Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Lao Wang pondered for a moment and said, "This depends on our negotiation skills and market insight. First of all, we must have a clear understanding of the market price and cannot be led by the nose by the suppliers.

Pay more attention to the market conditions of the agricultural product market and the meat market to see the approximate price range of similar ingredients.

Then, when negotiating with suppliers, we should show the advantages of our hotel, such as our large purchase volume, long-term cooperation, etc., to let them know that it is profitable to cooperate with us, but the premise is that the price must be reasonable. If they ask for too much, we will decisively change to another one and not indulge them. "

Purchasing assistant Xiao Wang asked: "Manager Wang, what should we do if we encounter a supplier whose quality seems OK but whose price is a little higher?"

Lao Wang smiled and said, “Xiao Wang, now is the time to weigh the pros and cons.

If the quality of their ingredients is indeed much better than that of other places, and this high quality can bring a significant improvement to our dishes, then it is worth it to increase the cost slightly.

But if the quality improvement is not obvious, we will have to negotiate the price with them again, or look for other more suitable ones. After all, we have to consider the balance between cost and quality. "

After listening to Lao Wang's explanation, the subordinates nodded thoughtfully and had a clearer idea about the subsequent procurement work.

Lao Wang looked at everyone and encouraged them, "Don't worry, although the task is arduous, I believe that as long as we work together, we can definitely do a good job in this procurement.

We are doing this not only to complete the task, but also for the long-term development of our restaurant, so that our customers can always enjoy delicious meals.

Now, let's take action, follow the method we just mentioned, go to the market more often, and inspect suppliers more often."

The subordinates responded one after another: "Okay, Manager Wang, we'll go right away."

After that, purchasing specialist Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang teamed up to go to the surrounding agricultural product markets to inspect vegetable suppliers. They walked out of the office and discussed as they walked.

Xiao Li said, "Xiao Zhang, we have to be more careful this time. Manager Wang is right. We have to clarify our requirements for vegetables first. For example, in our restaurant, vegetables must be picked on the same day, there must not be any rotten or yellow leaves, and they must taste fresh and tender. These are the basic requirements."

Xiao Zhang nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. I was thinking, in addition to these, can we also see if there are any suppliers who can provide some special vegetables?

Nowadays, customers have more and more diverse tastes. If we can add some special vegetables to our dishes, we may be able to attract more customers.”

Xiao Li's eyes lit up: "Hey, your idea is good. For example, purple cabbage and small finger carrots, I have seen them in some high-end restaurants, they look very attractive. If we can find a supplier of these special vegetables, maybe we can add a lot of novelty to our dishes."

As they talked, they came to the agricultural product market. The market was crowded with people and there were all kinds of vegetable stalls. They inspected the stalls one by one.

Xiao Li walked to a stall, looked at the vegetables on the stall, and asked, "Boss, your vegetables look very fresh. Are they just picked today?"

The stall owner replied enthusiastically: "Of course, I picked them from the fields this morning and brought them here, so they are guaranteed to be fresh."

Xiao Li carefully checked the vegetables and found some leaves had slight worm holes. He frowned and said, "Boss, although your vegetables look fresh, some of the leaves have worm holes. This does not meet the requirements of our restaurant. Our restaurant requires vegetables to be clean and without worm holes."

The stall owner quickly explained: "Oh, the wormhole is not a problem, it's just a little bit, it doesn't affect the taste. And my price is cheap, more affordable than other stores."

Xiao Li shook his head and said, "No, Boss. Our restaurant has very high requirements for the quality of ingredients. We can't lower the standards just because the price is cheap. Thank you. Let's look at other restaurants."

After that, Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang continued to move forward to inspect the next stall.

At the same time, purchasing assistant Xiao Wang went to the meat market alone to inspect meat suppliers. He came to a meat shop, looked at the various meats hanging in the shop, and asked the owner: "Boss, are all your meats from regular channels? Have they been inspected and quarantined?"

The shop owner confidently replied, "Of course, this meat comes from a regular slaughterhouse, and all the paperwork is complete, so you can buy it with confidence."

Xiao Wang was still worried. He carefully checked the color and texture of the meat, smelled the meat, and said, "Boss, the color of your meat looks a bit dull, and the texture is not very clear. I feel the quality is not very good."

The shop owner said unhappily, "Hey, young man, don't talk nonsense. There is absolutely no problem with my meat. If you don't believe me, you can ask other people who have bought it."

Xiao Wang patiently explained, "Boss, I'm not picking on you. I'm purchasing ingredients for our restaurant. We have very high requirements for meat. It has to be fresh, rosy in color, with clear texture and good taste. Your meat obviously doesn't meet our requirements. Thank you. I'll go look at other places."

After that, Xiao Wang left the store and continued to look for a suitable supplier in the meat market.

In the following days, the purchasing staff shuttled between various markets, negotiated and inspected with many suppliers. They did not miss any possible opportunity, and every time they met a supplier, they would ask in detail about the source, quality, price, etc. of the ingredients, and strictly screened them according to the requirements of the hotel.

One day, when Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang were investigating vegetable suppliers, they found a stall that seemed to have great potential. The vegetables on the stall were not only fresh, but also varied, and even had some specialty vegetables that they had been looking for.

Xiao Li said to Xiao Zhang excitedly: "Xiao Zhang, look at this one, it seems pretty good. The vegetables are fresh and unique, maybe it's what we are looking for."

Xiao Zhang also nodded in agreement: "Well, let's go and ask about the situation."

The two walked to the stall, and Xiao Li asked, "Boss, your vegetables look great, did you grow them all yourself?"

The stall owner smiled and replied, "Yes, I have a few plots of land, which my family and I have carefully cultivated. We don't use pesticides, but only farmyard manure to ensure that they are green and healthy."

Xiao Zhang then asked: "What about the price? We are the purchasing staff of Wang's entire restaurant chain. The purchasing volume of our restaurant is not small. If we can cooperate with you, what kind of price can you give us?" The stall owner thought for a while and said: "Since you are purchasing from a large restaurant, I will definitely give you a discount. However, the specific price depends on how much you want."

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang looked at each other and thought there was a chance, so they talked to the stall owner in detail, discussing everything from the types and quantities of vegetables to prices and delivery methods.

After some negotiations, although the final price had not been completely agreed upon, Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang felt that this supplier was very sincere and the quality of the vegetables was indeed good, so they decided to record the information of this stall first, go back and report to Lao Wang to see if they could reach further cooperation.

In the meat market, Xiao Wang also made a new discovery. He found a meat supplier whose meat was not only ruddy in color and clear in texture, but also came from a regular large slaughterhouse, so the quality was guaranteed.

When Xiao Wang asked the supplier about the price, although the price given by the supplier was slightly higher than that of some small shops, Xiao Wang felt it was still acceptable considering the quality of the meat.

However, Xiao Wang still wanted to negotiate a more reasonable price, so he said to the supplier: "Boss, the quality of your meat is really good, but our restaurant purchases a large amount. If we want long-term cooperation, can you give us a little discount?"

The supplier hesitated and said, "Well, I have to consider the cost as well. But since you are purchasing in such a large quantity, I can lower the price a little bit, but not too much."

Xiao Wang thought this was a good opportunity, so he continued to negotiate with the supplier, explaining the hotel's advantages and the prospects for cooperation, hoping that the supplier would lower the price further.

After some negotiations, the supplier finally agreed to reduce the price by a certain percentage based on the original price. Xiao Wang felt that this price was quite reasonable, so he decided to record the information of this supplier and report to Lao Wang when he returned.

A few days later, the purchasing staff returned to the office one after another, all of them brought the results of their inspections and prepared to report to Lao Wang.

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang walked into the office first and said to Lao Wang excitedly, "Manager Wang, we found a very good vegetable supplier this time. Their vegetables are fresh and unique, and the boss is very sincere. Although the price has not been fully negotiated, we think there is hope to reach a cooperation."

After hearing this, Lao Wang smiled with satisfaction and said, "Okay, you did a good job. Tell me the details quickly, and I'll see if I can give you some more advice to negotiate a lower price."

Xiao Li then told Lao Wang about his inspection in detail, including the types and quality of vegetables, the stall owners' growing methods, and the negotiated prices.

After listening to it, Lao Wang thought for a moment and said, "Well, this one does sound good. How about this, you guys make another appointment with the stall owner, and I'll go with you to negotiate the price with him and try to reach a more reasonable cooperation agreement."

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang nodded quickly: "Okay, Manager Wang, we'll make an appointment right away."

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Wang also walked into the office and reported to Lao Wang about his inspection of the meat supplier.

After listening to Xiao Wang's report, Lao Wang was also satisfied. He said, "Xiao Wang, you have done a good job. The quality of the meat from this supplier is really good. Although the price has been lowered after negotiation, we can still fight for it. How about this, you also make an appointment with that supplier, and I will go with you to have a deeper discussion and see if we can lower the price even further."

Xiao Wang replied: "Okay, Manager Wang, I'll make the appointment right away."

In the following days, Lao Wang quickly organized the purchasing staff, formulated a detailed negotiation plan, and prepared to go all out to communicate in depth with these potential suppliers, striving to obtain the highest quality and most cost-effective food supply resources.

Lao Wang called the purchasing staff to his office and said with a serious and expectant look: "Everyone knows that the potential suppliers we investigated before are very promising. This is a good opportunity for us to get a better supply of ingredients for the restaurant.

Next, we have to negotiate with them more attentively, fully demonstrate the advantages of our restaurant, and let them see the bright prospects of long-term cooperation with us. Only in this way can we successfully reach a cooperation agreement and safeguard the food supply for the restaurant. Are you all ready? "

Purchasing specialist Xiao Li was the first to respond: "Manager Wang, we are all ready! I thought these suppliers were pretty good during the last inspection, and we must win the cooperation this time."

Other purchasing staff also nodded, indicating that they were full of enthusiasm.

So, Lao Wang took the purchasing team to start this crucial negotiation journey.

They first came to the vegetable supplier.

When Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang visited this restaurant before, they were full of praise for the quality of its vegetables, and the special vegetables attracted everyone's attention.

As soon as he saw the stall owner, Lao Wang extended his hand enthusiastically and said with a smile: "Boss, hello! We meet again. Last time, the two of us came to inspect and praised your vegetables. I came here today just to have a good chat with you about cooperation."

The stall owner also smiled and shook Lao Wang's hand, saying, "Haha, it turns out to be Manager Wang. Welcome, welcome! I grow all these vegetables myself with great care, so the quality is definitely top notch."

Lao Wang nodded and said, "Yes, we are also impressed by the quality of your vegetables, and the special vegetables, which are in line with our restaurant's current demand for innovative dishes.

However, in cooperation, besides quality, price is also an important factor. You see, you probably know the scale of our restaurant. We have a large flow of customers every day, and the demand for vegetables is considerable.

If we can reach a cooperation, your business will be more stable, and in the long run, it will definitely be a cost-effective deal."

After hearing this, the stall owner frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Manager Wang, I know it's a good thing to cooperate with your hotel, but my costs are not low. I only use farmyard manure and don't use pesticides. My labor costs are also high, so I may not be able to reduce the price too much."

Lao Wang smiled and patiently explained: "Boss, I understand your concerns. But think about it, our hotel purchases a large amount, and once we cooperate, it will be long-term.

You don't have to worry about vegetables being unsold and piled up, nor do you have to bother looking for other scattered customers. This stable source of customers can reduce your costs to a certain extent. Besides, our restaurant is also well-known in this area. Cooperating with us will also be good for your word-of-mouth publicity." (End of this chapter)