Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

"Well, this is a good phenomenon. What about our competitors? Tell me about them." Wang Jianye nodded slightly and continued to ask.

"There are many competitors, boss. From the few I have observed, there is a restaurant called 'Golden Splendor', which is decorated luxuriously. The waiters inside all wear uniform high-end uniforms and provide very attentive service.

Their dishes are mainly high-end Cantonese cuisine, including shark fin, bird's nest and other valuable dishes, and the prices are naturally not low, taking the high-end consumption route. There is also a restaurant called "Simple Food Fashion", the decoration style is very simple and modern, with white and gray as the main colors, which makes people feel particularly refreshing.

Their menu is quite diverse, including home-cooked dishes from all over the country as well as some creative Western dishes. The prices are moderate, making it suitable for office workers and young families.

There is also a restaurant called "Local Flavor", which is full of local cultural characteristics from the outside to the inside. The waiters' clothes are all in local elements. Their dishes are mainly local specialties. After some improvements and innovations, the prices are relatively affordable, which attracts many local residents and tourists. "Xiao Wang introduced in detail.

Wang Jianye listened carefully to Xiao Wang's report, folded his hands on his chin, and pondered. After Xiao Wang finished speaking, he slowly said: "This is indeed a challenge, but competition is motivation. We have to think carefully about how to highlight our advantages and attract customers. Our Wang's full-line restaurants also have their own characteristics, such as the traditional cooking techniques we have always adhered to, and our strict control over the quality of ingredients. These are our advantages. But in this new environment, we still have to make some adjustments and innovations based on local conditions, and we can't remain unchanged."

Other managers also gathered around and joined the discussion.

Manager Xiao Li said: "Boss, I think we can do something about the decoration style. Since there are restaurants of various styles in that area, we can go for the fusion route and combine traditional elements with modern elements. This will not only reflect our historical heritage, but also show a sense of fashion. This may attract more customers."

Purchasing Director Lao Zhang continued, "Yes, there is also the food material aspect. We can combine local specialty ingredients to launch some new dishes. This will allow local customers to experience the familiar taste, while allowing foreign tourists to taste the local characteristics, which will also increase our competitiveness."

"Yes, you are all right." Wang Jianye nodded in agreement, "We will further improve our service so that customers can feel the warmth of home here and enjoy professional service at the same time."

After weighing the pros and cons, Wang Jianye finally decided to open a branch in that emerging commercial district. Once the decision was made, the entire management team became busy. The next step was the intense preparation work, from store decoration to staff recruitment, from procurement system construction to localized adjustment of dishes, every link could not be missed.

In terms of store decoration, the designer carefully designed a set of solutions based on the previously discussed fusion style concept. The traditional Chinese carved wooden doors and windows are used as embellishments, and the simple and bright modern lighting system is matched to create an atmosphere that is both simple and fashionable. The choice of tables and chairs is also very particular, using styles that have both traditional Chinese charm and ergonomics, so that customers can sit comfortably and feel the cultural atmosphere.

The decoration workers were busy at the construction site, and the project manager was directing them from the side.

"Masters, these carved doors and windows must be installed more carefully, as they are the key parts that reflect our traditional elements." The project manager reminded.

"Got it. Don't worry, we will be careful." The decorator responded.

In terms of recruitment, the human resources department released recruitment information through various channels, attracting many job seekers to apply. The interview scene was very lively, and the human resources manager and department heads personally supervised the interview.

"Do you have any previous experience in food service?" the HR manager asked a job applicant.

"Yes, I worked as a waiter in a small restaurant and I am quite familiar with the catering service process," the job seeker replied.

"So how much do you know about all of our Wang's restaurants?" the head of the catering department asked.

"I've heard that your restaurant has a very good reputation and the dishes are very unique. I really hope to join in and learn more," the job seeker said sincerely.

After layers of screening, we finally selected a group of experienced and enthusiastic employees who will provide high-quality services to customers after the branch opens.

In terms of building the procurement system, purchasing manager Lao Zhang led the team to run around and negotiate with local food suppliers.

"Our restaurant has very high requirements on the quality of ingredients. Can you guarantee that the ingredients you provide are fresh and uncontaminated?" Lao Zhang asked a supplier.

“Of course, our ingredients are purchased directly from local high-quality farms and fisheries. The quality is absolutely guaranteed.” The supplier replied confidently.

"What about the price? We hope to get a reasonable price. After all, our purchasing volume is not small." Lao Zhang continued to ask.

After some bargaining, we finally reached cooperation agreements with several suppliers, ensuring a stable supply of ingredients and reasonable prices for the branches.

The chef team also worked hard to localize the dishes. They conducted in-depth research on local food culture and special ingredients, combined with the traditional cooking techniques of Wang's full-line restaurants, and launched a series of new dishes.

Chen Xiaoyang said to the chefs: "Everyone should think carefully about how to combine local specialty ingredients with our traditional methods to make delicious and distinctive dishes."

"Chef, I think we can use the local fresh bamboo shoots and our old hens to make soup. The combination of the sweetness of the fresh bamboo shoots and the mellowness of the old hens will definitely be good." A chef suggested.

"Well, this is a good idea. What else? Everyone should use their brains to think about it." Chen Xiaoyang encouraged.

After many trials and adjustments, the chefs have introduced a series of new dishes such as "old hen stewed with fresh bamboo shoots", "braised local fish fillets", "special vegetables fried with bacon", etc. These dishes not only retain the traditional flavor of Wang's entire restaurant series, but also incorporate local characteristic elements, and are deeply loved by local customers and foreign tourists.

During the entire preparation process, Wang Jianye often inspected each link to ensure that every detail met the expected standards.

"We have to speed up the renovation. Time waits for no one. We have to open the store as soon as possible." Wang Jianye said to the decorator. "Yes, boss, we will speed up the process." The decorator replied.

"The training of new employees must also keep up, so that they can become familiar with our hotel's service procedures and concepts as soon as possible." Wang Jianye said to the human resources manager.

“Okay, boss, we have arranged special training courses and will get them up to speed as soon as possible,” responded the HR manager.

In the busy process of preparing for the branch, Wang Jianye always kept a clear head. If a restaurant wants to gain a long-term foothold in the fiercely competitive catering market, it cannot just focus on new expansion. The sustainable development of the head office is the foundation.

In his opinion, talent is undoubtedly one of the core competitive advantages of a hotel, especially young and potential chefs. They are like the stars of hope for the future development of the hotel and urgently need to be polished and sculpted.

Therefore, Wang Jianye made up his mind to increase the training of employees, especially to launch a series of targeted training programs for young chefs.

In order to provide the chefs with the most professional and practical cooking knowledge and skills, he spared no expense and specially invited several senior cooking masters who are highly respected and experienced in the catering industry from all over the country. He invited them to give lectures to the chefs in the hotel regularly, imparting traditional cooking techniques that have been accumulated over the years as well as some unique recipes, hoping to inject new vitality into the hotel's dishes and at the same time improve the overall cooking skills of the chefs.

On a sunny morning, the cooking master, Master Chen, came to give a lecture. The chefs finished their preparations early and sat neatly around the kitchen counter, their eyes revealing their thirst for knowledge and their eagerness to improve their cooking skills.

Chef Chen walked into the kitchen with steady steps. He was wearing a neat chef's uniform, a tall chef's hat, and a friendly smile on his face. He first looked around at the young chefs present and nodded slightly, seeming to be satisfied with everyone's enthusiasm.

Then, Master Chen walked to the operating table, picked up a sharp kitchen knife and a potato, and prepared to start today's class.

He demonstrated his exquisite knife skills that were like an artistic performance. The potatoes in his hand were quickly transformed into thin strands of uniform thickness under the rapid movement of the knife. At the same time, he said to the young chefs:
"Cooking is all about being attentive. The knife skills are not only about being fast, but more importantly, cutting evenly, so that the food can be heated evenly during the cooking process and taste good.

You see, if some of the potato shreds I am cutting are thick and some are thin, then when frying, the thin ones may be overcooked and become soft, while the thick ones are not fully cooked. The taste of the potato shreds will be greatly reduced, and the customers will not be satisfied with them. "

The young chefs all watched Master Chen's demonstration intently, not blinking, for fear of missing any details. Among them, the young chef Xiao Zhao listened particularly carefully, as he had a question in his mind and wanted to take this opportunity to ask Master Chen for advice.

When Master Chen finished demonstrating his knife skills and paused for a moment, Xiao Zhao couldn't wait to ask, "Master Chen, how can we make some ordinary ingredients special?

As you know, most of the ingredients used in our restaurant every day are common ones, such as potatoes, cabbage, chicken, pork, etc. It is really difficult to make unique dishes with these common ingredients. "

After hearing Xiao Zhao's question, Master Chen smiled approvingly, put down the kitchen knife in his hand, and replied with a smile: "This requires you to think more about it.

For example, everyone thinks potatoes are ordinary, but you can cut them into thin strips, soak them in cold water, then take them out and drain them, and stir-fry them with shredded green peppers and shredded meat. You need to control the heat well, and the fried potato shreds will be crispy and refreshing. This is innovation.

In fact, many common ingredients have infinite possibilities. The key lies in whether you can discover them carefully and try different processing methods and combinations. "

Master Chen paused, picked up another tomato and continued, "For example, tomatoes, we usually make scrambled eggs with tomatoes or tomato soup, which are quite common, right?

But you can try to remove the skin of the tomato, then make a cross cut on the top, scald it with boiling water, so that the skin of the tomato can be easily peeled off. Then cut the tomatoes into small pieces and slowly cook them into tomato sauce over low heat. You can add some rock sugar and lemon juice during the cooking process to increase its sweetness and acidity and flavor.

This homemade ketchup can be used with many dishes, such as dipping French fries or spreading it on bread, and it tastes great. Moreover, using it as a sauce for pasta and pairing it with some grilled steak or chicken will create a very distinctive Western dish. This is how new dishes and flavors are created by processing and matching ordinary ingredients in different ways.

After hearing what Master Chen said, the other young chefs nodded, with excitement flashing in their eyes, as if they had opened a door to a new world.

"Master Chen, besides these common vegetables, how do we innovate ingredients like meat?" another young chef, Xiao Li, couldn't help but ask.

Master Chen thought for a moment and replied, "Take pork for example. We usually cook braised pork and sweet and sour spareribs. But you can try cutting the pork into thin slices, marinating it with salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, and starch, and then frying it in a pan over low heat until both sides are golden brown.

Then use the remaining oil in the pan to stir-fry some chopped garlic and onion, add appropriate amounts of tomato sauce, sugar, white vinegar, and water to make sweet and sour sauce, then put the fried pork slices in and stir-fry evenly so that each piece of pork is covered with sweet and sour sauce.

The sweet and sour pork slices made in this way are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet and sour and delicious. They are different from the traditional sweet and sour pork ribs and are also an innovative way of cooking.”

Under the guidance of the masters, the chefs seemed to have obtained the keys to unlock the treasures of culinary arts, and their cooking skills have improved significantly.

After each class, the chefs will return to their respective posts, combine what they have learned, continue to try and practice, and incorporate those traditional cooking techniques and innovative ideas into daily dish preparation.

As time goes by, innovative dishes are popping up in the hotel kitchens like bamboo shoots after the rain.

The chefs fully combine local flavors and seasonal ingredients, constantly innovate and launch a series of new dishes that are eye-catching. (End of this chapter)