.

This is no joke.

That's just how ruthless the business world can be. It's not that Feng Zhengming couldn't tolerate the existence of other stores.

Rather, the market will always choose the more capable one.

Moreover, some of these old shops have changed hands multiple times already.

The concept of "authentic" or "inauthentic" may no longer exist.

This made Feng Zhengming feel less guilty about taking over those stores, and he felt that acquiring and reorganizing them would be a good thing for those old stores.

In Feng Zhengming's view, since you yourselves can't run the old store well.

Rather than letting the old shop be ruined in your hands, I'd rather rebuild it and make it good again.

In addition, Feng Zhengming is well aware that this year will be a very important year.

Some news will be released soon.

The release of those announcements will also make the capital city pay more attention to certain aspects.

Since the capital city is paying attention to this aspect, Feng Zhengming has made arrangements in advance to reduce the burden of change on the capital city.

Another point is that Feng Zhengming's actions were also a test.

He wanted to see if any of the time-honored brands in Beijing would react if he targeted established shops in tourist attractions.
Especially in Beijing, there are some bosses and master chefs who don't like them.

If they were to make a move, Feng Zhengming felt he could rightfully retaliate.

After all, he was an outsider, so he still had to save face for the locals in the capital.

Sun Hongcheng, a local, quickly recommended several small shops to Feng Zhengming.

These small shops all have one thing in common: no one in the family has inherited the craft, and now the shops are being supported by the elderly.

"Their skills are indeed quite good, but they're a bit outdated, and no one in their family is willing to learn those skills, so they don't have high expectations for their shops."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Then let's start with these stores. We'll go take a look tomorrow."

When he said he was going to take a look, Feng Zhengming looked at his wife.

Luo Qing knew that her husband wanted her to bring their daughter along.

If we're not talking about how cunning Feng Zhengming is now, there's one thing about him that others can't match.

That is, when they were scouting ahead, it was always him and Luo Qing who took their daughter.

If you seriously send a few people to investigate someone's background.

People will definitely be wary of you.

However, Feng Zhengming and his wife took their daughter first, and seeing this family of three naturally made people lower their guard.

With his guard down, it became easier for Feng Zhengming to find topics to start a conversation.

During the conversation, with Luo Qing's cooperation and her adorable daughter's occasional quips and jokes, the atmosphere became even more lively.

That really makes people completely lower their guard and reveal some inside information.

This is most evident in the capital city.

It was like when I visited the master chefs and senior chefs in Beijing before.

When Feng Zhengming and his wife visited with their daughter, it immediately put the other person at ease. With their daughter present, it was also easy for them to naturally get closer to each other.

This made the old masters, especially those they visited, admire Feng Zhengming and also really like his daughter's cuteness.

Since Feng Zhengming wanted to take his wife and daughter to check out those small shops first.

There's no need for others to rush in.

Feng Zhengming also analyzed some of the methods that should be targeted at those old shops in tourist attractions.

“They wouldn’t dare to resort to underhanded tactics, after all, it’s in Beijing, and near the city’s tourist attractions, so they must be working with travel agencies to bring more tourists to their shops.”

Feng Zhengming's analysis surprised Cao Zhiguo, Lü Chongshan, and others.

They never imagined they could get travel agencies to help them attract customers in this way.

Sun Hongcheng wasn't surprised: "This kind of tactic has been around for years. When we first started developing tourism, travel agencies not only partnered with restaurants, but also with hotels and souvenir shops."

Luo Qing: "I've heard about collaborating with souvenir shops. Many people who go on group tours complain that they are forced to go into the shops to buy things, otherwise they are not allowed to leave."

Sun Hongcheng: "Tour groups going to Beijing don't dare to be so blatant, but they will almost always include shopping stops in their itineraries."

Feng Zhengming: "Their cooperation with travel agencies, allowing them to bring customers to their stores, is essentially an admission of defeat to us. It's only a matter of time before they are acquired."

Hearing this, everyone was a little puzzled.

Because everyone felt that this approach seemed like a good one.

This should allow established shops in those tourist attractions to gain a stable flow of customers.

Why did Feng Zhengming say that they were not far from being acquired?

Everyone looked puzzled.

Feng Zhengming explained: "Travel agencies only have a limited number of customers. No matter how many groups they bring, they can't possibly eat at every shop in every tourist attraction, which leads to more conflicts."

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel that it made sense.

Sun Hongcheng: "They will soon be competing with each other, all wanting to get more customers, and they may give more rebates to travel agencies. In the end, the travel agencies will profit, while the shops will lose more and more money as they compete."

Feng Zhengming: "Ignore them, let them jump around for a while."

Then Feng Zhengming looked at his fifth senior brother: "Fifth brother, don't be anxious. Don't think there's a problem just because there are fewer customers."
Those shops that partner with travel agencies will definitely see some initial results, so we need to be patient.

Cao Zhiguo smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry. If there are fewer customers, we can have an easier time. Right now, there are too many customers in the store every day, and I'm a little overwhelmed."

This made everyone burst into laughter.

Lü Chongshan nodded in agreement: "Indeed, there are too many customers, and we are really quite busy."

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask my eldest brother and third brother later to see if they have any suitable apprentices they can send over to help ease some of the pressure on you."

Sun Hongcheng asked, "Chef, could we recruit some people from Beijing?"

Feng Zhengming looked at Sun Hongcheng: "Has someone been looking for you?"

Sun Hongcheng was taken aback by the question, seemingly not expecting Feng Zhengming to guess it so quickly.

Then everyone's eyes fell on Sun Hongcheng.

With everyone's eyes on him, Sun Hongcheng knew he couldn't avoid it.

He could only nod and tell the truth.

"Well, a few days ago, a former colleague of mine asked me to help him inquire whether he could come and work at our store."

Feng Zhengming: "Your former colleague? Are you switching jobs to come here?"

Sun Hongcheng: "No, he left the old shop a long time ago because he was always only allowed to do chopping."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "So your colleague is a top-level onion chopper, right?"

These words initially surprised everyone, but then they couldn't help but laugh.

After everyone had laughed heartily, Feng Zhengming said to Sun Hongcheng, "Have him come to the shop later so my fifth senior brother can meet him. Whether he can stay or not is up to my fifth senior brother." (End of Chapter)