Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Among them, the new dish "Braised Duck with Spring Bamboo Shoots" has been well received by customers since its launch. The birth of this dish originated from a discussion among chefs about seasonal ingredients in spring.

It was a morning after a spring rain. The chefs in the kitchen sat together, discussing how to make a special dish using the freshly available spring bamboo shoots.

Chen Xiaoyang was the first to speak: "Spring bamboo shoots are in season now, they are tender and fresh. We need to figure out how to combine them with the ingredients we have in our restaurant to make a delicious dish."

Young chef Xiao Zhao suggested: "I think we can try pairing it with duck meat. The sweetness of spring bamboo shoots and the freshness of duck meat should blend well together."

The other chefs agreed, so everyone decided to try making this dish "Braised Duck with Spring Bamboo Shoots".

The chefs first selected several local ducks, which were carefully purchased from local farmers. They were tender and mellow in taste. They slaughtered and cleaned the ducks, cut them into pieces of appropriate size, and blanched them in boiling water to remove the blood and fishy smell.

Then, the chefs selected the freshest and tenderest spring bamboo shoots, peeled them, cut them into dice, and blanched them in boiling water for later use.

Next, the key step is seasoning. The chefs create a unique sauce based on their previous experience and the techniques they learned from the cooking masters.

This sauce is made from bean paste, sweet noodle sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, rock sugar, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and other main ingredients. It is carefully boiled and has a fragrant aroma.

Chen Xiaoyang personally cooked the dish. He first poured a proper amount of cooking oil into the pot, and when the oil was hot, he added slices of ginger, scallions, and garlic cloves and stir-fried until they were fragrant. Then he added the blanched duck pieces and stir-fried until the surface of the duck pieces was slightly yellow. Then he poured in the prepared unique sauce and continued to stir-fry evenly, so that every piece of duck meat was covered with the sauce.

After that, add an appropriate amount of water to cover the duck, put in the blanched bamboo shoots, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat. During the simmering process, Chen Xiaoyang occasionally opened the lid to check the state of the dish and adjust the heat and the thickness of the soup.

After about an hour of stewing, when the soup in the pot becomes thick, the duck meat becomes tender and juicy, and the spring bamboo shoots absorb the aroma of the duck meat and sauce, becoming sweeter and more delicious, the dish of "Braised Duck with Spring Bamboo Shoots" is finally done.

When this dish was served to customers' tables, they were attracted by its color and aroma.

After tasting the dish, a customer couldn't help but exclaim: "This dish is so delicious! The duck meat is tender, the spring bamboo shoots are sweet, and the sauce is also very special, rich and mellow, blending the flavors of the duck meat and spring bamboo shoots just right. The new dish your restaurant launched this time is really great!"

Hearing the praise from customers, the chefs' faces were filled with proud smiles. They knew that their efforts and innovations were recognized by customers, which was the greatest encouragement to them.

In addition to "braised duck with spring bamboo shoots", chefs have also introduced many other new dishes that combine local flavors and seasonal ingredients.

For example, in summer, fresh lotus leaves and local river fish are used to make "steamed river fish in lotus leaves".

The chefs first wash the river fish, make a few cuts on the fish, and marinate it with salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, ginger slices, and green onion segments for a while.

Then, select a large lotus leaf, wash it and spread it on the bottom of the steamer, put the marinated river fish on the lotus leaf, put some chopped mushrooms, ham, shredded green onion and ginger and other ingredients on the fish, drizzle some cooking oil, cover the steamer lid, and steam it over high heat.

The steamed river fish has the fragrance of lotus leaves, the fish meat is tender and the taste is fresh, and it is deeply loved by customers.

In autumn, chefs use local chestnuts, chickens and yam to make "Chestnut and Yam Stewed Chicken". The chicken is slaughtered and cleaned, cut into large pieces and blanched in boiling water.

Peel the chestnuts and peel the yam and cut it into sections. First put the chicken pieces into the pot, add appropriate amount of water, ginger slices, scallions, and cooking wine, bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer over low heat.

After stewing for about half an hour, add chestnuts and yam, continue stewing until all the ingredients are cooked, and finally add appropriate amounts of salt, pepper and other seasonings.

This dish has a rich soup, tender chicken, sweet chestnuts, soft and glutinous yam, and is rich in nutrition. It is also a frequent guest on customers' tables.

In winter, chefs use local bacon, cabbage and vermicelli to make "bacon, cabbage and vermicelli stew". Cut the bacon into thin slices, cut the cabbage into pieces, and soak the vermicelli in warm water.

First pour a proper amount of cooking oil into the casserole, add the bacon slices and stir-fry to release the oil, add the cabbage pieces and stir-fry until soft, then add the softened vermicelli, pour in a proper amount of water, add ginger slices, scallion segments, salt, pepper and other seasonings, cover the casserole lid, and simmer over low heat.

The cooked dishes are steaming hot, and the salty and fragrant taste of bacon, the sweetness of cabbage, and the soft and glutinous vermicelli blend together, giving people a warm and satisfying feeling. It is deeply loved by customers in the cold winter.

In order to further enhance the dining experience of customers, the hotel has also worked hard on service quality. Wang Jianye requires all waiters to participate in regular service training to learn how to observe customers' needs more meticulously and how to serve customers with a more enthusiastic and professional attitude.

One day, a customer brought his child to eat. The child accidentally dropped his spoon on the ground. Seeing this, the waiter Xiao Li immediately walked over with a smile, not only quickly picked up the spoon and replaced it with a new one, but also considerately brought a wet towel, gently wiped the child's hand, and said: "Little friend, it's okay, be careful next time."

The customer was very moved when he saw this scene and said to Xiao Li: "Your service here is really thoughtful. I have never encountered such a considerate waiter when I take my children out to eat."

Through these efforts in details, the hotel’s customer satisfaction continues to rise and the number of repeat customers is increasing.

……

After several months of intensive preparations, the branch of Wang's full range of hotels finally opened grandly in that highly anticipated emerging commercial district.

On the opening day, the sun was shining brightly, as if God was cheering for this happy event.

The entrance of the branch was decorated in a particularly festive manner, with rows of colorful flower baskets neatly arranged, emitting bursts of rich floral fragrance.

Strings of firecrackers were hung high up, and with a loud ignition command, the sound of firecrackers crackled through the sky. The deafening sound attracted many passers-by to stop and watch.

People looked around curiously at the newly opened restaurant, some were talking among themselves, while others were attracted by the lively atmosphere and couldn't help but approach to find out more. The waiters at the door were dressed in neat uniforms, with warm smiles on their faces, busy greeting every guest who came to watch, handing out exquisite brochures, introducing the restaurant's special dishes and opening promotions.

However, after the lively opening ceremony, when it really entered the daily operation stage, the initial business of the branch was not as booming as everyone had imagined.

Although the hotel had done a lot of publicity before opening, including distributing flyers in the surrounding areas, placing advertisements in local newspapers, and cooperating with nearby businesses for publicity, the diversion effect of several large-scale competitors in the surrounding area was still quite obvious.

As the days passed, the number of customers in the store became sparse, and there was no bustling scene with crowds of people and full seats. The branch manager Xiao Zhang felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his heart, heavy.

Finally, on the fifth day after the opening, Xiao Zhang called Wang Jianye anxiously, his voice full of anxiety: "Boss, it's been a few days since the opening, but the business is still not very good. What do you think we should do? I'm really worried."

Wang Jianye on the other end of the phone could hear Xiao Zhang's anxiety, and he quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, Xiao Zhang, this is just the beginning. No business is smooth sailing from the beginning, and it is normal to encounter some setbacks. We have to analyze the reasons carefully to see if the promotion is not in place, or if there are problems with the dishes or services. Don't panic, let's work together to find a solution."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianye immediately made arrangements and organized a special team, whose members included experienced managers, marketing experts, and service quality supervisors drawn from the head office, to conduct a comprehensive and detailed investigation and analysis of the branch's operating conditions.

The investigation team acted quickly, splitting up into several groups and beginning to collect information from all aspects.

Some team members pretended to be ordinary customers and personally experienced the dining process in the store, observing the waiters' service details and paying attention to customers' reactions and feedback;

Some randomly interview passers-by at the store entrance, surrounding streets, office buildings, residential areas, etc., asking them about their knowledge of the restaurant, their impression of it, and whether they are willing to dine there.
Others went deep into the kitchen to communicate with the chefs to understand the preparation process of the dishes, the selection of ingredients, and whether there are any difficulties and problems.

After several days of intense and busy investigation, the team members gathered together again to sort out and analyze the information they had collected. In the analysis meeting, everyone reported their findings one after another.

A member who pretended to be a customer and experienced the dining experience first said: "I found that although the dishes of our branch store have maintained the same level as the main store and the taste is indeed good, the taste is a bit monotonous.

For example, our local customers have quite diverse tastes. Some like spicy food, some like light taste, some like sweet and sour taste, and so on.

However, our current dishes are still mainly based on the classic flavors of the head office, without fully considering the diverse taste demands of local customers.

The customers at the table next to me murmured that it would be better if there were some spicier dishes, as they felt the current dishes were a bit too bland.

Another member who was responsible for interviewing pedestrians outside the store also went on to say: “I also found similar problems during the interview process.

Many passers-by said that they knew our restaurant was open and had seen the promotion, but when they looked at the menu, they felt that there didn't seem to be any dishes that particularly attracted them.

Moreover, some people mentioned that our service staff did not seem to be very familiar with some of the special local dining customs.

For example, here, some older people like to scald their bowls and chopsticks with hot water before eating. This is a habit.

But I saw some waiters were a little confused by the customer's behavior, and even did not provide hot water in time, which might make the customer feel that our service is not considerate enough. "

The member who was in charge of the kitchen survey also added: "In the kitchen, the chefs' skills are really amazing, and the quality and speed of preparation of the dishes are pretty good.

However, they also mentioned that they were not yet proficient in using some local specialty ingredients, and some opportunities to use local specialty ingredients to make dishes that better suit the tastes of local people were missed. "

After listening to everyone's reports, Wang Jianye frowned and fell into deep thought. He knew very well that if these problems were not solved in time, the business of the branch would hardly improve significantly.

So he made a decisive decision: "Now that we have found the problem, we must solve it immediately. In order to solve the problem of the single taste of dishes, the chef team must take immediate action, study the taste preferences of local customers, and add some dishes with local flavors.

There is also the problem that service staff do not understand local dining customs, and special training should be arranged as soon as possible so that everyone can better serve customers.”

After receiving the task, the chef team immediately held an internal meeting. Chen Xiaoyang stood in the middle of the kitchen and said to the chefs with a serious expression: "Everyone has heard the boss's request. We must quickly think of a way to maintain the characteristics of our main restaurant's dishes and add some dishes that suit the tastes of local people.

This is a big deal that affects whether our branch's business can improve, so everyone should use their brains to think about it."

The young chef Xiao Li scratched his head and said, "Chef, I think we can do a survey first to see what local customers like best, and then develop dishes in a targeted manner.

For example, I heard that people here like spicy food very much, so can we start with spicy dishes? "

Chen Xiaoyang listened, nodded slightly, and said: "Xiao Li, this is a good idea. Conducting a survey can indeed help us understand customers' taste needs more clearly.

However, just knowing that we like spicy food is not enough. We also have to study the special methods of cooking local spicy dishes. We can’t just make any spicy dish and call it a day.

How about this, we divide into several groups, one group goes to nearby restaurants to try the spicy dishes and learn how they cook;

One group went to the market to research local specialty ingredients to see which ones were suitable for making spicy dishes;
Another group is here to think about the dishes in our main restaurant, to see if we can improve on the original ones and add some spicy elements. Let's all take action."

So, the chefs started to act according to their division of labor. The group that went to the surrounding restaurants to research would go to different restaurants every day to taste spicy dishes, and after returning, they would share their feelings and findings with everyone in detail. (End of this chapter)