Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

One day, Xiao Wang, who was on a research trip, came back to the kitchen and said excitedly to everyone, "Do you know? I went to a very famous local restaurant today. They have a dish called 'Spicy Fresh Fish' that is so delicious!"
The fish is freshly killed and is very fresh. Then a lot of local special seasonings are used, such as Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, pickled peppers, etc. The fish is spicy, fresh and has a rich flavor.

I think we can learn from their approach and combine it with some of the cooking techniques of our main restaurant to make our own 'spicy and fragrant fish'."

After hearing this, the other chefs also became interested and gathered around to listen to Xiao Wang's detailed description of the recipe for the dish.

"So how do they prepare the fish? Do they fillet it or dice it?" asked the chef.

"They cut the fish into large pieces, which makes it more enjoyable to eat. And when marinating the fish, in addition to the usual seasonings such as salt and cooking wine, they also add some local special sauces, I think it's called bean paste or something like that, which makes the fish more flavorful." Xiao Wang replied.

"Well, that sounds good. How do they make their soup?" another chef asked curiously.

"To make the soup, first use oil to sauté peppercorns, chili peppers, ginger slices, and garlic cloves, then add an appropriate amount of water, and then put in seasonings such as bean paste, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and salt and boil them together. The boiled soup is red and bright, and the flavor is particularly rich. Finally, put the processed fish pieces in and simmer over low heat to allow the fish pieces to fully absorb the flavor of the soup." Xiao Wang explained in detail.

After listening to Xiao Wang's introduction, the chefs all thought that this method was worth learning from. So they immediately tried it and improved the dish by combining some cooking techniques from the head office. After several experiments, they finally made a "spicy and fragrant fish" that was in line with the style of all Wang's restaurants.

Once this "spicy and fragrant fish" was launched, it immediately attracted the attention of many local customers. Many customers who like spicy food praised it after tasting it.

"Oh, this fish is so delicious! It's spicy, numb, and fresh, and the fish meat is especially tender. It's worthy of being a spicy dish made by a big restaurant. It's better than any I've had elsewhere." A customer said while wiping the sweat off his face with a flushed face.

"Yes, I like to eat this kind of fish with a stronger flavor. I have never eaten such delicious fish here before. Now I can come here often to eat." Another customer also agreed.

At the same time, the service staff are also intensively carrying out special training on local dining customs. The training classroom is full of waiters from branches, and everyone listens attentively to the training teacher's explanation.

The training teacher stood on the podium, holding a book in his hand, which recorded in detail the various local dining customs.

As she flipped through the information, she said to the waiters, "You should know that since we opened a restaurant in this place, we have to understand the local culture and customs, especially the dining customs, which is very important for us to serve our customers well.

For example, here, some older people like to scald their bowls and chopsticks with hot water before eating. This is not only a habit, but also a respect for hygiene.

So, when we see a customer doing this, we should proactively provide hot water in a timely manner and be warm and friendly.”

A young waiter, Xiao Sun, raised his hand and asked, "Teacher, if customers like to put food into their own bowls before eating, how should we serve them? This seems a little different from our usual service style at the main store."

The trainer smiled and replied: "This is also a local dining habit. When we see customers doing this, we should not feel strange or interfere with them, but pay more attention to their needs to see if they need to add meals or have other requirements.

We must respect the dining habits of every customer and make them feel the warmth and comfort of home here.”

Through this special training, the service staff have a deeper understanding of local dining customs and are more adept at serving.

One day, an elderly man with gray hair and a kind face, supported by his family, slowly walked into the restaurant.

Although the old man's steps were a little unsteady, he was followed by his son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and a whole family, making it a lively and bustling place.

As soon as he sat down, the old man raised his head and looked at the waiter Xiao Zhou who was closest to him. He smiled and said, "Little girl, please bring me a pot of hot water. I need to scald the dishes and chopsticks."

When the waitress Xiao Zhou heard the old man's request, she immediately stopped arranging the tablecloth, a friendly smile instantly appeared on her face, she bowed slightly, and replied enthusiastically: "Okay, old man, please wait a moment, the hot water will be here soon."

After saying that, he walked quickly towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the chefs are busy preparing various dishes. The flames on the stove are roaring and the dishes in the pots are emitting tempting aromas.

Xiao Zhou hurried in, without any delay, and went straight to where the kettle was placed.

She picked up a clean kettle and skillfully turned on the hot water tap. She watched the hot water gurgle into the kettle and muttered to herself, "You have to fill it up a little more. Don't keep me waiting anxiously."

After a while, the kettle was full. Xiao Zhou carefully carried the kettle of steaming hot water and hurried back to the restaurant.

She came to the old man's table, gently put down the kettle, then picked up the bowl and chopsticks in front of the old man, gently poured hot water for him, and said as she poured: "Uncle, be careful when you heat the bowl and chopsticks, don't burn yourself."

The old man looked at Xiao Zhou's series of thoughtful actions with his eyes full of relief and satisfaction. He nodded repeatedly and said to Xiao Zhou with a smile: "Oh, little girl, thank you, your service is really thoughtful."

Xiao Zhou smiled and responded: "Uncle, this is what we should do. When you come to eat with us, we must make you feel comfortable and at ease."

The old man turned to look at his family members around him, with a happy smile on his face, and said: "The service attitude of this restaurant is really good. They know our habits. We can come here to eat often in the future."

The old man's son also agreed, "Yes, Dad, this restaurant does look good. The waiters are so attentive, so the food must be good."

The grandchildren of the old man were chattering on the side: "Grandpa, it's so lively here. I'm hungry. Please serve the food quickly."

When Xiao Zhou heard what the children said, he smiled and said to them, "Don't worry, kids. The uncles and aunts are working hard in the kitchen to prepare delicious food for you. The food will be served soon."

At this time, the customers in another private room also caught Xiao Zhou's attention. They were a young couple, the boy was frowning and seemed to be talking about something unpleasant with the girl.

Xiao Zhou walked up and asked softly, "Hello, how can I help you?"

The boy said impatiently: "The air conditioning in our private room doesn't seem to be cooling well. It's so hot. How can we eat this meal?"

Xiao Zhou quickly apologized: "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Please wait a moment, I'll go check what's going on." After that, Xiao Zhou immediately turned around to find the staff responsible for equipment maintenance in the store. After a while, she hurried back with the maintenance technician.

The maintenance technician checked the air conditioner and found that the air outlet was partially blocked, affecting the cooling effect. He quickly cleaned the air outlet and adjusted the air conditioner settings.

Xiao Zhou waited anxiously on the side. After the maintenance technician finished, she hurried to the couple's table and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. The air conditioner has been repaired now. Do you think the temperature is right?"

The boy felt it, and the unhappiness on his face disappeared immediately. He smiled and said, "Well, I feel much better now, thank you."

The girl also smiled and said: "You guys handle the problem pretty quickly. Your service attitude is really good."

Xiao Zhou responded with a smile: "This is what we should do. I hope you two enjoy your meal."

As these targeted adjustment measures were gradually implemented, the branch's business gradually improved.

The originally sparse number of customers began to increase, and the atmosphere in the store became more and more lively.

In a corner of the restaurant, there were several business people sitting, discussing important business matters.

The waiter Xiao Li noticed that the water in their water glasses was almost empty, so he walked over quietly, picked up the kettle, bowed slightly, and asked softly: "Excuse me, gentlemen, can I give you some water?"

One of the business people looked up, smiled, nodded, and said, "Okay, thank you."

As Xiao Li poured the water, he said, "Gentlemen, if you have any other needs, please feel free to let me know."

Another businessman said with a smile: "Your service is really good and considerate. We can talk about things here without being disturbed."

Xiao Li responded: "Thank you for your compliment. We just hope to provide every customer with a comfortable dining environment so that you can concentrate on doing your own things."

In another part of the restaurant, there was a table of old friends gathered. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they were chatting animatedly, their voices unconsciously getting louder.

When the waiter Xiao Chen saw this, he was worried that their noise would disturb other customers’ meals, so he walked over and said with a smile:

"Dear uncles and aunts, long time no see. I'm so happy to see you all chatting so happily. But the noise here is a little loud. It may affect other customers. Can we lower the volume a little?"

An auntie smiled and said, "Oh, sorry, we were so happy that we didn't notice it. OK, let's keep our voices down."

Xiao Chen quickly said, "It's okay. The most important thing is that the uncles and aunts are happy. I'm just reminding you. If you need anything, just tell me."

Another uncle smiled and said: "You are really good at talking, and your service attitude is really good. We will pay attention to it."

Customers' evaluation of the restaurant is getting better and better. They not only praise the rich and diverse dishes and unique tastes, but also give thumbs up to the attentive service of the waiters.

A table of customers had just finished eating, paid the bill and left, and the waiter Xiao Zhang was cleaning the table.

At this time, a customer at the next table said to him: "Young man, your restaurant is really good now. When the guests at that table left just now, I heard them keep praising your delicious food and thoughtful service. I felt that it was true while eating here."

Xiao Zhang responded with a smile: "Thank you for your compliment. We have been working hard to improve, hoping to satisfy every customer."

At the entrance of the restaurant, a mother with her child was about to leave. She said to the waiter Xiao Wang who came up to her, "Your place is really good. My child is picky about food. When I ordered the dishes just now, I was worried that he wouldn't like anything. I didn't expect that the dishes recommended by your waiter were really liked by my child. You were also very considerate and prepared children's tableware for my child. Thank you so much."

Xiao Wang smiled and said, "This is what we should do. We are happy to see the children enjoying their meals. I hope you will come to eat here again next time."

As business grows better and better, the branch staff are busier, but they always maintain a warm and thoughtful service attitude.

During a peak dining time, the restaurant was almost full of customers. The waiter Xiao Zhao was serving food to a table of customers. Suddenly, a customer accidentally knocked over a drink on the table, and the drink spilled all over the floor and splashed onto several customers next to him.

The customer who knocked over the drink said with a guilty look on his face: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I was so careless."

Xiao Zhao quickly put down the dish in his hand, handed a tissue to the customer who was splashed, and said, "It's okay, don't worry, it's just a small accident. I'll help everyone wipe it first, and then clean up the floor right away."

Xiao Zhao quickly took a mop and cleaned the floor. He then served the dishes to the table of customers again and said to everyone with a smile, "Okay, everything is fine now. Let's continue eating. I hope I won't affect your good mood."

The customers who were splashed said: "It's okay, it's okay, you handled it very quickly and your attitude was very good, thank you."

……

As the restaurant business prospers, its reputation spreads far and wide, attracting more and more customers to come and taste the delicious food.

This undoubtedly led to a continuous increase in the restaurant's customer flow. During peak meal times, the restaurant was bustling with people inside and outside, making it extremely lively.

Behind such a busy scene is the hard work of the employees. The waiters shuttled around the restaurant, taking orders, serving food, and clearing tables, their steps were hurried but orderly;

The chefs are busy in the stuffy kitchen. Faced with a mountain of orders, they still concentrate on cooking every dish to ensure the consistency of taste and quality.

The purchasing staff is running around, negotiating cooperation with various suppliers to ensure the freshness and sufficient supply of ingredients. (End of this chapter)