Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

At Yuehailou, the owner Zhang Yuehai began to focus on creating the restaurant's cultural atmosphere on the basis of improving the personalization of services.

Zhang Yuehai sat in his office, playing with an exquisite traditional handicraft in his hands, thinking about the future development direction of the restaurant.

In this competitive era, it is not enough to stand out by simply relying on delicious dishes and high-quality services. A restaurant with cultural connotations can bring customers a deeper experience and thus attract more diners.

Therefore, Zhang Yuehai decided to find a designer to discuss how to transform the restaurant environment. On a sunny morning, designer Xiao Wang came to Yuehai Building. Zhang Yuehai warmly greeted him and took him around the restaurant.

"Xiao Wang, I've been thinking about turning the restaurant into a place full of cultural atmosphere. Take a look, do you have any good ideas?" Zhang Yuehai said.

Xiao Wang looked around, nodded slightly, and said, "Boss Zhang, your idea is very correct. Today's customers pay more and more attention to the cultural atmosphere of the dining environment. I think we can hang some local historical photos to let customers understand the past of this city. At the same time, put some traditional handicrafts to increase the artistic sense of the restaurant."

Zhang Yuehai's eyes lit up and he said, "What a great idea! These historical photos allow customers to feel the heritage of this city while enjoying the food. What about traditional handicrafts? Do you have any specific suggestions?"

Xiao Wang thought for a moment and said, "We can choose some handicrafts with local characteristics, such as ceramics, wood carvings, embroidery, etc. These handicrafts are not only beautiful, but also reflect our regional culture. In addition, we can also set up some display areas in the corners of the restaurant to show the production process of these handicrafts, so that customers can better understand their value."

Zhang Yuehai nodded frequently and said, "Not bad, not bad. Do you have any other ideas?"

Xiao Wang went on to say: "We can use lighting and music to create an atmosphere. The lighting can be adjusted according to different time periods and dining scenes. For example, during dinner time, soft yellow lights can be used to create a warm and romantic atmosphere. For music, we can choose some classical music or music with local characteristics, so that customers can feel the charm of culture while enjoying the food."

Zhang Yuehai clapped his hands excitedly and said, "Great! Let's do it according to your idea. We want to make Yuehailou a real cultural restaurant."

Zhang Yuehai and Xiao Wang started to renovate the restaurant. They collected local historical photos and traditional handicrafts and hired some artists to decorate the restaurant.

In the process of collecting historical photos, Zhang Yuehai personally visited local museums and archives, communicated with the staff, learned about the historical changes of the city, and selected some representative photos.

"These photos are so precious. They record the past of this city and make us cherish the present more," Zhang Yuehai said with emotion.

In the process of selecting traditional handicrafts, Zhang Yuehai and Xiao Wang ran around the local handicraft market, carefully selecting each handicraft to ensure its quality and artistic value.

"This wood carving is so exquisite. Its carving craftsmanship is very delicate and its meaning is profound. If it is placed in the restaurant, it will definitely attract the attention of customers." Xiao Wang said, holding a wood carving.

After a period of hard work, the restaurant of Yuehailou has taken on a new look. The walls are covered with local historical photos, showing the ancient style and cultural heritage of the city. Traditional handicrafts such as ceramic vases, wood carvings, embroidered screens, etc. are placed in every corner of the restaurant, exuding a strong artistic atmosphere. The lighting and music have also been carefully designed to create a unique atmosphere.

When customers walked into the restaurant, they felt as if they were in a palace of art. They were attracted by the cultural atmosphere of the restaurant and expressed their admiration.

"The environment here is really nice, and eating here has become a pleasure," a customer exclaimed.

Another customer also said: "Yes, not only are the dishes here delicious, but the environment is also very unique. It feels like eating in a museum."

Zhang Yuehai was filled with joy when he heard the compliments from customers, as he knew his efforts were not in vain.

In the restaurant, the waiters are also actively introducing the restaurant's cultural characteristics to customers.

"Hello, welcome to Yuehailou. Hanging on the walls here are local historical photos that show the past of this city. You can learn about the history of this city while enjoying delicious food." The waiter said to a customer with a smile.

After hearing this, the customer looked at the photo with interest and said, "It's really good. This feeling is very special."

As time went by, the cultural atmosphere of Yuehailou became stronger and stronger, attracting more and more customers. Zhang Yuehai also realized that the creation of cultural atmosphere is not only a decoration, but also an improvement of connotation. He decided to continue to dig deeper into local cultural resources to bring more surprises to customers.

Small restaurants are also busy. They realize that if they want to survive in the competition, they cannot rely solely on price advantages, but also need to improve their service quality and food quality.

On a slightly old street, several small restaurants are arranged in an orderly manner. The owners of these small restaurants gathered together to discuss the future development direction.

"We can no longer rely solely on low prices to attract customers. Now everyone is paying more and more attention to the quality of service and food." said Lao Zhang, a small restaurant owner with some gray hair.

"Yes, Lao Zhang is right. We have to find ways to improve ourselves, otherwise we will be eliminated sooner or later." Another younger restaurant owner, Xiao Li, echoed.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they decided to start learning the management experience of the big hotel and standardize their own service procedures.

First, they organized a training for the waiters. In the back hall of a small restaurant, several waiters sat together and listened carefully to the boss's explanation.

"From now on, we must serve our customers more warmly and attentively. When customers come in, we must greet them with a smile and proactively ask about their needs," said the boss seriously.

A waiter named Xiao Wang asked hesitantly, "Boss, what should we do if we encounter a very difficult customer?"

The boss thought for a moment and replied, "When we encounter difficult customers, we must be more patient. We must listen carefully to their opinions and try our best to meet their requirements. We must not conflict with customers and we must value harmony."

Another waiter, Xiao Zhang, also asked: "What details should we pay attention to?"

The boss patiently explained: "Details are very important. For example, when serving food to customers, you must handle it gently and not make a loud noise. When customers are eating, you must always pay attention to their needs and add water and change plates for them in time."

The waiters listened carefully and nodded from time to time. They knew that only by improving their service quality could they attract more customers.

After the training, the waiters began to put these requirements into practice in their work. One day, a customer walked into a small restaurant. The waiter Xiaomei immediately greeted him with a smile: "Hello, welcome. How many people are you?"

The customer replied: "Two."

Xiaomei enthusiastically led the customer to a clean and tidy table, handed over the menu, and said: "This is our menu, take a look at what you like. We have some special dishes here, and they taste very good." After the customer ordered the dishes, Xiaomei quickly handed the menu to the kitchen and poured the customer a cup of hot tea. While the customer was waiting for the dishes to be served, Xiaomei came over from time to time to ask the customer if he needed any other services.

"Do you need some water?" Xiaomei asked with a smile.

The customer felt the restaurant's warm service and nodded with satisfaction.

At the same time, small restaurants are also constantly innovating their dishes. They have a deep understanding of local characteristics and customer needs, and strive to launch some new delicacies.

In the kitchen of a small restaurant, the owner and chefs are discussing the development of new dishes.

"We have a lot of local specialty ingredients here. We can make good use of them and develop some new dishes," said the boss.

Chef Zhang thought for a while and said, "I think we can make a dish with local wild vegetables and local eggs. Wild vegetables are nutritious and local eggs are delicious. The combination of the two will definitely be very popular."

Chef Xiao Li also put forward his own ideas: "We can also use local river fish to make a special grilled fish. Add our own sauce, it will definitely attract many customers."

The boss listened to their suggestions and thought they made sense, so they began to try making these new dishes.

After many attempts and improvements, the small restaurants finally launched some new delicacies. At the door of a small restaurant, the owner is introducing their new dishes to passers-by.

"We have newly launched fried wild vegetables with local eggs and special grilled fish, which taste very good. Everyone is welcome to come and try them." The boss said enthusiastically.

Some customers were attracted by the new dishes and walked into the small restaurant. After tasting the new dishes, they praised them highly.

"This fried wild vegetables with local eggs is really delicious, with a light fragrance." said a customer.

"This special grilled fish is also very good, the fish meat is tender and the sauce is rich in flavor." Another customer also said.

The restaurant owners were very happy to see that the new dishes were so popular.

"Our new dishes are very popular and many customers come here for them. It seems that our efforts have not been in vain," said a small restaurant owner happily.

However, the development of small restaurants is not smooth sailing. They have also encountered some difficulties and challenges in the process of improving service quality and innovating dishes.

For example, some waiters are not used to the new service requirements at first and occasionally make mistakes. In a small restaurant, a waiter was too busy and forgot to add water for a customer. The customer said with some dissatisfaction: "Why is your service so inconsiderate?"

The waiter quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, sir. I was too busy just now and neglected it. I will add water for you right away."

After the boss learned about the situation, he criticized and educated the waiter.

"We must always remember the importance of service. We can't ignore the needs of customers just because we are busy. If this happens again, I will punish you." The boss said seriously.

When it comes to innovating dishes, not every attempt is successful. Sometimes, newly launched dishes are not popular with customers. In a small restaurant, the owner launched a new dish, but the customer response was mediocre.

"The taste of this dish is average, not as good as you advertised." said a customer.

The boss was a little disappointed, but he did not give up. He and the chefs analyzed the reasons and improved the dishes.

"We may have made a mistake in the combination of seasonings. Let's adjust it and see if we can make it taste better," said the boss.

Through continuous efforts and improvements, small restaurants have gradually overcome various difficulties and challenges, their service quality has become higher and higher, and their dishes have become more and more distinctive.

……

As small restaurants improve their service quality and innovate their menu, they are becoming more aware of the importance of interacting with customers.

In a cozy little restaurant, sunlight shines through the window onto the neatly arranged dining table. The owner, Brother Liu, is smiling and saying to the customers who are dining:

“Dear customers, we have set up this suggestion box to better serve you.

If you have any ideas about our dishes and services, please write them down and submit them. We will listen carefully to your opinions and make improvements. We hope to bring you a better dining experience, and hope that you can work with us to make this small restaurant better and better. "

A customer who often comes here to eat, Lao Zhang, said with a smile: "This is great. It feels like you really value our opinions. I've never been treated this way in other restaurants before." A young customer next to him, Xiao Li, also nodded and said: "Yes, this way we can also feel that our opinions are valued, and we will definitely come more often in the future."

As the days passed, the suggestion box in the small restaurant was gradually filled with notes from customers. Brother Liu and his employees would carefully review these opinions every day and constantly adjust and improve themselves based on customer feedback.

One day, Brother Liu and the chefs sat together to discuss some suggestions in the suggestion box.

Brother Liu held up a note and said, "Some customers said our dishes are a bit strong and they hope they can be lighter. What do you think?"

Chef Lao Wang frowned and said, "This may require us to adjust the amount of seasoning, but will this affect the characteristics of the dish?"

The young chef Xiao Zhao said: "We can try to make some dishes with lighter flavors first to see how customers react. If the effect is good, we will gradually adjust other dishes."

Brother Liu nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's do it this way. We should try more and meet the needs of different customers." (End of this chapter)