Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Mr. Hans nodded slightly while listening to the translator's retelling, his expression still serious, as if he was thinking about what Wang Jianye said. Then he asked, "What about your hotel's past business performance? Have you ever had a successful business case in other places?"

Wang Jianye continued to answer patiently: "Our restaurant has been operating in France for many years and has achieved very good results. At present, we have opened branches in several major cities in France and are deeply loved by local customers. Both local residents and tourists have given high praise to our Chinese-French fusion dishes.

Our restaurant is often packed, and our reputation is growing through word of mouth from customers. This has given us enough confidence and experience to come to Germany to explore the market, hoping to bring this unique food experience to our friends in Berlin.”

During Wang Jianye's introduction, Mr. Hans listened attentively. Occasionally, he would take a sip of the coffee in front of him, then put the cup down and continue looking at Wang Jianye, waiting for his further explanation.

Afterwards, Mr. Hans asked in detail about many aspects such as the characteristics of the dishes, the target customer groups, the expected business hours, and possible renovations to the store.

Wang Jianye and his team members answered all the questions patiently and professionally, presenting the hotel's plans and prospects to Mr. Hans as comprehensively as possible.

At the same time, Wang Jianye also expressed his sincere desire for this shop and his determination to operate in Berlin for a long time. He said: "Mr. Hans, we value the location and potential of your shop very much. We sincerely hope to rent it and operate here for a long time. We will definitely build the hotel carefully, abide by all the lease terms, and maintain the facilities and environment of the shop. I believe that our cooperation will be a win-win situation."

After the first meeting, Mr. Hans said that he needed some time to think about it and would contact Wang Jianye and others later. In the following days, the two sides had several rounds of negotiations, each round of negotiations was like a carefully planned chess game, and both sides made cautious moves in order to obtain the most favorable conditions.

The negotiation location was sometimes in Mr. Hans' office, which was a room decorated in a very traditional German style. The bookshelves were filled with various books and documents, and there were several oil paintings of great artistic value hanging on the walls. The desk was large and heavy, and the desktop was neatly organized. Mr. Hans sat in the chair behind the desk, with a calm aura. Every time he put forward a clause, he would explain in detail the considerations and basis behind it.

Wang Jianye led his team members to sit opposite and listen carefully. He would agree with and respond positively to some reasonable requests. He would also argue for some clauses involving key interests and explain his views and difficulties.

For example, in terms of rent, the price initially proposed by Mr. Hans was relatively high. Wang Jianye then combined factors such as market conditions, initial investment costs, and expected operating income to analyze in detail the pressure that this price might bring to the hotel's operations. He also put forward a more reasonable rent suggestion and said that as the hotel's operating conditions improve, the rent can be adjusted appropriately based on actual conditions.

The two sides also discussed the lease term repeatedly. Mr. Hans hoped to sign a longer lease term to ensure stable rental and income of the property, while Wang Jianye, considering that he had just arrived in Berlin and there was a certain degree of uncertainty in the market, hoped that the lease term could be relatively flexible so that adjustments could be made according to actual conditions during the operation. Both sides stated their pros and cons and continued to look for a balance point that they could both accept.

The responsibility for shop repairs was also one of the key points of the negotiation. Mr. Hans emphasized that the repair of the main structure and some important facilities of the shop should be borne by the tenant, while Wang Jianye expressed his willingness to be responsible for daily maintenance and repair work within a reasonable range, but for large-scale repair projects caused by the aging of the house itself, he hoped that the division of responsibilities could be clearly stated in the contract to avoid unnecessary disputes later.

In this way, after several rounds of difficult negotiations, during which many detailed terms were discussed and adjusted, both parties constantly weighed the pros and cons and made concessions to each other, and finally reached an agreement and successfully rented the shop.

When the lease contract was signed, Wang Jianye and his team members showed relieved smiles on their faces, which meant that Wang's entire hotel chain had taken the crucial first step in Berlin.

……

After signing the lease, the hotel immediately entered the intense preparation stage. This stage is like a well-choreographed large-scale performance. Every link is crucial and requires close cooperation among all teams to create a hotel that is eye-catching and can gain a foothold in the German catering market. Decoration: Integrate multiple elements to create a unique atmosphere

In terms of decoration, Wang Jianye is well aware of its importance to the overall image of the hotel and the dining experience of customers. It is not easy to gain a foothold in Germany, a country with a profound food culture and particular about the dining environment. It is necessary to cleverly integrate local cultural elements on the basis of retaining the characteristics of the fusion of Chinese and French styles, so as to create a dining environment that is both unique and friendly to German customers, so that customers can feel the unique charm brought by the collision and fusion of the two cultures as soon as they enter the hotel.

To this end, they spared no expense to hire a team of local German designers, who have made great achievements in the fields of German architecture and interior design, and have a deep understanding and precise grasp of local cultural elements. At the same time, the Chinese side also sent experienced design consultants, and the two sides came together to start this cross-cultural design cooperation journey. When they first met to discuss the design plan, the atmosphere in the conference room was warm and serious. The German designers brought thick folders filled with various design cases, architectural cultural materials in Berlin, and some creative ideas they had previously made for other projects. The Chinese design consultants brought decoration pictures of all branches of Wang's Hotels in France, detailed introductions to traditional Chinese architectural decoration elements, and other materials, in order to better explain the original style characteristics of the hotel to the German side.

Everyone sat around a large conference table covered with drawings and materials. Mr. Karl, the head of the German design team, spoke first. He had deep eyes and neat short hair. He spoke in a calm and professional tone, with typical German rigor. He gestured with his hands and said:
“Our goal is to create a space that resonates with German customers and is unique at the same time. Berlin has many iconic buildings, such as the Brandenburg Gate, which has simple and powerful lines and solemn and elegant colors. We can extract these elements and cleverly integrate them into the partitions and decorations of the restaurant, so that customers can feel the charm of the city of Berlin when dining.”

Mr. Li, the Chinese design consultant, nodded slightly, looked at Mr. Carl intently, and responded, "This is a great idea. We also hope to retain the Chinese carved door and window elements, but we do need to make some adjustments to the material and color to make it more coordinated with the overall European style. This will not only show the characteristics of the fusion of Chinese and French, but also will not appear abrupt, so that customers can appreciate the unique charm of Chinese culture in a foreign country."

After that, Teacher Li took out several pictures of Chinese carved doors and windows from the folder and handed them to Mr. Karl and other German designers. The exquisite carving craftsmanship and delicate textures in the pictures showed the exquisiteness of traditional Chinese skills. The German designers took the pictures one after another, looked at them carefully, and expressed admiration from time to time. At the same time, they also began to think about how to integrate them with the European style.

In the following days, the designers frequently shuttled between the shops to be renovated and their respective studios to conduct on-site measurements, draw sketches, make models, etc. They took tape measures and measured the dimensions of every corner of the shops, sometimes squatting down to check the connection between the floor and the wall, and sometimes looking up to observe the structure of the ceiling. While measuring, they quickly recorded the data in a notebook and whispered some size numbers and design ideas.

When designing the partition, the designers used the lines of the Brandenburg Gate as inspiration, simplified and abstracted them, and applied them to the shape of the wooden partition. They first used a pencil to lightly outline the outlines of the lines on the drawing, and repeatedly modified and adjusted them to ensure the smoothness of the lines and the coordination of the proportions.
Then they use drawing tools to carefully depict the pattern to make it more accurate and clear. After the drawings are finalized, the craftsmen select high-quality wood for production according to the design requirements. The wood-cutting machines roar in the workshop, and sawdust flies. The craftsmen wear goggles and masks and skillfully operate the machines to cut pieces of wood into the required shapes. Then, through fine grinding and splicing processes, they create partitions with unique lines and beauty.

The designers really put a lot of thought into the integration of Chinese carved door and window elements. They selected a hard, fine-grained and dark-colored wood that can show the texture of Chinese carvings and fit in with the calm tones of the overall European style. Chinese carving craftsmen were also invited to Germany to demonstrate the carving techniques on site and guide German craftsmen on how to grasp the strength, depth and coherence of the carving patterns.

The German craftsmen gathered around, watching attentively, holding small notebooks in their hands to record key points, and asked questions from time to time, such as the meaning of a certain pattern, the usage scenarios of different carving tools, etc. The Chinese craftsmen patiently answered them one by one, and the scene was filled with an atmosphere of cultural exchange and skill inheritance.

In terms of color matching, after many color matching experiments and comparisons, the designers chose a warm beige color as the main color. This color can not only create a warm feeling common in German restaurants, but also echo the dark wood of Chinese carved doors and windows, making the whole space harmonious and unified. The walls are painted with beige latex paint. The craftsmen hold roller brushes and evenly apply them on the walls. Their movements are skillful and rhythmic, over and over again, to ensure that the wall color is full and smooth.

The lighting design in the restaurant is also of paramount importance. This requires taking into account the dual requirements of lighting function and creating an atmosphere, and only ingenuity can create the ideal effect.

The designers carefully planned the lighting layout according to the functions and atmosphere requirements of different areas. In the dining area, soft and warm lighting is used, mainly through the combination of chandeliers, wall lamps and light strips hidden in the ceiling and partitions.

The design of the chandelier draws on the style of traditional German lamps, and the lampshade is made of frosted glass, which softens the light while exuding an elegant luster. The designers took samples of chandeliers of different styles and conducted field installation tests at the construction site, adjusting the height, spacing and brightness of the chandeliers, observing the effects of the light on the dining table, the ground and the surrounding decorations, and constantly recording data to find the best installation solution.

The wall lamps are installed at appropriate positions on the walls, and their lighting angles have been carefully adjusted to provide sufficient lighting for the aisles and project soft light and shadows on the walls, which complement the surrounding decorative elements and create a warm and romantic atmosphere.

The light strips are hidden in the grooves of the partitions and the edges of the ceiling. When the lights are on, the light flows along the lines, outlining the contours of the partitions and making the entire ceiling appear more layered, as if covering the restaurant with a soft halo. It has both the warmth common in German restaurants and the implicit Chinese charm.

The entire renovation process took several months, during which there were constant discussions and solutions to various details. However, with the joint efforts of the design team and the construction team, the renovation of the restaurant is gradually coming to an end, and a unique dining space is gradually appearing before everyone.

The menu development team also dares not slack off. They know very well that dishes are the soul of a restaurant. Whether they can cater to the eating habits and taste preferences of German customers is directly related to the survival and development of the restaurant in the local area.

The food development team has put a lot of effort into studying the eating habits and taste preferences of Germans. They have divided into several groups, with some members going to various local restaurants and pubs to taste different traditional German dishes and observe Germans' preferences for the taste, quantity and combination of dishes. These members sit in the corner of the restaurant and silently record the orders of the customers around them.
They pay attention to which dishes are frequently ordered and which ones seem to be less popular. When the dishes are served, they will carefully observe the appearance, color, and presentation of the dishes, then taste the flavors, analyze the seasonings, cooking methods, and the combination of ingredients, and also exchange a few words with the German customers at the same table, asking them about their evaluation of the dishes and why they like them. (End of this chapter)