Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Wang Jianye listened, nodded and praised: "Well, your attitude is very good, and your thinking in dealing with problems is also very clear. Our hotel needs such patient, careful and responsible waiters. However, you still need to understand the characteristics and culture of our Wang's full-line hotels, so that you can better serve customers. You can go back and wait for notification, we will give you a reply as soon as possible."

Through such a rigorous interview process, Wang Jianye has screened out a group of excellent applicants. They come from different backgrounds, but all have professional skills and good service attitudes, which has reserved sufficient human resources for the opening of the restaurant.
In terms of localizing the dishes, the chef team has carefully adjusted the hotel's signature dishes based on the survey results, combined with local specialty ingredients, cooking habits and taste preferences, striving to ensure that the dishes can retain the unique flavor of all Wang's hotels while meeting the taste needs of local customers.

For example, in view of the fact that local customers generally like spicy food, the chefs had a detailed discussion during the preparation of "Wang's Braised Pork".

The head chef said to the other chefs, "As you all know, our 'Wang's Braised Pork' has always been one of our restaurant's signature dishes and is very popular locally. But now we are opening a branch in a neighboring city. Local customers generally like spicy food, so we have to make some appropriate adjustments to make this dish more in line with their tastes."

A young chef asked: "How do you adjust it? Should you just add a lot of chili?"

The chef smiled and said, "It's not that simple. Although we need to increase the amount of chili peppers, we must also pay attention to maintaining the original rich taste of the dish. We can first try to add some dried chili peppers to the original recipe, and then use some local chili peppers, such as the fragrant and spicy XX chili peppers. Cut them into small pieces and stew them with the braised pork. Let the flavor of the chili peppers fully blend into the meat, but don't let the spicy taste cover the rich taste of the meat."

The other chefs nodded in agreement.

So the chefs tried this method. During the stewing process, they constantly tasted and adjusted the amount of chili and stewing time to ensure that the "Wang's Braised Pork" had the original mellow taste and added a touch of just the right spiciness, which was more in line with the local people's taste.

For example, using the local unique XX dish, the chefs started to develop new dishes.

The chef gathered everyone together and said, "We have discovered a local dish called XX. This dish has a very fresh and tender taste. We want to use it to develop a new dish so that customers can taste the local specialties. Does anyone have any ideas?"

A chef suggested: "We can combine XX vegetable and shredded pork to make a stir-fry. First, marinate the shredded pork to make it more flavorful, then quickly stir-fry XX vegetable and shredded pork over high heat, and then add some local seasonings, such as the XX sauce with a special aroma. This should be able to cook a dish with local characteristics."

The other chefs heard this and thought it was a good idea.

So the chefs started to practice. They carefully selected fresh vegetables and high-quality shredded pork, and marinated, stir-fried and seasoned them according to the methods discussed before.

During the cooking process, a chef tasted the dish he was cooking and said to his colleague next to him: "Hey, try it. I think it tastes good, but it seems that the amount of XX sauce can be increased a little bit to make the special aroma more intense."

After tasting it, my colleague nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right, I think we can add some more."

After continuous adjustments and improvements, the chefs finally developed a new dish - "XX vegetable fried with shredded pork", which combines the fresh taste of XX vegetable with the tenderness of shredded pork, and adds local seasonings to cook a dish with local characteristics.

Through such localized adjustments to dishes, the dishes of Wang's restaurant branches in neighboring cities can both maintain their own characteristics and satisfy the taste preferences of local customers, laying a solid foundation for prosperous business after opening.

After some intensive preparations, all branches of Wang's restaurants in neighboring cities were finally ready, with only the east wind missing.

……

Finally, on a sunny day, the branch of Wang's Full-service Restaurant in the neighboring city opened successfully.

On the opening day, the store entrance was filled with flower baskets, colorful ribbons fluttering, gongs and drums beating, and it was very lively. It attracted many passers-by to stop and watch. Everyone was attracted by the lively atmosphere and walked into the store to find out what was going on.

Inside the store, the waiters are dressed in neat uniforms, smiling and warmly greeting every customer.

The chefs are busy and orderly preparing various dishes in the kitchen, ensuring that every dish can be served to customers' tables as quickly as possible and with the best quality.

When customers walk into the store, they can't help but be dazzled by the familiar decoration style with local characteristics and smell the tempting aroma of the food.

A customer walked in and said to the waiter, "Wow, this restaurant looks pretty good. The decoration is very unique and it feels very warm."

The waiter smiled and replied: "Thank you for your compliment. We hope to provide you with a comfortable dining environment and delicious dishes. Please enjoy your meal."

As time went by, more and more customers came to the restaurant, and soon the restaurant was full. Customers tasted the delicious dishes that had been adjusted to local tastes and enjoyed the attentive service, and they all praised it highly.

After tasting Wang's Braised Pork, a customer said excitedly: "Wow, this braised pork is so delicious! It has the original soft and tender texture, and a little bit of spicy taste, which suits my taste very well."

Another customer also praised the dish after tasting it: "This dish is very unique. I have never eaten it before. It has a very fresh and tender texture and tastes very good."

On the opening day, the restaurant was packed with customers and business was booming, marking the first successful step in the hotel's market expansion.

……

There is a tradition that has been passed down in all Wang’s hotels - the hotels regularly hold birthday parties for their employees.

This is not just a simple formality, but is carefully prepared by the hotel management, aiming to allow every employee to feel the warmth and care of home in addition to their busy work.

The venue for each birthday party is decorated with ribbons and balloons, which make the usually monotonous employee rest area extra warm and festive. A long table is placed in the center, filled with a variety of delicacies. Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the exquisite birthday cake.

The style of the cake is different every time. Sometimes it is a gorgeous fruit cake, with fresh strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and other fruits neatly inlaid on the delicate cream;
Sometimes it is a chocolate cake with a unique shape. The mellow chocolate exudes an enticing aroma, as if telling sweet blessings.

In addition to cakes, there are also various small gifts on the table. Although these gifts are not priceless treasures, each one is full of the hotel's thoughts for the employees. It may be a carefully selected inspirational book, hoping that the employees can absorb the power of knowledge in their spare time;
It could also be a small and cute thermos cup, so that employees can drink hot water at any time during their busy work, warming their bodies and hearts.

The hotel's owner, Wang Jianye, would personally attend every birthday party. He knew very well that employees were the hotel's most valuable asset. This concern was not only out of the boss's affection for his subordinates, but also his emphasis on building cohesion for the entire team.

He hopes that in this way, every employee can truly feel that they are an indispensable member of this big family, and thus contribute more actively to the development of the hotel.

On a sunny afternoon, the restaurant was filled with a special joyful atmosphere because today was Chef Chen Xiaoyang's birthday.

The staff lounge area had already been decorated with a new look, and colorful balloons were swaying gently under the ceiling.

The birthday cake on the table exudes an enticing milky aroma, and the small gifts placed around it are all beautifully wrapped.

Colleagues came to the rest area one after another, everyone had a sincere smile on their face, joked with each other, and looked forward to the official start of the birthday party.

After a while, Wang Jianye also walked in with a smile on his face. As soon as he appeared, the already lively atmosphere in the rest area became even more lively, and the employees greeted him one after another.

Wang Jianye walked to the table, looked at everything that had been carefully prepared, nodded with satisfaction, then looked around and said with a smile: "Everyone is here. Today is a big day for our restaurant. It's the birthday of our chef Chen Xiaoyang!"

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes to Chen Xiaoyang. Chen Xiaoyang scratched his head a little embarrassedly, but a happy smile was on his face.

Wang Jianye went on to say: "Our hotel has always had a tradition of celebrating the birthday of every employee.

Because everyone works hard for the development of the hotel on weekdays, this birthday party is to let everyone have a relaxing and happy moment after busy work and feel the warmth of our big family. "

Colleagues nodded in agreement, and a gentle echo of approval was heard in the lounge area.

Wang Jianye turned to face Chen Xiaoyang, his eyes full of sincere blessings, and said with a smile: "Chen Xiaoyang, happy birthday to you! You have been working very hard in the restaurant, and everyone can see that. Every time I see you busy in the kitchen, I know that the quality of the dishes is guaranteed."

Chen Xiaoyang smiled shyly and said, "Thank you, Master. This is what I should do. I like cooking. I am very happy to be able to use my cooking skills in our restaurant."

Wang Jianye patted Chen Xiaoyang's shoulder gently and continued, "Moreover, your service attitude is also well received by customers. I have heard many customers praise you, saying that not only are your dishes delicious, but you are also very enthusiastic. Every time you serve the dishes, you will carefully introduce the characteristics of the dishes to the customers, so that the customers can understand and enjoy the food. This is not easy, you are bringing honor to our restaurant!"

A waiter named Xiao Li also agreed with a smile, "Yes, Master Chen, the guests at the table I was in charge of last time stopped me after dinner and asked who made the 'Wang's Braised Pork'. They said it was so delicious, the meat was so soft and tasty, and the flavor was rich. I told them you made it, and they kept praising your cooking skills and said they would order your dishes next time they come."

After hearing this, Chen Xiaoyang smiled even brighter and said, "Haha, you are all flattering me. I just follow the standard method of our restaurant and add a little experience of my own. I just want to make the dishes well and satisfy the customers."

Wang Jianye smiled and said: "This is not flattery, this is your real ability. I hope you will continue to work happily in the new year and provide better service for our hotel.

You see, our restaurant is developing better and better, and we have more and more customers. This is inseparable from everyone's efforts.

As a chef, you have an important responsibility. You have to pass on your skills and guide young chefs so that they can learn from you and keep the quality of our dishes at a high level."

Chen Xiaoyang nodded seriously and said, "Master, don't worry, I will definitely work harder! I also hope to teach those young chefs everything I know so that our restaurant's cooking skills can be passed on. I will also continue to learn and strive to make more new dishes that will satisfy our customers."

At this time, another chef, Xiao Zhang, also said: "Master Chen, you are really our role model. When I first came to the restaurant, I didn't know anything. You taught me how to cut vegetables, prepare side dishes, and control the heat. Now I can make several decent dishes independently, all thanks to you."

Chen Xiaoyang smiled and said, "Xiao Zhang, you are a hard-working kid. You learn quickly, and now you are doing very well. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me, and we will cook together."

Wang Jianye felt particularly warm in his heart as he watched everyone having fun. He said, "Everyone is right. Our hotel is a big family. Everyone has their own role to play. Only by learning from each other and helping each other can we make this family better and better. Now, let's not just chat. Come on, let's sing a birthday song for Chen Xiaoyang, then cut the cake, eat delicious food, and celebrate!"

So, under the leadership of Wang Jianye, everyone sang the birthday song together. The cheerful singing echoed in the rest area, and everyone's face was filled with happy smiles.

Chen Xiaoyang stood in the middle, tears of emotion flashing in his eyes. He felt the deep friendship from his colleagues and boss, and secretly made up his mind to work harder in the new year and contribute more to the development of the hotel.

After singing the birthday song, Chen Xiaoyang walked to the cake, picked up the knife, and carefully cut the first piece of cake amid everyone's cheers. He handed it to Wang Jianye and said, "Boss, you eat first."

Wang Jianye took the cake with a smile and said, "Hey, you are the birthday boy today, you should eat first." (End of this chapter)