Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

After listening to this, Chef Zhang nodded slightly and said thoughtfully, "Boss Wang, you are right. But the amount of peppercorns should be controlled. If you reduce it too much, the unique flavor of Mapo Tofu will be gone. Without the spicy taste, it won't taste the same."

Wang Jianye looked at Lao Zhang and said in agreement, "Lao Zhang, you are right. This is indeed a difficult point. So we have to experiment repeatedly to find the most appropriate balance point, which can make the spiciness milder without losing the original flavor of the dish. You can try it a few more times, adjust the amount of peppercorns a little each time, and then let everyone taste it to see how it works."

Lao Zhang responded, wrote it down in his notebook, and said, "Okay, Boss Wang, I understand. I will start trying it tomorrow and try to find the right ratio as soon as possible."

Wang Jianye looked at another dish on the whiteboard - "Sweet and Sour Carp" and continued, "There is also this 'Sweet and Sour Carp'. This dish is very popular in our country. It tastes sweet and sour. But I found that customers here in France seem to prefer a sweeter taste.

So we can increase the sweetness of the sauce a little bit to cater to the local sweet taste preference. However, when adjusting the sweetness, we must also pay attention to maintaining a balance between the sour taste and other seasonings, and not let the sweetness be too abrupt and ruin the taste of the whole dish. We must ensure that the core taste of the dish is still Chinese, this is our foundation, and everyone must not put the cart before the horse. "

Xiao Li, the chef in charge of this dish, responded: "Boss Wang, I think we can increase the amount of rock sugar and reduce the proportion of vinegar based on the original sweet and sour sauce recipe. This will not only increase the sweetness, but also make the sweet and sour taste more integrated and coordinated. I will adjust it according to this idea tomorrow and make it for everyone to try."

Wang Jianye nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well, Xiao Li, this is a good idea. Let's try it as you said. In addition to these two dishes, we should also think carefully about the other dishes to see which parts can be fine-tuned according to the tastes of French customers. Our goal is to make customers accustomed to the food and satisfied with it, while also showing the essence of Chinese cuisine."

The chefs nodded to show that they understood, and then they discussed one after another how to improve the dishes they were responsible for. The atmosphere in the meeting room was warm and serious, and everyone was aware of the importance of these adjustments to the future operations of the hotel.

While all Wang's restaurants were working hard to adjust the taste of their dishes, surrounding competitors were also busy. A business war without the smoke of gunpowder was quietly unfolding.

The owner of the old French restaurant has been looking smug since he learned that the business of Wang's All-inclusive Restaurant was not very good after its opening. He felt that this was a great opportunity to further consolidate the position of his restaurant and grab more customers.

That day, he called the restaurant's head chef and marketing manager to his office, sat in a comfortable boss chair, swayed his body, and said slowly: "Look at that Wang's All-in-One Restaurant from China. It seems that it hasn't been going well in the past few days since its opening. Many customers have complained that they can't get used to their Chinese dishes.

This is a good opportunity for us. We need to find a way to bring back those customers who originally wanted to try something new, and even attract those customers who are still waiting to come here. "

The chef nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Boss, I'm already preparing. I've developed a few new traditional French dishes. While retaining the classic flavors, I've made some innovations and used some rare but delicious local ingredients. I believe these new dishes will definitely attract a lot of customers."

The boss' eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Oh? That's a good idea. Then you have to hurry up and launch these new dishes so that customers can taste them as soon as possible. By the way, what plans do you have for marketing?"

The marketing manager quickly replied: "Boss, I have arranged for someone to design a new promotional poster. The poster will highlight the characteristics and highlights of our new dishes and emphasize the pure bloodline and profound cultural heritage of our traditional French cuisine.

We also plan to post a large number of posters in surrounding communities, office buildings, schools, etc., and also promote on some social media platforms to attract more attention.

In addition, we are also planning to launch some promotional activities, such as offering free special dishes or discounts for spending a certain amount of money, to attract customers to come and consume.”

The boss smiled with satisfaction and said, "Well, that's good. Let's execute it according to this plan. We must let customers know that this is the best place to taste authentic French cuisine. Don't be confused by those foreign things."

The new restaurant serving Asian fusion cuisine also noticed the difficulties faced by all Wang's restaurants, and the owner felt that this was a good opportunity to expand his market share.

He gathered the core team members of the restaurant together, sat in the conference room, and said with a sly look in his eyes, "The Wang's All-in-One Restaurant is now having a headache because customers don't like the taste of their dishes. This is an opportunity for us. We must seize this opportunity to further develop the advantages of our restaurant and attract more customers."

The restaurant's head chef said confidently, "Boss, I have been developing new dishes these days. I have an idea to incorporate some French local specialties such as cheese and ham into our existing Asian dishes. For example, when making a Thai curry chicken, adding some French cheese will make the curry more flavorful and mellow, and the taste will be richer. As for the Japanese sushi, we can wrap it with French smoked ham to create a brand new flavor that will definitely make customers shine."

After hearing this, the boss slapped the table excitedly and said, "Great, this is a great idea! Then we must quickly launch these new dishes and offer some discounts on prices to attract customers who want to try new flavors and pursue cost-effectiveness. We must also increase our marketing efforts and do more online and offline publicity to let everyone know about the new changes in our restaurant."

The members of the marketing team nodded one after another, and then began to discuss in detail the specific plans for publicity, promotion and preferential activities.

Faced with these actions of competitors, although Wang Jianye was still busy adjusting the taste of the dishes within the hotel, he had also heard about them. He knew very well that in this fierce catering market, he had to achieve results as soon as possible in order to gain a foothold in this business war.

In the following days, the kitchen teams of all Wang's restaurants began to make intensive adjustments and trial preparations of the dishes according to the plan discussed in the previous meeting.

Lao Zhang repeatedly experiments with the amount of pepper to be used in "Mapo Tofu" in the kitchen. Every time he makes it, he tastes it carefully and writes down his feelings. He also invites other chefs to taste it together and listen to everyone's opinions.

Once, Lao Zhang made another adjusted "Mapo Tofu". He held the plate, walked to the busy chefs, and said, "Everyone, come and taste it. This is Mapo Tofu after I adjusted the amount of Sichuan peppercorns. See how it tastes this time. Is the spiciness milder? Can it still retain the original flavor?"

The chefs stopped what they were doing, gathered around, and each took a spoon to taste the food.

After tasting it, Chef Xiao Wang smacked his lips and said, "Lao Zhang, the spiciness is indeed not as strong this time, but I think the numbing taste is also much weaker. The overall taste is a bit bland and not strong enough."

Another chef, Xiao Zhao, also nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, I feel the same way. Maybe we need to add a little more peppercorns and adjust the proportions of other seasonings to make the taste richer. But now the direction is right and it is more acceptable than the previous version." After listening to everyone's opinions, Lao Zhang frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Well, you are right. I'll go back and think about it and try to adjust it a little bit." After that, he took the plate back to his workbench and continued his research.

Meanwhile, Xiao Li was constantly trying to adjust the sauce recipe for "Sweet and Sour Carp". He changed the amount of rock sugar and vinegar again and again, cooking a fish each time, observing the color of the fish, tasting the sauce, and recording various data.

Once, after Xiao Li finished making a modified "sweet and sour carp", he called Wang Jianye and said, "Boss Wang, please come and try my modified sweet and sour carp. I increased the amount of rock sugar and reduced the proportion of vinegar. Please see how the sweetness and overall taste are and whether it meets our expectations."

Wang Jianye came over and carefully examined the carp on the plate. The fish was bright red and evenly coated with sweet and sour sauce, which looked very tempting. He picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. After a moment, he nodded slightly and said:

"Well, the sweetness is higher this time, and the ratio of sweetness to sourness is more harmonious than before, the taste is very good. However, I think the sourness of vinegar can be increased a little bit to make the taste more layered. Now I feel that the sweetness slightly overwhelms the sourness."

After hearing this, Xiao Li nodded quickly and said, "Okay, Boss Wang, I understand. I'll try to adjust it again."

While chefs continue to work hard to adjust the taste of their dishes, waiters are also stepping up their efforts in marketing.

Whenever a customer finishes their meal, the waiters will take the initiative to come forward, with a friendly smile on their face, and politely ask the customer about their dining experience.

After Lucy paid the bill for a table of customers, she smiled and asked, "Hello, are you satisfied with your meal today? Do you have any suggestions for our dishes and services?"

The customer thought for a moment and said, "Well, overall it's pretty good, but I'm still a little uncomfortable with the taste of some dishes. They feel too special."

Lucy quickly responded, "Thank you very much for your feedback. In fact, we are also aware of this problem, so the chefs are making some improvements to the dishes according to the tastes of French customers. Here are some small coupons from our restaurant. You can use them next time you come. I hope you can try our improved dishes again. I believe it will bring you a different dining experience."

The customer took the coupon and said with a smile: "Oh, I see, that's very thoughtful. Thank you. We will come again if we have the chance."

By constantly communicating with customers, collecting feedback, and sending coupons to invite customers to visit again, Wang's entire chain of hotels has gradually left a good impression of customers as a company that actively improves and operates with care.

As time went by, through repeated experiments and adjustments by the chefs, the taste of the dishes became more and more in line with the eating habits of French customers, and customers' acceptance of Chinese dishes began to gradually increase.

One day, the French customers who had been dissatisfied with the taste of the dishes came back to the restaurant. Lucy recognized them immediately and greeted them warmly, saying, "Welcome again. Today we have several improved dishes that I believe will suit your taste better. Let me recommend some to you."

After hearing this, the customers at this table smiled and said, "Okay, let's try it. I hope we can have a different experience this time."

When the improved dishes such as "Mapo Tofu" and "Sweet and Sour Carp" were served, customers tasted them one after another. This time, they showed pleasant surprises on their faces.

After taking a bite of the Mapo Tofu, the customer who had been frowning before said to his companion with a smile: "Oh, the taste is much better this time. The spiciness has become milder, and the unique fragrance is still there. It tastes quite smooth."

After tasting the "Sweet and Sour Carp", another customer nodded and praised: "Yes, the sauce for this fish is just the right sweetness, sour and sweet, very appetizing, and the fish is also very tender, really good!"

……

With the continuous adjustment of dishes and continuous optimization of services, Wang's full range of restaurants began to slowly integrate into the local market and, with its unique charm, it was loved by more and more French customers.

This liking is not only because of the satisfaction on the tongue, but also a recognition of the novel experience brought about by the fusion of Chinese and French food cultures.

In Paris, a city full of art and romance, there are many restaurants of all kinds and the competition is extremely fierce.

However, all Wang's restaurants have been able to stand out in this vast ocean of catering, attracting diners of all kinds.

Among them, there is a French food critic named Jacques, who has attracted much attention from industry insiders and food lovers for his professional tasting skills and influence in the catering review circle.

Mr. Jacques has an almost demanding pursuit for food. He is keen on exploring those delicious dishes hidden in the corners of the city that can bring a unique impact to the taste buds.

All Wang's restaurants naturally came into Mr. Jacques's sight. (End of this chapter)