From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After meeting Feng Zhengming, Kong Xingli really felt that he had gained a lot.

Kong Xingli truly understood this from Feng Zhengming.

A good chef who wants to run a good restaurant does not just have to cook good dishes.

More importantly, you need to have a clear understanding of market demand.

You need to identify the customer groups you are targeting.

If it is someone like Feng Zhengming who mainly targets the general public.

Then more consideration needs to be given to the price to ensure that the public can get a feeling of good quality and low price.

At the same time, if you ensure that your craftsmanship is solid enough, then your business will definitely not be bad.

If Kong Xingli positions it this way, it means he wants to do high-end catering.

The target customer group must be those who have a certain amount of wealth.

They are usually there to entertain some clients for business dinners.

Or maybe you need to show off in front of certain people, or to put it simply, you need to satisfy your vanity.

In this regard, Feng Zhengming Western Restaurant on the street is a very good example.

Everyone knows that this store was opened by Feng Zhengming, the national top scholar.

Everyone knows that by coming to this restaurant, they can eat dishes made by Feng Zhengming, the top scholar.

Even if he is not here, you can still taste the dishes he designed himself.

This store is open to everyone.

No matter who comes to the store, they either make a reservation in advance or queue up at the door.

This well reflects the uniqueness of this store.

It naturally satisfies the vanity needs of many people.

When Feng Zhengming was not in the store, Jiang Chengzhe also introduced a hidden menu, which added a bit of fun for customers.

Many guests will find this unknown exploration of dishes very interesting.

Feng Zhengming did not hide any of these strategies from Kong Xingli.

This gave Kong Xingli a lot of inspiration.

For the first time, he felt a business philosophy that was completely different from that of Jufengde.

Moreover, this business philosophy is obviously very popular in Shanghai.

After saying goodbye to Feng Zhengming, Kong Xingli returned to the restaurant which was still under renovation.

Seeing him come back, the disciples immediately surrounded him.

Duan Jinsheng was still the first to speak.

"Master, how is it? What did Uncle Feng tell you?"

The other disciples were also full of curiosity.

Kong Xingli smiled and said, "Mr. Feng is worthy of being Mr. Feng. He pointed out a lot of things in just a few words. We didn't consider it thoroughly before. He gave me a lot of ideas."

These words surprised Duan Jinsheng and his other disciples.

"Master Uncle Feng really gave Master some advice?"

"Isn't Master Feng afraid that Master will take away his business?"

"Yes, we both cook Shandong cuisine, so we are definitely in competition with him."

"It seems that Uncle Feng does have a big vision."

"Or maybe Uncle Feng thinks that we can't threaten him?"

Hearing what his disciples said, Kong Xingli couldn't help but laugh.

"You guys, you really think too much. Who is your Uncle Feng? He is the top scholar in the country. Why would he care about our competition?
Besides, we are not the same group of customers as your Uncle Feng, so even though we both serve Shandong cuisine, there is actually no competition between us. "

After hearing what their master said, the disciples looked at each other in disbelief.

Duan Jinsheng asked: "Master, are we really not in competition with Master Feng?"

Kong Xingli smiled and said, "Think about it yourself. Who are the customers that your Uncle Feng's four stores in Shanghai are targeting?"

The disciples immediately began to think and make various guesses.

“They seem to be all working class people?”

"Are you here to work in Shanghai?"

"I heard that many foreigners go to Uncle Feng's Western Restaurant on the street."

"And those who work in Shanghai are called white-collar workers."

“These should be the people, right?”

Kong Xingli nodded: "Yes, it's almost these people, so he is basically targeting people who are looking for good quality and low price.

Even white-collar workers and foreigners working in Shanghai are actually mostly ordinary working class people with limited spending power, and it is impossible for them to spend a lot of money on food.”

After a brief pause, Kong Xingli continued to talk about the customer base their store would face.

"Our restaurant will be a high-end restaurant, and the main customer group we attract will be wealthy bosses. So in this regard, there is no competition between us and your Uncle Feng at all."

After listening to the master's words, the disciples thought about it carefully and felt that the master was right.

Duan Jinsheng couldn't help but mutter something.

"But Master Feng is famous. His store caters to the working class. He can also rely on his fame to attract wealthy people to eat at his store."

After hearing what Duan Jinsheng said, Kong Xingli glared at his eldest disciple.

"What are you talking about? Are you still not convinced by your Uncle Feng? I'm telling you, don't be unconvinced. If you can achieve half of his achievements, I will take you as my master."

Duan Jinsheng was choked by these words.

In his heart, he was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with Feng Zhengming.

But he also knows his own weight.

Half of Feng Zhengming's achievements? That's not something that ordinary people can achieve.

It’s just that Duan Jinsheng is a little bit strange.

He originally thought that his master came to Shanghai to compete head-on with Feng Zhengming.

Judging from the current situation, Master has no intention of being hostile to Feng Zhengming at all.

Even in Kong Xingli's eyes, he admired Feng Zhengming very much and was willing to lower his posture to learn from Feng Zhengming.

As a disciple, Duan Jinsheng felt somewhat uncomfortable.

This feels a lot like.

On the battlefield, before he could even determine the winner with the enemy, the commander had already surrendered.

But from his master's words, Duan Jinsheng also heard the unquestionable tone.

In the end, Duan Jinsheng had no choice but to surrender.

"Master is right. I overestimated my own abilities. Uncle Feng's strength is there. I am indeed not qualified to challenge him. I will listen to Master."

Kong Xingli nodded: "As I said before, our goal in the first year of business is to build a good reputation and fame."

Kong Xingli still embodies the steadiness of the people of Qi and Lu.

He was not in a hurry to achieve great results in Shanghai.

After asking Feng Zhengming for advice, he figured it out on his way back.

Since the purpose is to attract wealthy customers.

So the first thing is to build a good enough reputation and make a name for yourself.

With word of mouth and fame, more wealthy customers will naturally be attracted.

Just as Feng Zhengming said.

To attract wealthy customers, you need to give them enough sense of status and vanity.

Kong Xingli immediately called the investor to communicate.

He needed to customize a batch of tableware, and he also had to replace some of the furnishings in the restaurant, such as tablecloths and some table decorations. He even decided to replace them with imported products from overseas.

Did the investors feel a little strange about Kong Xingli's requests at first?
When they discussed it before, Kong Xingli didn't have so many requirements for tableware and layout?
So the investor side quickly sent someone over to communicate in detail.

After some communication, Kong Xingli gave a complete set of reasons with good reasoning.

Investors felt that they had made the right choice in choosing Kong Xingli.

Speak to them according to Kong Xingli's words.

He made the decision after inspecting many restaurants and high-end restaurants in Shanghai. Investors felt that he had the ability to conduct such field inspections and really wanted to run the restaurant well.

So the investor made a quick decision and agreed to all of Kong Xingli's requests.

With the support of investors, the subsequent decoration and layout of Kong Xingli Restaurant was accelerated.

As long as the money is in place, any request can be met.

Here Kong Xingli is busy preparing for the opening.

After Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai, he spent almost every day in this restaurant on Western Restaurant Street.

Mainly because Jiang Chengzhe was given a holiday by him.

It is indeed quite stressful to leave Xia Hui alone to handle the store.

So Feng Zhengming leads people busy in the store every day.

It can be said that I have truly entered the role of a chef.

Luo Qing brings her daughter and husband to the store every day.

She was doing the accounting at the cash register while taking care of her daughter.

The little girl Feng Nuanyou follows her mother in the store every day, watching the customers coming and going. She is not afraid of people at all and will even give them a cute smile when they pay.

Many guests feel very comfortable when seeing the little girl’s cute smile.

There were even customers who were so happy seeing the little girl's smile that they insisted on giving her more money.

Of course Luo Qing would not charge customers more money.

However, Feng Zhengming's daughter's smile still left a deep impression on many guests.

It also quickly spread among some customer circles.

"You know what? When I went to Mr. Feng's restaurant to eat, I saw his daughter smiling at me, which made me feel so comfortable."

"Yes, that little girl is so beautiful, as delicate as a porcelain doll, and even more beautiful when she smiles."

"I was in a bad mood, but when I saw the girl's smile, I felt better all of a sudden."

"I went there at noon last time. I had a problem at work in the morning that I hadn't dealt with yet. When I went to eat, I encountered a long queue. I was in a very bad mood, but when I saw the little girl smiling at me, I felt better all of a sudden. After eating, I came back and solved the problem at work."

"No way? Is it that magical?"

"If you don't believe me, go and try it."

As the rumors grew.

Feng Nuanyu's smile became more and more amazing.

Many people come here specifically to see the little girl's smile.

What everyone finds most incredible is.

Feng Nuanyu seemed to know that everyone liked to see her smile.

She doesn't need anyone to tease her, she will smile at people on her own initiative.

Of course, sometimes the little girl would deliberately act unhappy and wouldn't laugh no matter how others teased her.

But whether the little girl smiles or not, customers are happy to see her.

Even watching her playing by herself next to her mother is a very interesting scene.

I don’t know if it’s because Feng Nuanyu was brought to the store by her mother.

It makes people feel as if the business in the store is getting better.

Jiang Chengzhe, who was on vacation, first returned to Hong Kong from Shanghai.

I picked up my parents and took them around Shanghai for some fun.

When Jiang Chengzhe's parents saw Feng Nuanyu, they also liked this little girl very much.

Of course, in addition to their love, Jiang Chengzhe’s parents began to urge him to find someone to marry and have children as soon as possible.

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but regret letting his parents meet Feng Nuanyu.

Fortunately, after playing in Shanghai for a few days, Jiang Chengzhe drove his parents to the surrounding cities for fun.

It also makes parents temporarily forget about urging them to get married.

Jiang Chengzhe's parents were born in Hong Kong, so they have never visited other cities for many years.

Originally, Jiang Chengzhe's parents might not have had any chance to visit other cities.

Now, thanks to Jiang Chengzhe, they can visit other cities.

The old couple were very excited.

In the past, they had only heard about the scenes of inland cities from their parents.

Now Jiang Chengzhe is taking them to actually enter these cities.

It was the first time for the old couple to appreciate the charm of the motherland’s mountains and rivers.

Different cities do have many differences.

There are also some delicacies from various places, which the old couple feel are very good.

Like some of the special snacks I had in Sioux City.

The old couple felt that the dim sum was just as good as those in Hong Kong.

The couple also tasted the tea in Hangzhou and felt that it was indeed different.

Jiang Chengzhe also took his parents to climb Mount Huangshan, which is very famous both at home and abroad.

In Huangshan, Jiang Chengzhe's parents really couldn't help but sigh.

"In the past, I only heard that the mountains and rivers of our motherland are magnificent. Only after climbing Mount Huangshan did I finally understand what 'magnificence' means."

"Yes, this mountain is so beautiful. I really should travel around the country more often to see it."

In fact, it was also Jiang Chengzhe’s first time to climb Mount Huangshan.

He had been to Mount Tai before.

Climbing up Mount Huangshan, he experienced a different kind of scenery.

Jiang Chengzhe also gained some inspiration on Mount Huangshan.

I thought of a few dishes that might be worth trying.

Jiang Chengzhe felt that this trip was really worth the money.

After climbing Mount Huangshan, Jiang Chengzhe took his parents to some surrounding villages to appreciate the unique scenery of the Jiangnan water town.

"Wow, this place looks just like what you'd see in those ink paintings of the past."

“Yes, these houses are really beautiful.”

Jiang Chengzhe also felt that the scenery of gray tiles and white walls was very beautiful.

It also deepened his impression of the Jiangnan water town.

He decided to design some corresponding dishes after he returned.

The two-week vacation left Jiang Chengzhe and his parents feeling a little unsatisfied.

When they returned to Shanghai, their parents were even a little reluctant to let them go.

“It feels like time has passed really quickly.”

"Yeah, more than ten days have passed in a flash."

"Hahaha, we should visit more places in the country in the future."

"That's right, I really need to visit the mainland more often in the future."

Jiang Chengzhe asked his parents with a smile: "Mom and Dad, do you want to stay here? I think I should be able to buy a house in Shanghai, so that you can travel around in the future."

This proposal really made the parents very excited.

This two-week trip made them really want to stay here.

On the one hand, I can see my son more often.

More importantly, you can also travel around from time to time.

But in the end, Jiang Chengzhe's parents still did not agree.

"You are now at a critical stage in your career. We can't cause you any trouble, so we won't come to stay for the time being. We'll wait until you and Feng Zhuangyuan open the restaurant you want to open."

"Yes, wait until you open that high-end restaurant and make real money, then we'll come back."

Seeing his parents care so much about his career, Jiang Chengzhe is very grateful for their understanding. (End of this chapter)