Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Under the tide of commercial center shift, small restaurants are like small boats drifting in rough waves, full of anxiety and worry.

In an old small restaurant, several restaurant owners sat together, with sad expressions on their faces.

"We small restaurants are small to begin with, and now that the business center has shifted, what should we do?" A small restaurant owner with somewhat gray hair said worriedly, his voice trembling slightly, and his eyes revealed confusion about the future.

Another thin boss sighed and said, "Yes, we don't have the funds and strength of a big hotel. This change is simply adding insult to injury for us."

"Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?" a younger boss said unwillingly, frowning and clenching his fists.

Everyone fell silent, and a heavy atmosphere filled the air.

At the same time, the owners of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel and Yuehailou are also thinking carefully about the impact of the relocation of the business center. They know that at this critical moment, they can't just consider their own interests, but must unite all the forces that can be united.

Therefore, an important meeting was held in the conference room of all Wang's hotels. Wang Jianye, Zhang Yuehai and many small restaurant owners gathered together.

Wang Jianye spoke first, his voice steady and powerful: "Everyone knows the current situation, and we must face this challenge together. The relocation of the commercial center is a huge test for all of us, but I believe that as long as we unite as one, we will be able to find a solution to the problem. We can work together to study the market demand of the new area and launch suitable dishes and services."

Zhang Yuehai continued, "Yes, Boss Wang is right. We can also conduct market research together to understand the taste preferences and consumption habits of new customers. Only by deeply understanding their needs can we better meet them and gain a firm foothold in the new commercial center."

After listening to their words, the small restaurant owners still had doubts in their hearts, but they also knew that the only way out was cooperation.

A small restaurant owner said: "We will try our best to cooperate, but we also hope that the big hotels can give us more support and help. For example, can you give us some discounts in purchasing ingredients?"

Wang Jianye smiled and nodded, saying, "We can discuss this issue. We can establish a joint purchasing mechanism, which can reduce costs while ensuring the quality of ingredients."

Zhang Yuehai agreed: "Yes, we can also provide some support to small restaurants in terms of staff training. We have some experienced chefs and waiters in Yuehailou who can provide training for the employees of small restaurants to improve their professional level."

After hearing this, the small restaurant owners showed gratitude on their faces.

After the meeting, they began to act together. The market research teams of Wang's All-System Hotel and Yuehailou quickly went deep into the new commercial center to communicate with local residents and office workers to understand their needs.

Near a busy office building, Xiao Li, a market researcher at Wang's All-Round Hotels, is talking to a young office worker.

Xiao Li smiled and asked, "Hello, what aspects do you pay attention to when you eat out?"

The office worker thought for a moment and said, "I'm busy at work, so I hope to have some quick and convenient food. Besides, health is also important, and I can't eat all greasy food."

Xiao Li carefully recorded this information and continued to ask: "Do you have any requirements on the price?"

The office worker replied: "The price cannot be too high. After all, our income as office workers is limited."

At the entrance of another community, Xiao Zhang, a researcher from Yuehailou, was communicating with a housewife.

Xiao Zhang asked: "Sister, where do you usually choose to eat? Do you have any requirements for the restaurant's dishes?"

The housewife said: "We go out to eat as a family sometimes, and we hope to have some dishes that are suitable for children, and the taste should not be too spicy or salty. Also, the environment should be better and not too noisy."

Xiao Zhang nodded and said, "Thank you for your suggestion. We will consider it."

At the same time, owners of small restaurants are also actively improving their dishes and preparing to meet new challenges.

In the kitchen of a small restaurant, Chef Lao Wang is trying out new dishes.

"The taste of this dish is not quite right. Let me try adding some seasoning." Lao Wang said to himself.

The assistant Xiao Li said, "Master, I think this dish can be paired with some vegetables, so it looks healthier."

Lao Wang adopted Xiao Li's suggestion and continued to adjust the taste and combination of the dishes.

After a period of hard work, they also discovered some new opportunities. There are many young office workers and families in the new commercial center, and they have a great demand for fast and healthy food.

At a discussion meeting, a chef from Wang's All-inclusive Restaurant suggested: "We can launch some fast food meal packages suitable for office workers, which are both convenient and delicious. For example, we can make some sandwiches, sushi and the like, and pair them with a drink."

Another chef said: "We can also introduce some nutritious soups so that office workers can replenish their nutrition during their busy work."

"Our small restaurant can also provide some take-out services to meet the needs of customers who don't have time to dine in our restaurant." said a small restaurant owner.

"Yes, we can cooperate with some food delivery platforms to expand our sales channels." Another small restaurant owner also echoed.

So they started to take active actions. Wang's full range of restaurants and Yuehailou launched a series of fast food meal packages suitable for office workers, and promoted them in office buildings and shopping malls in the new commercial center.

"Hello, this is the new fast food set meal launched by our Wang's entire restaurant chain. It is convenient, fast, nutritious and delicious. Welcome to try it." The waiter Xiao Wang enthusiastically introduced it to the office workers passing by.

Small restaurants have also cooperated with food delivery platforms to launch their own special food delivery dishes.

"Hello, this is the takeaway you ordered. Enjoy your meal." The delivery boy Xiao Li delivered a steaming hot takeaway to the customer.

With their continuous efforts, they gradually gained a firm foothold in the new commercial center. New branches of Wang's full-line restaurants and Yuehailou opened one after another, and small restaurants also attracted many new customers through take-out and special dishes.

In a small restaurant, the owner, Lao Zhang, looked at the busy scene in the store and said with emotion: "I didn't expect that we could do so well in the new commercial center."

A customer next to me said, "Your food tastes good, and takeout is very convenient. I will come here often in the future."

Lao Zhang showed a gratified smile on his face and said, "Thank you for your support. We will continue to work hard."

In the new branch of Wang's full-line restaurants, Wang Jianye looked at the customers coming and going, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"Yes, as long as we unite as one, there will be no difficulties that we cannot overcome," said Wang Jianye.

...As Wang's hotels, Yuehailou and small restaurants gradually gain a foothold in the new commercial center, they begin to face new challenges and opportunities.

First, as the market gradually becomes saturated, competition becomes more intense, and some new catering brands begin to enter the new commercial center, trying to get a piece of the pie.

At an industry exchange meeting, a small restaurant owner said worriedly: "Now there is a new competitor, what should we do? I feel the pressure is getting greater and greater."

Another small restaurant owner responded: "We can't be afraid of competition, we need to find ways to improve our competitiveness."

Wang Jianye of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel and Zhang Yuehai of Yuehailou also realized this problem. They called everyone together again to discuss countermeasures.

Wang Jianye said: "It is inevitable that new competitors will emerge. We must continue to innovate and improve the quality of our dishes and services. At the same time, we must also strengthen brand building so that customers will recognize us more."

Zhang Yuehai continued: "Yes, we can increase the training and investment in the chef team and encourage them to develop new dishes. At the same time, we must also improve the service level to provide customers with a better dining experience."

Therefore, Wang's All-inclusive Hotels and Yuehailou began to increase the training of their chef teams. They invited some well-known chefs from home and abroad to give lectures and training, so that the chefs could be exposed to the latest cooking techniques and concepts.

During a training course, a foreign chef was explaining new cooking techniques.

"This cooking method can make food more tender and juicy while retaining more nutrients," said a foreign chef.

Xiao Li, a chef at Wang's All-Inclusive Restaurant, listened carefully and took notes from time to time. He said, "This method is really good. I must try it when I go back."

Chef Zhang from Yuehailou also nodded in agreement: "Yes, we need to keep learning new techniques to make better dishes."

At the same time, they also strengthened the training of service personnel, and carried out systematic training from etiquette standards to customer communication skills.

In the service training class, the trainer is explaining how to communicate effectively with customers.

“When customers raise questions or make complaints, we must listen patiently and proactively solve problems so that customers can feel our sincerity and professionalism,” said the trainer.

Small restaurants are also working hard to improve their competitiveness. They are beginning to focus on store decoration and environment improvement to give customers a more comfortable dining experience.

In a small restaurant, the boss is directing the workers to carry out renovations.

"We need to put some green plants here to make the environment more warm," said the boss.

"The lighting over there needs to be adjusted to make it softer." The boss continued.

In addition, they also began to focus on brand building, increasing their popularity by making exquisite menus and distributing flyers.

"We want to let customers know that our small restaurant also has its own characteristics and advantages." said a small restaurant owner.

As time went by, the competitiveness of Wang's full-line hotels, Yuehailou and small restaurants continued to improve. They not only gained a firm foothold in the new commercial center, but also attracted more customers.

However, new problems have emerged. With the improvement of people's living standards, customers have higher and higher requirements for catering. They not only pay attention to the taste and quality of dishes, but also pay attention to the health and environmental protection of catering.

In a customer survey, a customer said: "I now prefer to choose restaurants that are healthy and environmentally friendly. I hope restaurants can use fresher ingredients and reduce the use of disposable tableware."

The owners of Wang's Hotels and Yuehailou heard the customers' feedback and began to think about how to meet their new demands.

Wang Jianye said: "We must adapt to market changes and launch more healthy and environmentally friendly dishes. At the same time, we must also strengthen the control of ingredients to ensure their freshness and safety."

Zhang Yuehai continued: "Yes, we can reduce the use of disposable tableware and promote environmentally friendly tableware. At the same time, we can also set up some environmental protection reminders in the restaurant to raise customers' environmental awareness."

As a result, Wang's entire chain of restaurants and Yuehailou began to launch a series of healthy and environmentally friendly dishes. They used fresher ingredients and reduced greasy and spicy seasonings to make the dishes lighter and more delicious.

On the menu, the new healthy dishes are marked with the source of the ingredients and nutritional content.

"This dish uses local organic vegetables. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and is very healthy," the waiter introduced to the customers.

At the same time, they also reduced the use of disposable tableware and promoted environmentally friendly tableware. In the restaurant, some environmental protection signs were set up to remind customers to save resources and protect the environment.

"Please use environmentally friendly tableware and contribute to protecting the environment," the sign reads.

Small restaurants followed suit and launched their own healthy and environmentally friendly dishes. They also cooperated with some environmental protection organizations to carry out environmental protection publicity activities.

At the entrance of a small restaurant, the owner was distributing environmental protection leaflets with volunteers from an environmental protection organization.

"Please pay attention to environmental protection and choose healthy and environmentally friendly restaurants," said the boss.

Through these efforts, Wang's entire chain of hotels, Yuehailou and small restaurants have not only met the new demands of customers, but also contributed to environmental protection.

……

As market competition becomes increasingly fierce, Wang's All-inclusive Hotels and Yuehailou began to realize the importance of brand image. They decided to invest more money in upgrading and renovating their stores to enhance their high-end brand image.

Wang Jianye, the owner of Wang's All-Room Hotel, called in a designer to discuss a new decoration plan in his office.

Wang Jianye pointed to the design drawings and said: "We want to create a more luxurious and grand dining environment so that customers can feel our quality and strength as soon as they come in."

The designer responded: "Boss Wang, I think we can adopt some European style elements that were popular at the time, add some gorgeous chandeliers and exquisite murals, and enhance the grade of the entire space."

Yuehailou was not to be outdone, and the owner Zhang Yuehai personally supervised the progress of the renovation project.

Zhang Yuehai said to the workers: "Everyone must pay attention to details and make every corner perfect. We want to make Yuehai Building the most dazzling presence in the new commercial center." (End of this chapter)