Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Another young chef looked at the shrimp balls coated with bread crumbs and said with a smile: "Hey, these shrimp balls coated with bread crumbs look very tempting. I wonder what they will look like when fried."

The chefs then put the shrimp balls into hot oil and slowly fry them over medium-low heat until they are golden brown. During the frying process, the chefs turn the shrimp balls over from time to time to ensure that they are evenly heated and fried to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

After frying the shrimp balls, the chefs started to prepare the fruit portion. They selected various fresh fruits, such as strawberries, bananas, oranges, kiwis, etc., cut them into small pieces and put them in a large bowl.

A chef looked at the colorful fruit pieces and said, "These fruits look fresh. Paired with the fried shrimp balls, they will definitely give customers a different taste experience."

Then, the chefs prepared a special salad dressing, which was carefully prepared with mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, lemon juice and other ingredients. It tasted sweet and sour and was delicious, and it went well with the fruits and shrimp balls.

Finally, the chefs put the fried shrimp balls into a bowl with fruit pieces and pour a special salad dressing on them. A dish of “fruit salad shrimp balls” is ready.

When this dish was served to the customers' tables, it immediately attracted the attention of many young customers.

A young customer looked at the colorful and unique dish in front of him with surprise in his eyes and couldn't wait to taste it. After tasting it, he said excitedly: "Wow, this dish is so creative. The tender shrimp meat and the sweet fruit are matched together. It's not greasy at all. It's great!"

The companions beside him also picked up their cutlery and tasted it. As they ate, they praised: "Yes, this tastes really good, with a refreshing taste, very suitable for summer."

……

In the early 1990s, as the business of Wang's entire chain of restaurants in the local area became increasingly prosperous, its popularity also grew like a blooming sesame seed - rising steadily.

The familiar signboard, delicious dishes and thoughtful service have firmly established it in the hearts of local diners, making it a popular choice for entertaining guests and family gatherings.

However, Wang Jianye, the boss with keen business acumen, was not satisfied with success in the local market alone.

Once, Wang Jianye was invited to participate in a large-scale business event.

The event was packed with people, with elites from all walks of life gathering together to exchange business experiences and explore cooperation opportunities.

Wang Jianye, dressed in a well-fitting suit and smiling, moved among the crowd, keenly capturing every possible business opportunity.

During the intermission of the event, Wang Jianye met a gentleman with extraordinary temperament when he was taking food in the buffet area. The two of them met eyes when they took the plates, and then nodded and smiled at each other politely.

The man spoke first, his voice was loud and friendly: "Hello, you look so impressive, I guess you are a colleague who has made great achievements in the business field. My last name is Zhang, I come from a neighboring city, and I do some business investment. I came here today to make more friends and expand my network."

Wang Jianye smiled and responded, "Hello, Mr. Zhang. Nice to meet you! I am Wang Jianye, and I run a restaurant locally called Wang's All-Season Restaurant."

Upon hearing the word "restaurant", Mr. Zhang's eyes suddenly flashed with interest. He smiled and said, "Oh? The restaurant business is not easy. Nowadays, the competition in the catering industry is fierce. Those who can run a restaurant successfully are all people with real skills. Boss Wang, how is your restaurant running?"

Wang Jianye answered modestly: "It's not bad. Thanks to the love of local customers, the business has been quite stable. I am also a little famous in the local area."

Mr. Zhang nodded slightly, his eyes full of admiration: "It's already remarkable to have such an achievement. To be honest, I have always been interested in the catering industry, but I haven't found a suitable opportunity to get involved in it. Boss Wang, can you tell me about the operation of your restaurant? For example, the business model, the characteristics of the dishes, etc."

Seeing Mr. Zhang's interest, Wang Jianye introduced in detail: "Our restaurant has always been adhering to the concept of providing high-quality dishes and quality services. In terms of business model, we focus on the freshness and quality of ingredients, and strictly control them from the source of purchase;
The chef team is also experienced and skilled professionals. They carefully prepare each dish, striving to preserve the original flavor of the ingredients while constantly innovating in taste to meet the needs of different customers. Speaking of the characteristics of the dishes, we have several signature dishes, such as 'Wang's Braised Pork', which uses the best pork belly and is cooked through many unique processes. The meat is soft and tender, melts in the mouth, and has a mellow taste;
There is also 'chicken stewed with fresh bamboo shoots', which uses fresh bamboo shoots and local chickens. The sweetness of the fresh bamboo shoots and the tenderness of the chicken blend together, and the soup is rich and delicious, which is deeply loved by customers. "

Mr. Zhang nodded as he listened, his eyes becoming more and more interested: "Boss Wang, I think your restaurant's business model and cuisine have great market potential. I have some business resources and connections in a neighboring city. Is it possible for us to cooperate and open a branch in a neighboring city?"

Wang Jianye was moved when he heard this. This was undoubtedly a good opportunity to promote the hotel brand, but he also knew that opening a branch store was not an easy task, and all aspects involved needed to be carefully considered. So, after thinking for a moment, he smiled and responded: "Mr. Zhang, thank you for your appreciation. However, opening a branch store is not a trivial matter, and many factors need to be considered. I have to conduct a detailed market survey of neighboring cities to see the local consumption level, catering competition, etc. After all, the market environment in each place is different. Only by fully understanding these situations can we make more wise decisions."

Mr. Zhang nodded in understanding. "Boss Wang is right. We should be more cautious when doing business. Then go and do your research as soon as possible. I can also provide you with some general information about neighboring cities that I know of. I hope it will be helpful to you."

After returning to the hotel, Wang Jianye immediately called together the hotel's core management staff for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere in the meeting room was a little solemn, as everyone knew that this meeting was related to the future development of the hotel.

Wang Jianye sat at the head of the conference table and said seriously, "As you all know, today at a business event, I met a Mr. Zhang from a neighboring city. He was very interested in our restaurant's business model and food features, and proposed to cooperate with us to open a branch in the neighboring city. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for us. Therefore, I decided to organize a research team and immediately go to the neighboring city for an investigation to fully understand the local market situation."

The financial manager frowned and said, "Boss, if you want to open a branch, the initial investment is not small. Not only do you have to consider the store rent and decoration costs, but you also have to consider staff recruitment, equipment procurement, etc., all of which require a lot of financial support. Moreover, if the market conditions are not ideal, you will face considerable risks."

Wang Jianye nodded: "I understand your concerns. Finance is indeed a factor that needs to be considered. So this time, we need to understand the local consumption level, rental level and other economic conditions, so that we can do a good job of cost budgeting and risk assessment." Qin Huairu also expressed her own views: "Boss, in addition to economic factors, we also have to pay attention to the local catering competition. See what types of restaurants are already in the local area, their special dishes, price positioning, and service quality. Only by understanding our competitors can we find our own differentiated advantages and formulate appropriate marketing strategies."

Wang Jianye agreed: "Yes, Qin Huairu is right. In addition, we also need to investigate the taste preferences of local customers. After all, people in different places may have very different eating habits. We have to make appropriate adjustments to the dishes according to the local taste characteristics, so as to attract local customers."

After some discussion, a research team was quickly formed, including financial personnel, marketing personnel, chef representatives, service personnel representatives, etc. They were tasked with providing comprehensive and accurate market information for the opening of the branch, and with a full sense of mission, they embarked on a research trip to the neighboring city.

After arriving in the neighboring city, the research team started working without stopping.

Financial staff go deep into local commercial districts and visit various real estate agencies to understand the rental price range of stores in different locations. At the same time, they examine the local price level in order to accurately estimate the cost of opening a store.

One day, when Xiao Li, a financial staff member, was communicating with a real estate agent, he asked: "Hello, I would like to know the approximate rent of the store in the prosperous area of ​​the city center. Our company plans to open a restaurant here, so we need to find out the basics first."

The agent replied enthusiastically: "Oh, the rent in the busy area in the city center is not cheap. A store of a moderate size would cost at least this much per month." As he spoke, the agent gestured with a few fingers.

Xiao Li frowned. "It's so high. What about a location that's a little off the beaten track but still has convenient transportation?"

The agent thought for a moment and said, "If it's a little off the beaten track, the rent will be relatively lower, but it also depends on the specific location and the size of the store. But in general, it's still much higher than other ordinary locations."

Xiao Li carefully recorded this information, mentally calculating the impact of these costs on the branch's operations.

The marketing staff traveled through the streets and alleys of neighboring cities and conducted a blanket survey of local restaurants. They walked into each restaurant, observed the decoration style, customer flow, tasted the dishes, and learned about the price positioning and service quality.

Once, marketer Xiao Zhang walked into a famous local restaurant. He found an empty seat, sat down, ordered a few signature dishes, and carefully observed everything around him.

After the waiter served the dishes, Xiao Zhang smiled and asked the waiter: "Hello, I would like to ask, which dishes are the most popular here?"

The waiter smiled and replied: "Our 'Sweet and Sour Carp' and 'Mapo Tofu' are very popular. Many customers order these two dishes."

Xiao Zhang tasted the dishes and secretly compared them with the dishes in all Wang's restaurants. At the same time, he paid attention to the service details in the store, such as the waiter's response speed and service attitude.

The chef representatives went deep into the local vegetable and seafood markets to learn about the local food supply and special ingredients. They also communicated with some local chefs to discuss local cooking habits and taste preferences.

Chef Xiao Wang saw a local vegetable in the market and asked the stall owner curiously: "Boss, what kind of vegetable is this? I have never seen it before."

The stall owner smiled and replied: "This is our specialty, called XX vegetable, it tastes very fresh and tender, and is very good for stir-frying and making soup."

Xiao Wang bought some and prepared to take them back to have the chef team study and see if this special ingredient can be used in new dishes.

Service staff representatives chose some local restaurants for experiential consumption, focusing on the local customers' needs and expectations for services, as well as the local restaurants' unique service practices.

After a period of in-depth investigation, the research team discovered a lot of important information in neighboring cities.

They gathered together again to sort out and analyze the information they had collected.

The financial officer reported first: "Boss, after investigation, we found that the local economy is developing rapidly and the residents' consumption level is high, which is a favorable factor for us to open a branch. However, the rent of the store in the prosperous area of ​​the city center is indeed high, but if we choose a slightly remote location with convenient transportation, the cost can still be controlled within a reasonable range."

The marketing staff went on to say, "From the perspective of catering competition, there are already quite a few restaurants in the area, but not many of them focus on food quality and service like our Wang's full-line restaurants. Most restaurants' food features are not distinctive enough, and the quality of service is also uneven. As long as we can highlight our own advantages, we will still be very competitive."

The chef representative also reported excitedly: "Boss, we have discovered some local specialty ingredients, such as the XX dish mentioned earlier, and a local seafood that tastes very good. We can combine these specialty ingredients, and then adjust the dishes appropriately according to local cooking habits and taste preferences to create new dishes that suit the tastes of local people."

A service representative added: "We have found that local customers have relatively high expectations for service, especially the timeliness and attentiveness of the service. We can further optimize in this regard and bring our hotel's consistent high-quality service to neighboring cities."

The researcher reported to Wang Jianye: "Boss, the market potential in the neighboring city is huge, and we think there are great opportunities. As long as we can combine local taste preferences and market characteristics and make appropriate adjustments to the dishes and services, we should be able to achieve good results."

After listening to the report of the research team, Wang Jianye had already made a rough decision in his mind. He knew that although there were certain risks in opening a branch store, the opportunity before him could not be missed. After careful consideration, he decided to cooperate with Mr. Zhang to open a branch store in a neighboring city. (End of this chapter)