Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Chapter 502

After inspecting the head office and branches, Wang Jianye keenly noticed some potential problems.

Long-term high-intensity work is like a long marathon. Employees may be able to persevere in the short term with their enthusiasm and perseverance, but over time, fatigue will inevitably accumulate, which will in turn affect the service quality and the stability of the entire team.

This is undoubtedly a hidden danger that cannot be ignored for hotels that are in their growth phase.

So, on a sunny afternoon, Wang Jianye decided to hold a general staff meeting, hoping to take this opportunity to communicate with everyone, to express his gratitude to the employees for their hard work, and to plan more appropriate incentive measures for the long-term development of the hotel.

In the conference room, employees gathered together, and the originally spacious space now seemed a little crowded.

Everyone was either sitting or standing, with varying degrees of fatigue on their faces, but their eyes still revealed their pride in the hotel's development.

Some waiters took advantage of the meeting not starting yet to exchange low voices about interesting customers they just met in the restaurant;
The chefs joked with each other and laughed about how hard it was to be busy these past few days.

The logistics staff were also whispering about some trivial matters regarding the recent procurement of materials.

Wang Jianye walked up to the podium with steady steps. He first looked around at the employees below the stage, his eyes full of concern and gratitude.

Then, he cleared his throat and his loud voice echoed in the conference room: "Everyone has worked hard during this period. I see it all. The success of our hotel today is really inseparable from the hard work of every employee."

The audience suddenly fell silent. The employees raised their heads and looked at Wang Jianye intently, with a hint of relief in their eyes, as if all their hard work during this period was recognized at this moment.

Wang Jianye continued, “I know everyone has a heavy workload recently, busy from morning till night every day, and not even having time to breathe.

Just a few days ago, I saw a waiter named Xiao Li in the main store. He was responsible for several tables of guests. He ran around and was sweating profusely, but he still kept smiling and provided thoughtful service to the guests.

And Chef Zhang in our kitchen had so many orders that day that the stove never stopped burning and he was busy until late at night just to make sure that customers could have hot meals in time. "

When the waiter Xiao Li heard the boss mention his name, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly, while the chef Master Zhang smiled naively in the crowd.

"I have seen and remembered everyone's efforts. So, I discussed with the management and decided to give everyone an extra bonus to thank everyone for their hard work during this period."

As soon as Wang Jianye finished speaking, cheers and warm applause broke out from the audience.

The fatigue on the employees' faces was instantly replaced by surprise and relief. Everyone was whispering and talking excitedly.

"Wow, there really is a bonus, that's great!"

“It’s been a bit tiring during this period, but it’s worth it to get recognition from my boss!”

Wang Jianye looked at the excitement of his employees and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

But he quickly put away his smile, his expression became serious, and he raised his voice and said:
"But," this transition word made the originally noisy conference room quiet in an instant. The employees all looked at Wang Jianye curiously, wondering what he would say next.

“I hope everyone understands that bonuses are only a temporary incentive. Although they can make everyone feel happy and satisfied at the moment, they are far from enough for the long-term development of our hotel.

I hope that we can treat this job as a career and work together to make all Wang's hotels bigger and stronger. Therefore, I also plan to launch a long-term employee incentive plan. "

After hearing this, the employees in the audience nodded one after another, with a hint of anticipation in their eyes, waiting for Wang Jianye to introduce the contents of the plan in detail.

Wang Jianye paused and continued, "This long-term employee incentive plan mainly includes the following aspects. First, promotion opportunities are given based on your years of service and performance.

Our hotel is developing faster and faster and getting bigger and bigger, so we need more capable and experienced managers.

As long as you work hard and steadily in your position and make outstanding achievements, you will have the opportunity to be promoted to a higher position, take on more responsibilities, and get better treatment.

For example, if a waiter performs well, provides attentive service to customers, can effectively handle various emergencies, and does a good job in teamwork, he or she may be promoted to a foreman, responsible for managing a small team;

If a chef can continuously innovate dishes, ensure the quality and taste of dishes, and significantly improve the work efficiency in the kitchen, he or she will have the opportunity to be promoted to assistant chef and assist the chef in managing the daily affairs of the kitchen. "

A young waiter named Xiao Wang couldn't help but ask, "Boss, how are the promotion criteria measured? Is it difficult?"

Wang Jianye smiled and replied, "Xiao Wang, of course the promotion criteria must be clear and fair. We will formulate a detailed assessment system to evaluate everyone's work performance from multiple aspects.

For example, for waiters, in addition to the aspects I just mentioned, your knowledge of dishes will also be assessed, and whether you can accurately recommend appropriate dishes to customers;

For chefs, you will be assessed on your understanding of the characteristics of ingredients, your performance in cost control, etc. As long as you work hard, constantly improve yourself, and reach the corresponding standards, there will definitely be opportunities for promotion. "

After listening to this, Xiao Wang nodded thoughtfully. His colleagues also felt that this assessment system sounded reasonable. As long as they worked hard, they would have opportunities, and they all felt more motivated.

Wang Jianye continued: "Secondly, we will also increase welfare benefits.

In addition to existing salaries and bonuses, we will gradually increase your social security payment base based on your years of work, so that you will have more protection in terms of retirement, medical care, etc.

In addition, for employees with children, we will consider providing certain education subsidies to help reduce some of the financial burden on their families.

In addition, we organize regular physical examinations for employees. After all, everyone's health is the capital of the revolution. Only when you are healthy can you work better. "After hearing this, an old employee, Lao Zhang, said with emotion: "Boss, you are so thoughtful. The cost of children's schooling is not low now. If there is an education subsidy, it will really help a lot."

Other employees with children also chimed in and expressed their agreement.

"Finally, and this is also very important, we will provide excellent employees with opportunities for external study and training. The catering industry is constantly developing and changing. We cannot stand still and must constantly learn new concepts and new technologies to keep up with the times.

Outstanding employees will be selected to study in some well-known catering companies or professional training institutions to learn their advanced management experience, service skills, cooking techniques, etc.

After returning, you should share the knowledge and experience you have learned with other colleagues to drive everyone to make progress together." Wang Jianye introduced this last incentive measure in detail.

The young chef Xiao Zhao said excitedly: "Boss, it would be great if I could go out to study! I have always wanted to learn some new cooking skills and come back to make more delicious dishes for customers."

Wang Jianye smiled and said, "Xiao Zhao, as long as you work hard, there will definitely be opportunities. I hope everyone can actively strive for it, constantly improve themselves, and contribute more to the development of our hotel."

An old employee said with emotion: "Boss, since you care so much about us, we will definitely work harder and treat the restaurant as our own home."

The other employees nodded in agreement, and the young employees' eyes sparkled with excitement, as if they had seen a bright future of continuous promotion, learning and growth in the hotel.

Through the launch of this employee incentive program, the enthusiasm and loyalty of hotel employees have been greatly improved.

Some negative emotions that may have been caused by work fatigue were swept away, and everyone devoted themselves to their daily work with greater enthusiasm.

In the restaurant, the waiters' service attitude has become more enthusiastic and proactive.

In the past, they might have only completed the basic tasks of taking orders, serving food and clearing the table, but now they will observe the customers' needs more attentively and proactively ask the customers whether they need more tea, whether they are satisfied with the dishes, etc.

Once, a customer accidentally dropped his chopsticks on the ground while dining. The waiter Xiao Chen was quick to run over and pick up the chopsticks. He smiled and said to the customer, "Sorry, sir. I'll change a new pair of chopsticks for you. Are you enjoying your meal? Is there anything I can help you with?"

The customer was very satisfied with Xiao Chen's thoughtful service and said with a smile: "It's okay, your service is getting better and better, thank you."

Chefs are also more actively involved in their work in the kitchen. They are no longer satisfied with just cooking dishes according to traditional recipes, but have begun to try various new ideas and combinations, hoping to launch more new dishes that will satisfy customers.

Chef Li said to the young chefs: "Everyone has heard what the boss said. We must seize the opportunity. Now we have such good incentives. We must work hard to achieve results, strive to go out and learn, and come back to bring our restaurant's dishes to a new level."

The young chef Xiao Sun responded: "Master Li, don't worry, we will definitely work hard. I have been thinking about how to combine the newly purchased ingredients with our traditional dishes to make an innovative dish these two days."

……

When it comes to purchasing, purchasing staff are fully aware of the responsibilities they shoulder.

They understand that every delicious dish that reaches their customers' tables begins with the ingredients they purchase.

Nowadays, the hotel industry is developing so well, and the requirements for food ingredients cannot be sloppy at all. It is necessary to control costs as much as possible while ensuring quality in order to achieve sustainable development of the hotel.

Lao Wang, the purchasing supervisor and a veteran who has been working in the catering purchasing industry for many years, always keeps this responsibility in mind.

He comes to the office early every day, sorts out the shopping lists for various ingredients, analyzes the recent fluctuations in market prices, and constantly thinks about how to make the purchasing work more perfect.

On this day, the sunlight shone through the window onto the desk in the office. As usual, Lao Wang was concentrating on studying a new food purchasing plan.

With the continuous increase in passenger flow, the demand for food is also rising. Although some previous procurement channels and suppliers have always cooperated smoothly, under the new situation, some changes and expansions may be needed to better meet the development needs of the hotel.

Lao Wang raised his head and looked at his subordinates who came into the office one after another, his eyes revealing seriousness and expectation. After everyone arrived, he cleared his throat and said in a louder voice: "Everyone, work harder. Now that the restaurant is developing so well, we can't let down the chain of ingredients.

You see, the store is crowded every day, and customers are full of praise for our dishes, but what is the reason behind this? It is the ingredients we purchase.

If there is something wrong with the ingredients, it will be the end of the world. It will directly affect the quality of the dishes, and if the customers are not satisfied with the food, the reputation of our restaurant will be ruined.”

The subordinates nodded one after another with serious expressions on their faces. They all understood the seriousness of what Lao Wang said.

Lao Wang continued, "So, we have to be more careful in finding high-quality suppliers and strive to purchase better ingredients at a more reasonable price. This is not an easy task and requires a lot of effort.

We can’t just save trouble by sticking to the same few suppliers. We need to expand our channels and visit more suppliers to control costs while ensuring the quality of ingredients.”

Purchasing specialist Xiao Li frowned and said, "Manager Wang, I know we need to find new suppliers, but the market is so big that it's not easy to find the right ones. Last time I visited a few suppliers, either the prices were not right or the quality of the ingredients was not up to standard. It felt like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Lao Wang patted Xiao Li on the shoulder and consoled him, "Xiao Li, I understand your difficulties. This matter is indeed difficult to handle, but precisely because it is difficult, it highlights our importance.

I also know about your last inspection. The market is mixed, but we can't lose heart. You have to clarify our specific requirements for ingredients, such as vegetables must be freshly picked, meat must be formally inspected and quarantined, and the taste and quality must meet certain standards. Then select suppliers according to these requirements, so that the goal will be clearer. "

Another purchasing specialist, Xiao Zhang, also echoed, "Manager Wang, there is also the issue of price. Prices are rising now. When some suppliers hear that we are purchasing from a big hotel, they deliberately raise the price in order to make more money from us. How can we keep the price down while ensuring quality?"

(End of this chapter)