Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

With the continuous rise of emerging catering brands, Wang's entire hotel chain was the first to feel the tremendous pressure.

Wang Jianye, the owner of Wang's All-inclusive Restaurant, sat in his office, looking at the market research report in his hand with a frown on his face. He knew very well that in this fiercely competitive catering market, if you don't make progress, you will fall behind. In order to cope with the competition, he decided to innovate and upgrade the dishes again.

Wang Jianye quickly called a meeting of the chef team. In the meeting room, the atmosphere was serious and tense. Wang Jianye stood in front and said seriously: "Now the competition outside is getting more and more fierce, and we can't just sit there and wait for death. Everyone knows that our Wang's full-line restaurants have always been famous for the uniqueness and deliciousness of their dishes. But now, new competitors are constantly emerging, and we must continue to innovate and launch more unique dishes to maintain our advantages. Everyone should use their creativity to contribute to the development of our restaurant."

Lao Zhang, a senior chef, nodded slightly and said, "Boss, I think we can combine local special ingredients and traditional cooking methods, and then incorporate some modern elements to create brand new dishes. We have a lot of unique ingredients locally, such as wild mushrooms, which are delicious and nutritious. If we can combine it with modern cooking techniques, we can definitely create amazing dishes."

Another young chef, Xiao Li, also spoke up: "Yes, boss. We can also go to the folks to find some recipes that are about to be lost. After improving them, they will definitely attract customers. I heard that in some remote villages, there are still many ancient cooking techniques and recipes. These are treasures we can dig up."

Wang Jianye's eyes lit up after listening to their suggestions. He said, "Okay, your ideas are all good. Let's do this. From now on, everyone will divide into several groups and visit around to look for inspiration. We want to take the dishes of all Wang's restaurants to a new level."

Therefore, the chefs of Wang's full-line restaurants began their exploration journey. They went deep into the countryside, communicated with local veteran chefs, and unearthed cooking techniques and special ingredients that had been buried for years.

In a remote mountain village, the chefs found a white-haired old chef who warmly received them and showed them his specialty dishes.

"This dish is a traditional delicacy in our village and has been around for generations." The old chef introduced the dish while cooking. "It's very simple to prepare, but the taste is very good. The main ingredients are wild vegetables and local chickens from our area."

The chefs watched the old chef's operations carefully and asked questions from time to time.

"Master, what's special about this wild vegetable?" asked a chef.

The old chef smiled and replied, "This kind of wild vegetable is only available here. It grows in the mountains and absorbs the essence of nature. It tastes delicious and is rich in nutrition. Moreover, it has some medicinal value. It can clear away heat and detoxify, which is very good for the body."

The chefs nodded after hearing this and decided to combine this wild vegetable with modern cooking techniques to create a new dish.

After continuous experimentation and improvement, we finally launched a series of new dishes with strong local characteristics and modern feel.

In the restaurant of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel, a customer is tasting the newly launched dishes. He picked up a piece of the dish, put it in his mouth, and savored it carefully. Then, he showed a surprised expression and exclaimed: "This dish is so creative, it has both traditional flavors and new surprises. I have never eaten such delicious dishes before."

At the same time, the owner of Yuehailou, Zhang Yuehai, is also thinking about how to improve his competitiveness. He believes that when the quality of the dishes is comparable, personalized service will be the key to attracting customers.

Zhang Yuehai gathered the waiters together and said seriously: "We want every customer to feel special care. Remember their preferences and provide personalized services. Only in this way can we stand out from the competition."

The waiters nodded to show that they understood.

Once, a regular customer came to Yuehailou. The waiter Xiao Wang immediately greeted her warmly: "Ms. Li, you are here. Are you still at your usual seat? We know you like hot lemonade, and we have prepared it for you."

Ms. Li was very surprised and said, "You are so thoughtful. Every time I come here, I feel like home."

Xiao Wang smiled and said: "This is what we should do. We hope that every customer can have a good time here."

Small restaurants are also actively looking for a way out. Some small restaurant owners realize that only by building their own distinctive brands can they survive in the fierce competition.

So, they joined together to organize a "Small Restaurant Food Selection" event, inviting customers to vote for the most popular small restaurant.

The event was very lively. Each small restaurant brought out its own signature dishes for customers to taste. A small restaurant owner said excitedly: "We want to let more people know the characteristics of our small restaurant through this event. Although we don't have the luxurious decoration and advanced equipment of a big hotel, we have our own characteristics and advantages. Our dishes are all made with the most traditional methods, with pure taste and affordable prices."

Customers actively participated, tasting various delicacies and voting for their favorite restaurants.

After fierce competition, some small restaurants with unique characteristics stood out and attracted more customers.

However, market changes are always unpredictable. With the development of the economy, people's consumption concepts are also changing. Some customers are beginning to pay more attention to healthy eating, and their requirements for food and beverage are not only delicious, but also nutritionally balanced.

Wang's entire hotel chain and Yuehailou keenly noticed this change. Wang Jianye and Zhang Yuehai once again convened a meeting of employees.

Wang Jianye said: "We have to keep up with market changes and meet customer needs. Now people are paying more and more attention to healthy eating, so we have to adjust the menu and add some healthy dishes. At the same time, we have also invited nutrition experts to train chefs and waiters to let them know about healthy eating."

Zhang Yuehai also said: "That's right, we can't just focus on the taste of the dishes, we also have to pay attention to the health of our customers. Only in this way can we be invincible in the competition."

Therefore, Wang's full range of restaurants and Yuehailou began to adjust their menus, adding some healthy dishes, such as vegetable salads, fruit platters, steamed fish, etc. At the same time, they also invited nutrition experts to train chefs and waiters.

In the training class, nutrition experts carefully explained the knowledge of healthy eating.

"Everyone should know that healthy eating is not just about eating light food, but also about paying attention to nutritional balance. We need to provide personalized dietary advice to our customers based on their different needs," said the nutrition expert.

The chefs and waiters listened carefully and took notes from time to time.

……

As the concept of healthy eating gradually gains popularity.

The boss Wang Jianye was sitting in his office, holding a market research report in his hand, his brows furrowed, lost in thought. The data in the report clearly showed that although the launch of healthy dishes attracted some health-conscious customers, customer satisfaction and loyalty still needed to be improved. Wang Jianye realized that in order to truly attract those customers who have a persistent pursuit of health, he must start from the source of the ingredients. Wang Jianye decisively decided to convene a meeting of the chef team again. The atmosphere in the meeting room was solemn and serious. Wang Jianye stood in front, looking at everyone firmly, and said seriously: "Ladies and gentlemen, although we now have healthy dishes, this is far from enough. We must ensure the quality and freshness of the ingredients. This is the key to our winning the trust of customers. I decided that we must establish our own food supply base to ensure that every ingredient is green and pollution-free."

An experienced chef, Lao Zhang, frowned slightly and asked, "Boss, building a food supply base requires a lot of money and manpower. Can we afford it? This is not a small amount of money."

Wang Jianye answered firmly: "Lao Zhang, I know it's not easy, but this is the path we must take. Only in this way can we gain a foothold in the market. We can't just look at the difficulties in front of us, we must focus on the future. We can start small and expand step by step. As long as we work together, we will succeed."

Young chef Xiao Li said confidently: "The boss is right. We should not be afraid of difficulties. Although establishing a food supply base is challenging, it will also bring us many benefits. We can personally control the quality of the ingredients and let customers eat with confidence."

Another chef nodded in agreement: "Yes, customers nowadays have higher and higher requirements for ingredients. If we can provide green and pollution-free ingredients, we will definitely attract more customers."

Wang Jianye was filled with confidence after seeing everyone's attitude. He said, "Okay, since everyone agrees, let's get started. First, we need to find suitable land to build our vegetable planting and breeding bases."

So, the staff of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel began to look for suitable land. They visited many places and communicated with local farmers and government departments. After some efforts, they finally found a suitable piece of land.

This piece of land is located in the suburbs, with beautiful surroundings, fresh air and abundant water. Wang Jianye came here in person to check the condition of the land. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is a good place, suitable for growing vegetables and raising poultry."

Next, they hired professional farmers and breeders who had extensive experience and were very familiar with organic planting and breeding methods.

At the vegetable planting base, the person in charge, Lao Wang, is explaining the methods of organic planting to the farmers.

Lao Wang said: "Our vegetables are completely natural, without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This requires us to adopt scientific planting methods, such as using organic fertilizers and biological pest control."

A farmer asked: "Will the yield of vegetables grown this way be very low?"

Lao Wang smiled and replied: "Although the yield may be lower than that of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, our vegetables are of higher quality and can be sold at a higher price. Moreover, this is better for the environment."

At the breeding base, the person in charge, Lao Li, also emphasized to the breeders the importance of organic farming.

Lao Li said: "Our poultry should be raised naturally, fed natural food, without the use of hormones and antibiotics. The poultry raised in this way will have delicious meat and rich nutrition."

The breeders nodded one after another to show that they understood.

As time went by, the vegetable planting and breeding bases of Wang's full-line restaurants gradually got on track. Their vegetables and poultry began to be supplied to restaurants, and were well received by customers.

In the hotel kitchen, the chefs were busy preparing dishes. One chef picked up a fresh cucumber and praised: "This cucumber is really fresh and tastes very pure. We are more confident in cooking with such ingredients."

Another chef also said: "Yes, our efforts have not been in vain. Now customers are more satisfied with our dishes, and our business is getting better and better."

When Wang Jianye heard these words, a gratified smile appeared on his face. He knew that they were on the right path.

However, establishing a food supply base was not smooth sailing, and they encountered many difficulties and challenges in the process.

Once, the vegetable planting base was attacked by pests and diseases. Lao Wang was very worried and quickly called the farmers together to discuss countermeasures.

Lao Wang said: "Let's think of a solution. We can't use pesticides. How can we solve this problem?"

One farmer suggested: “We can use biological control methods, such as introducing some natural enemies to control pests and diseases.”

Another farmer also said: "We can also strengthen field management, maintain soil fertility and moisture, and improve the resistance of vegetables."

Through everyone's joint efforts, the pest and disease problem was finally solved.

We also encountered some problems at the breeding base. For a period of time, the growth rate of poultry was relatively slow and the output could not meet the needs of the restaurant.

Lao Li carefully observed the growth of the poultry and found that it was a problem with the feed. He decided to adjust the formula of the feed and add some natural food.

"We can't just pursue production, we also have to ensure the quality of the poultry," said Lao Li. "We have to provide them with better food so that they can grow healthily."

After adjustments, the growth rate of poultry gradually increased and the output was also improved.

Throughout this process, Wang Jianye has always firmly supported everyone. He knows that difficulties are only temporary and can be overcome as long as everyone unites as one.

"We must persevere and not give up halfway. Our goal is to provide customers with the best ingredients and services. This is our responsibility and mission." Wang Jianye encouraged everyone.

As the green food supply base of Wang's full-line restaurants became more mature, their reputation grew. Many customers came for their green food, and the restaurant's business became more and more prosperous.

...(End of chapter)