Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

After the old customer finished writing, he handed the feedback card to the waiter and said with a smile: "Little girl, I have filled out this feedback card. Your restaurant has always been very good. I just want to give you some small suggestions. I hope it can be helpful to you."

The waiter took the feedback card and said with a smile: "Thank you, sir. Your suggestions are very important to us. We will definitely take them seriously."

After the waiter collected the feedback cards and handed them to the office, Wang Jianye, as usual, checked the feedback information immediately. When he saw the feedback from this old customer, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

An old customer wrote on a feedback card: "The food and service of the restaurant are very good, but I think the background music in the restaurant can be more diverse, sometimes it feels a bit monotonous.

Every time I come here to eat, I always hear the same few songs. Although the music itself is good, it gets a bit boring after listening to it too much. I hope the hotel can consider this issue. ”

Wang Jianye immediately called a meeting of relevant personnel to discuss the matter. In the meeting room, the staff responsible for the restaurant environment layout, the sound equipment management personnel, and some waiter representatives gathered together. No one knew why Wang Jianye suddenly called a meeting, and everyone looked a little confused.

Wang Jianye walked into the meeting room and said with a serious expression: "Everyone is here. I called you all here today because I saw the feedback from an old customer. This feedback made me realize that we still need to improve in some details."

As he spoke, he took out the feedback card, placed it on the conference table, and circulated it to everyone.

After reading it, the staff in charge of the restaurant environment said in confusion: "Boss, I didn't pay much attention to the background music before. It's just a few songs. Is it that important?"

Wang Jianye frowned and said, "This can't be underestimated. Customer feedback is the direction for our improvement. Think about it, although background music may seem like a small detail, it can affect customers' dining mood.

When customers dine in a comfortable and warm environment and hear appropriate music, they will be more relaxed and happy, thus enhancing the entire dining experience.

But if the music is always so monotonous, customers will inevitably feel bored over time, which will affect their overall impression of our restaurant. Therefore, we have to adjust as soon as possible, add some music of different styles, and play appropriate music according to different dining times. "

The sound equipment manager listened, nodded, and said, "Boss, you are right. We really didn't think so carefully before. So how do you think we should adjust it?"

Wang Jianye thought for a moment and said, “How about this, we can do a market survey first to see how other high-end restaurants or restaurants with good reputations do with background music.

Then, according to the characteristics of our restaurant and customer groups, we can select some suitable music styles. For example, during lunch time, people usually eat in between busy work. At this time, we can play some soothing classical music to relax people and relieve work pressure.
During dinner time, customers are more likely to enjoy family reunions or gatherings with friends. At this time, you can play some light music to create a warm atmosphere. "

The staff member in charge of the restaurant's environment layout said, "Boss, we have to re-select the music resources. This will take some time."

Wang Jianye said: "Well, it does take some time, but it is worth it. You should do it as soon as possible and try to complete the adjustment in the shortest time so that customers can feel our changes as soon as possible."

So, the relevant staff took action immediately. They first visited several well-known local restaurants to learn about their practices in background music and the choice of music styles. Then, based on the survey results and the characteristics of all Wang's hotels, they began to re-select music resources.

During the music selection process, there were also many discussions among the staff.

Xiao Li, who is in charge of the sound equipment management, said to Xiao Zhang, who is in charge of the restaurant environment layout: "Xiao Zhang, look at this Mozart Serenade. The melody is soothing and beautiful. It is very suitable for playing during lunch time. It can make customers feel quiet and relaxed during the busy lunch time."

Xiao Zhang listened and nodded, "Yes, it's really good. However, we have to choose some good light music for dinner. For example, this song "Anne of Wonderland" by Bandari has a brisk rhythm and beautiful melody. It is perfect for creating a warm atmosphere during dinner."

Xiao Li said, "Yes, there is also this song "Castle in the Sky" by Joe Hisaishi, which is also very good. The melody is ethereal and very suitable for dinner time."

After a period of hard work, the hotel re-selected a series of background music, including soothing classical music for lunch to relax people, and light music for dinner to create a warm atmosphere.

When the new background music started playing in the restaurant, customers noticed the difference.

One day at lunch time, a lady came to the restaurant with her colleagues. When they walked into the restaurant and heard the soothing classical music, the lady couldn't help but exclaimed: "Wow, the background music in your restaurant has changed. This Mozart's "Serenade" is so beautiful. I feel more relaxed when eating here."

Her colleague also agreed: "Yes, when I came to eat here before, the music didn't seem so good. It feels much better now."

During dinner time, a couple came to the restaurant for a date. When they sat at the table and heard the light music, the boy smiled and said to the girl, "Baby, do you feel particularly warm when you listen to this music? This restaurant is getting better and better at creating an atmosphere."

The girl also smiled and said, "Yeah, it feels so romantic to eat here."

……

For all Wang's restaurants, Wang Jianye has always adhered to a firm philosophy when it comes to dishes, which is to emphasize the balance between inheritance and innovation.

On the one hand, traditional signature dishes carry the history and reputation of the restaurant and are the feelings that old customers cannot give up.

The original flavors of these classic dishes, like precious treasures accumulated over the years, must be carefully guarded to ensure that old customers can taste the familiar and intoxicating flavors every time they visit.

This is not only to satisfy their appetite, but also to continue an emotional bond, allowing them to recall the good times they had dining in the restaurant in the past when tasting the food.

On the other hand, with the development of the times, customers' taste demands are becoming increasingly diverse and unpredictable. In order to cater to the preferences of different customer groups and attract more new customers to the hotel, it is imperative to constantly innovate.

Only by keeping up with the popular taste trends in the market, cleverly combining fresh seasonal ingredients, and launching a series of novel and unique dishes can a restaurant maintain its vitality in the fierce market competition.

Guided by this concept, Chen Xiaoyang shouldered important responsibilities.

In order to deeply explore and pass on the essence of traditional dishes, Chen Xiaoyang racked his brains and came up with many clever ideas.

Once, when making the "Wang's Sweet and Sour Carp" that was loved by customers, a respected old chef was invited by Chen Xiaoyang to come to the kitchen to guide the young chefs.

The old chef cleared his throat, glanced at the young chefs around him, and slowly said, "Children, this 'Wang's Sweet and Sour Carp' is not an ordinary dish. It is one of our restaurant's signature dishes and carries our restaurant's reputation for many years. The key to this dish lies in the processing of the carp and the mixing of the sweet and sour sauce. Every step must be handled just right and no carelessness is allowed."

The young chefs listened attentively, staring at the old chef without blinking, afraid of missing any important details.

The old chef continued, "First of all, when it comes to choosing carp, you have to choose a fresh one. You see, a lively carp will have tender and firm meat, and the dish will taste good.

When handling carp, you need to be gentle and careful, just like treating a rare treasure. Especially when scraping the scales and gutting the fish, you must not destroy the shape of the fish. If the shape of the fish is lost, the dish will lose its spirit. "

A young chef couldn't help but ask: "Master, how can we ensure that the shape of the fish is not destroyed when handling it? Every time I scrape the scales, I always feel that the fish body is a little soft and it is difficult to control the strength."

The old chef smiled and patiently explained, "Young man, this requires some skills. When you scrape the scales, keep your hands steady and scrape gently along the direction of the scales. Don't scrape back and forth, as that will easily tear the fish skin."

When gutting the fish, use the knife very precisely, cut in the middle of the belly, gently make a small incision, and then slowly take out the internal organs. Be careful not to break the gallbladder, otherwise the whole dish will taste bitter. "

After listening to the old chef's words, the young chefs nodded one after another, and had a clearer understanding of how to handle the carp.

The old chef picked up the condiments beside him and continued, "Let's talk about the preparation of the sweet and sour sauce. This is also the most important thing. The sweet and sour sauce needs to be prepared with rock sugar, white vinegar, ketchup, etc. in a certain proportion. The amount of each seasoning must be accurate. A little more or a little less will make the taste different."

Another young chef asked curiously: "Master, what is the specific ratio?"

The old chef smiled and replied, "This ratio is not fixed. It needs to be adjusted according to the size of the fish and personal taste. Generally speaking, for one pound of carp, you can use about half an ounce of rock sugar, three ounces of white vinegar, and one ounce of tomato sauce. However, this is just a rough reference. You have to try it yourself and find the ratio that suits you best."

The old chef paused and continued, "After preparing the seasonings, you have to simmer them over low heat. You can't be impatient when boiling the sauce, you have to simmer it slowly so that the flavors of the various seasonings can be fully blended together. The sauce should be bright red in color and moderately sweet and sour. Pour it over the fried carp to make the dish colorful, fragrant and delicious."

The young chefs listened carefully to the old chef's explanation. After the explanation, the young chefs began to practice, and carefully prepared the "Wang's Sweet and Sour Carp" step by step according to the method taught by the old chef.

During their repeated attempts, the young chefs encountered many problems, but they were not discouraged. Instead, they actively asked the senior chefs for advice.

Once, when a young chef was making sweet and sour sauce, he found that the color of the sauce was not bright red enough and the taste was a bit sour. He anxiously found the old chef and said, "Master, my sweet and sour sauce seems to be not right. The color is not bright red enough and the taste is too sour. Can you take a look at what's going on?"

The old chef walked over, looked at the sweet and sour sauce in the pot, sniffed it gently, and then said, "Young man, you may have used too much heat. You need to use a low heat to cook the sauce. If you use too much heat, the sauce will become mushy and the color will not look good. Also, you may have used too much white vinegar. You can use less of it next time and add some rock sugar to adjust the taste."

The young chef listened to the old chef's advice and quickly adjusted the method and made the sweet and sour sauce again. This time, the sweet and sour sauce was bright red and had a moderate sweet and sour taste. He was as happy as a child and said to the old chef: "Master, this time it worked. Thank you for your guidance!"

After continuous practice, the young chefs have finally made the taste of this traditional dish more authentic, and every time it is served to customers' tables, it wins praise from them.

……

In the hot summer, the chefs in the kitchen looked at the various fresh fruits and seafood on the market, and they couldn't help but come up with ideas for innovative dishes. After some discussion and experimentation, they launched a unique "fruit salad shrimp ball".

The preparation process of this dish is not simple, and requires chefs to carefully prepare every step.

Chen Xiaoyang stood in the middle of the kitchen and said to the chefs, "Everyone cheer up. This 'Fruit Salad Shrimp Balls' is our main innovative dish for the summer. We have to make it well and make our customers satisfied and happy."

The chefs nodded and started to get busy.

They first clean the fresh shrimp meat carefully, remove impurities such as shrimp threads, and then gently beat it into a paste with the back of a knife. Then, add appropriate amounts of salt, cooking wine, starch and other seasonings to the shrimp paste and stir evenly to make the filling for the shrimp balls.

A young chef said to his colleague while stirring the shrimp paste: "Do you think this dish will be popular? I have never made a dish that combines shrimp and fruit like this."

My colleague smiled and replied, "I think it will be popular. Nowadays, customers like to eat something refreshing and non-greasy. This dish just meets their taste needs."

After the shrimp ball filling is prepared, the chefs roll it into shrimp balls of uniform size and then coat them with bread crumbs. (End of this chapter)