Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The stall owner seemed to be a little moved after hearing what Lao Wang said. He thought for a while and said, "Manager Wang, what you said makes sense. Then tell me, what is the price you hope for?"

Lao Wang looked at Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang beside him and motioned them to tell him the price they had estimated after their previous inspection.

Xiao Li then said, "Boss, we have roughly understood the market situation before. Considering the purchase volume of our restaurant, we think it is more reasonable to reduce the price of vegetables by 20 cents per kilogram based on the current price you quoted. This will ensure that you can make a profit and we can control costs."

When the stall owner heard this, he said with embarrassment: "Oh, a 20-cent price reduction is a bit too much. My profit margin is already thin, so this is not easy to handle."

Seeing this, Lao Wang hurriedly said, "Boss, don't be anxious. Let's discuss it. You see, we can sign a short-term cooperation agreement first, for example, three months. In these three months, you supply vegetables according to the quantity we require. If you think the cooperation is good and the profit is considerable, we can renew the long-term contract. At that time, we can adjust the price according to market conditions. Do you think this is okay?"

The stall owner thought for a while and said, "Manager Wang, I think your suggestion is worth considering. However, I'm still worried that I'll suffer a loss in price."

Lao Wang smiled and said, "Boss, don't worry. We are sincere in cooperating with you, and we don't just look at the price and ignore the quality.

Your vegetables are of good quality, and we hope to continue our cooperation for a long time. Let me give you a hint. If the cooperation goes smoothly in the next three months, when we renew the contract, the purchase volume will increase. At that time, your profit margin will be even greater."

After hearing what Lao Wang said, the stall owner finally nodded and said, "Okay, Manager Wang, let's sign a three-month cooperation agreement as you said. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation!"

Lao Wang said happily: "Haha, that must be a pleasure! Boss, don't worry, we will definitely follow the agreement and receive the goods and pay in time."

In this way, the cooperation agreement with this vegetable supplier was successfully obtained, and the members of the purchasing team were all delighted.

Then they rushed to the meat supplier without stopping.

When Lao Wang saw the boss of the meat supplier, he also greeted him enthusiastically: "Boss Zhang, hello! We meet again. This time I came here to finalize the cooperation with you."

Boss Zhang responded with a smile: "Manager Wang, welcome! I am also looking forward to cooperating with your hotel. When Xiao Wang came to inspect it before, I felt it was very promising."

Lao Wang said, "Boss Zhang, we really appreciate the quality of your meat. It has a ruddy color, clear texture, and comes from a legitimate source. We are very relieved.

However, the market is very competitive now, and we also have to consider cost control. You see, our hotel has such a large purchase volume, if we can get a better price, it will be a good thing for both of us. "

Boss Zhang smiled helplessly and said, "Manager Wang, I would like to give you a discount, but my costs are there. I buy all the goods from regular large slaughterhouses. The quality is guaranteed, so the price will naturally not be too low."

Lao Wang nodded and said, "Boss Zhang, I understand your situation. But think about it, the purchase volume of our restaurant is not a small amount. If we continue to cooperate for a long time, your stable customer base will save you a lot of worries.

We will also pay on time, so you won't have any problems with cash flow. Can you give us a little discount on the price?"

Boss Zhang thought for a while and said, "Manager Wang, I can only reduce the price by 3% at most. This is my limit."

Lao Wang frowned and said, "Boss Zhang, 3% is indeed a bit too little. You see, we have also investigated several other meat suppliers before. Although their quality may be slightly inferior, their prices are much lower than yours.

However, we still value your quality more, so we want to have a good talk with you and strive to reach a cooperation. Can you think about it again and reduce it a little bit?"

Boss Zhang said hesitantly, "Manager Wang, it's really hard for me to lower the price any further. The cost of my meat is already high, and if I lower it any further I won't have much profit."

Seeing this, Lao Wang changed his perspective and said, "Boss Zhang, don't just look at the immediate profits. If our cooperation is successful, our restaurant will definitely promote your high-quality meat to customers, which will also be good for your brand promotion. Moreover, as our restaurant develops, the purchase volume will definitely increase, and then your profits will come back."

After listening to what Lao Wang said, Boss Zhang fell into deep thought again. After a while, he said, "Manager Wang, what you said does make sense. Then I will reduce it by another 5%. I really can't reduce it any further. This is already my biggest concession."

Lao Wang thought about it and thought that although the price was not particularly ideal, considering that the quality of the meat was indeed excellent and Boss Zhang had indeed made a big concession, he said, "Okay, Boss Zhang, let's do as you say. Let's sign a long-term cooperation agreement. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation and support each other in the future!"

Boss Zhang also smiled and said, "Okay, Manager Wang, happy cooperation! I also believe that our cooperation will get better and better."

In this way, Lao Wang led the purchasing team and successfully reached a cooperation agreement with the meat supplier.

In subsequent negotiations, they also had in-depth communication with several high-quality suppliers in other categories.

Some suppliers were quite adamant about the price at the beginning, but Lao Wang and his team showed the hotel's operating data, allowing the suppliers to directly see the hotel's huge purchasing volume and stable customer base, thus making the suppliers realize the potential benefits of long-term cooperation and finally made concessions on the price;

Some suppliers were worried about some details in the cooperation process, such as delivery time, quality inspection standards, etc. Lao Wang and his colleagues explained the hotel's relevant regulations and procedures in detail to help the suppliers eliminate their concerns.

After a series of arduous negotiations, Lao Wang led the purchasing staff and finally successfully reached cooperation agreements with several high-quality suppliers.

These new suppliers not only provide high-quality ingredients, but also more reasonable prices.

Purchasing specialist Xiao Li said with emotion: "Manager Wang, this is not an easy time. Thanks to you for leading us, showing the hotel's strength and emphasizing the prospects of long-term cooperation. Otherwise, we might not be able to reach these cooperation agreements."

Lao Wang smiled and said, "Haha, this is the result of everyone's joint efforts. Our purchasing work is related to the lifeblood of the restaurant. Only when the food supply is in place can our restaurant make delicious dishes, attract more customers, and continue to develop."

……

Wang Jianye was determined to upgrade and transform his services.

First, the hotel began to provide more systematic and comprehensive training for waiters.

Previous training content mainly focused on common courtesy and serving procedures. Although these basic contents are also important, with the development of restaurants and the increasing diversity of customer needs, they are obviously no longer sufficient.

At a waiter training meeting, Wang Jianye personally attended and explained to the waiters the importance of this training and the new requirements. He stood at the front of the meeting room, looking serious and expectant, and said:

"Everyone knows that our restaurant's current success is inseparable from the support of every customer. In order to keep customers choosing us and attract more new customers, our service must be taken to a higher level.

In addition to the basic polite expressions and serving procedures mentioned above, we also need to have an in-depth understanding of the dishes so that we can better recommend dishes to customers and meet their taste needs.

This is not just about completing the work, but also about giving customers a perfect dining experience here. Do you understand?"

The waiters nodded to show their understanding.

From then on, every afternoon after the restaurant closed, the waiters would gather in a conference room to receive professional training.

Qin Huairu will explain in detail the characteristics of each dish, the source of ingredients, cooking methods and taste characteristics.

Qin Huairu took a menu and pointed to one of the dishes, "Braised Prawns in Oil," and said, "This 'Braised Prawns in Oil' is one of our restaurant's signature dishes.

You see, we use fresh river shrimps that arrive from the seafood market every morning. These river shrimps are all alive and well, with tender and firm meat.

When making this dish, chefs will first wash the river shrimps, then quickly fry them in hot oil until the shell is golden and crispy, and then stew them with a special sauce.

This sauce is carefully blended from a variety of spices and seasonings, allowing the prawns to fully absorb the rich flavor of the sauce. As a result, the prawns in this dish are tender and have a rich flavor, and are very popular with customers. ”

The waiters were listening attentively, and some were even taking notes in their notebooks.

Then, Qin Huairu pointed to another dish, "Stir-fried Spring Bamboo Shoots with Bacon," and said, "Look at this dish, "Stir-fried Spring Bamboo Shoots with Bacon." Now is the season for spring bamboo shoots to be on the market. The spring bamboo shoots we use are all picked from the mountains on the same day, so they are tender and fresh.

As for the bacon, it is homemade in our restaurant. We use the best quality pork and it goes through multiple processes of pickling and drying, so it has a mellow taste.

The sweetness of spring bamboo shoots and the salty fragrance of bacon complement each other, and the fried taste is excellent.

When customers are hesitant about ordering, or ask about special dishes, we can introduce the characteristics of these dishes to them in detail so that they can make choices based on their preferences. "

After a period of systematic training, the waiters have a deeper understanding of the dishes and are more adept at serving customers.

One day, during the peak lunch hour, the restaurant was bustling with people. A well-dressed gentleman was looking at the menu while ordering food, frowning slightly, and seemed a little hesitant.

When the waiter Xiao Chen saw this, he immediately walked up to him with a smile and asked softly, "Hello, sir. I see that you seem to be a little confused when ordering dishes. Do you have any special taste preferences or dietary requirements? I can recommend something to you."

The gentleman raised his head, looked at Xiao Chen, and said with a smile: "Well, I don't know what to eat either. What special dishes do you have here?"

Xiao Chen smiled and responded, "Sir, you see, we have just received a batch of fresh river shrimps today. The 'braised prawns' made from them are very popular. The shrimp meat is tender and has a rich flavor.

The chefs use fresh river shrimps, fry them first and then stew them, and use a special sauce, which is really delicious. There is also this dish "Stir-fried Spring Bamboo Shoots with Bacon". Spring bamboo shoots are in season now, tender and fresh, and paired with our homemade bacon, the taste is excellent.

The bacon is made from high-quality pork that has been marinated and dried. The sweetness of spring bamboo shoots and the salty aroma of bacon are delicious together. You can try it according to your preference. "

After hearing Xiao Chen's recommendation, the gentleman's eyes lit up and an interested expression appeared on his face. He said, "Oh? It sounds good. Let's have a plate of braised prawns and spring bamboo shoots fried with bacon. It sounds really good after hearing what you said."

Xiao Chen said happily: "Okay, sir, do you want to order anything else? For example, staple food or soup?

Our 'Shrimp Fried Rice' is also very good. The rice grains are distinct, and it is paired with fresh shrimps and various diced vegetables. It is nutritious and delicious.

There is also 'corn and pork ribs soup', which uses fresh corn and pork ribs, and is slow-cooked over low heat. The soup is delicious and very suitable for drinking in this season. "

The gentleman thought for a moment and said, "Then let's have another serving of shrimp fried rice and corn and pork ribs soup. Thank you for your recommendation."

Xiao Chen smiled and said, "You're welcome, sir. It's a pleasure to serve you. Please wait a moment. I will take your order and the dishes will be served to you soon."

Looking at Xiao Chen's warm and thoughtful service, the gentleman nodded with satisfaction.

In addition to training waiters on food knowledge, Wang Jianye also thought of an important measure, which is to establish a complete customer feedback mechanism.

He knows very well that customers' opinions and suggestions are valuable assets for the hotel's continuous improvement and enhancement. Only by truly understanding customers' needs and dissatisfaction can targeted changes be made to make customers more satisfied.

Therefore, the restaurant carefully placed an exquisite feedback card on each table.

This feedback card is designed with great care. Not only is the hotel's logo and some warm words printed on it, it also lists in detail the evaluation options for the dishes, services, environment, etc., and leaves enough blank space for customers to write down specific opinions and suggestions.

After customers finish their meal, the waiter will proactively remind them to fill out the feedback card and tell them that their feedback is very important to the restaurant.

Once, an old customer who frequented the restaurant carefully filled out a feedback card after finishing his meal.

This old customer has always liked the food and service of Wang's All-Series Restaurant, but this time, he still wrote down some of his opinions on the feedback card. (End of this chapter)