Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Lily and other British waiters are constantly practicing and improving themselves in service standards and cross-cultural communication courses. They work in pairs to practice polite language and service postures and correct each other's shortcomings.

When Lily was practicing introducing dishes to customers, she recited the words of introduction repeatedly, adjusted her tone and expression, and tried to be natural, smooth, friendly and kind. She looked at herself in the mirror and said softly:

"Hello, this is our Sino-French Beef Wellington, which combines the culinary essences of China and France..." Then carefully observe whether your expression and tone are appropriate.

Li Hua, who has a background in Chinese and French catering, also actively shares his experience and knowledge with his British colleagues to help them better understand Chinese and French food culture.

During the group discussion, he introduced the taste characteristics and cultural connotations of Chinese and French cuisines in detail to his British colleagues, such as explaining the concept of "color, fragrance and taste" in Chinese cuisine and the ultimate pursuit of food quality and cooking skills in French cuisine. As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, vividly describing the uniqueness of Chinese and French cuisines, which made his British colleagues listen with great interest.

After a period of training, the staff gradually grew into a team with multicultural literacy and professional skills. They not only mastered the basic service standards and food preparation techniques, but also had a deeper understanding of the differences and integration of the food cultures of China, France and the UK.

……

The restaurant market in London is extremely competitive.

In this metropolis that brings together global food culture, there are British restaurants with a long history and profound heritage. They have firmly captured the hearts of local diners with classic dishes passed down from generation to generation and the exquisite use of local ingredients. There are also food brands from all over the world, such as Italian pizza and pasta, Indian curry, Japanese sushi and sashimi, etc. They each have their own characteristics and attract customers with different taste preferences with their unique exotic flavors.

How Wang's entire chain of restaurants took root in such an environment and stood out from numerous competitors and carved out a blue ocean of its own in the red ocean of London's catering market became a key issue that Wang Jianye and his team urgently needed to address.

If you want to gain a foothold in London, you must have a deep understanding of the market structure and consumer needs and tap into your own unique competitive advantages. So he personally led the team to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth market research.

They traveled through the streets and alleys of London, went into restaurant after restaurant, and carefully observed the restaurants' decoration style, food features, service model and customer groups.

In a traditional British restaurant, they saw that the interior decoration was full of retro British style, wooden furniture, fire burning in the fireplace, and ancient oil paintings hanging on the wall, all of which exuded a strong historical atmosphere. Customers sat leisurely at the table, enjoying classic British breakfasts such as fried eggs, bacon, roasted tomatoes, baked beans and toast. The waiters wore traditional British uniforms and served customers politely and attentively.

In an Italian restaurant, the open kitchen allows customers to see the chefs expertly making pizza and pasta. The restaurant is filled with the rich aroma of tomato sauce, cheese and various spices, and customers laugh and enjoy the pleasure brought by authentic Italian food.

Through visiting and analyzing many restaurants, Wang Jianye and his team found that although the catering market in London is rich and diverse, there are only a few restaurants that truly combine the cuisines of China, France and the UK. This discovery made them brighten up, and after in-depth discussions and thinking, they decided to adopt a differentiated market strategy, using "the fusion experience of the cuisines of China, France and the UK" as the core selling point to create a unique catering concept.

In order to make this concept popular among the people, they carefully planned a series of promotional activities, among which internal tasting activities became an important battle to increase its popularity.

On the day of the event, the restaurant was carefully decorated. There were neatly arranged dining tables in the hall, each covered with a white tablecloth, and placed with exquisite tableware and flowers. The lighting was soft and bright, creating a warm and elegant atmosphere.

Food critics, media reporters and some loyal customers were invited one after another. The food critics were dressed stylishly and appropriately. With their professional vision and discerning taste buds, they were ready to make strict judgments on this tasting event. The media reporters held cameras, notebooks and other equipment, ready to record the wonderful moments and unique dishes of the event at any time. The loyal customers had expectant smiles on their faces. They are the supporters of the restaurant and the most vocal experiencers.

Wang Jianye stood at the entrance of the hotel, smiling and warmly welcoming every guest. He shook hands with the guests one by one and said politely: "Welcome to Wang's All-in-One Hotel. Today we will present you with a unique fusion of Chinese, French and British cuisines. I hope you will enjoy it." The guests responded one after another and expressed great interest in this event.

When the guests were seated, the waiters began to serve the dishes. The first dish served was an appetizer called "British Isles Fresh Vegetable Salad with Chinese and French Special Sauces".

The waiters walked lightly and skillfully, gently placing the salad plates in front of each guest, and introduced in a clear and polite voice: "This is our special appetizer, which uses fresh British vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, tomato, radish, etc., paired with our special Chinese-French mixed sauce. This sauce combines the freshness of French olive oil vinegar and the mellowness of Chinese sesame sauce, bringing you a brand new taste experience."

The guests were attracted by the salad, which was colorful and neatly arranged. The green lettuce was fresh and tender, the cucumber slices were evenly sliced, the lycopene was rich, the radish was red and white, and the sauce on the vegetables exuded an attractive luster.

A food critic leaned forward slightly, carefully observing the salad presentation and the texture of the sauce. He picked up the fork, gently forked a piece of lettuce, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. His eyes narrowed slightly, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he said:
“This salad has a unique taste, the vegetables are extremely fresh, and the sauce cleverly blends the Chinese and French flavors. The French acidity and the Chinese mellowness balance each other, which is very good.” After hearing this, the other guests also began to taste it and nodded in agreement.

Then, the main course "Chinese, French and British Sea and Land Feast" was grandly launched. This dish can be said to be the essence of the cuisine of the Three Kingdoms. The waiters carefully placed a huge plate in the center of the table, on which was placed a piece of carefully cooked Wellington steak. The crust on the surface of the steak was golden and crispy. After cutting it, the beef inside showed an attractive pink color, tender and juicy.

Next to the steak is a piece of British fried fish. The cod is fried until the skin is golden and the fish meat is white and delicate, paired with perfectly fried French fries. In addition, there is a Chinese braised pork, which is bright red in color, fat and lean, and exudes a rich aroma. Around the dishes, there are some British roasted vegetables and Chinese stir-fried seasonal vegetables, as well as French cream of mushroom soup. The waiter introduced: "This 'China-France-British Sea and Land Feast' is a masterpiece of our chef team. The Wellington steak uses French cooking techniques and Chinese spices to marinate, making the steak taste richer; the British fish and chips maintain the traditional flavor and are paired with our special Chinese-French mixed dipping sauce; the Chinese braised pork uses high-quality pork, which is slow-cooked and melts in the mouth. This dish perfectly combines the culinary characteristics of China, France and the United Kingdom. I hope everyone will enjoy it."

The guests couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when they saw this sumptuous main dish. A media reporter quickly picked up his camera and took photos of the dish from different angles, wanting to record this unique presentation of food.

A loyal customer couldn't wait to pick up his knife and fork, cut a piece of Wellington steak and put it in his mouth. He first felt the crispness of the pastry, then the tenderness of the beef and the unique taste of the spices. He said while chewing:
"This beef Wellington is so delicious! I've never tasted a steak that combines Chinese and French flavors. It's really a new taste experience." Other guests also picked up their cutlery and tasted different dishes, and there were exclamations of admiration at the table.

During the food tasting process, Wang Jianye and his team members shuttled between the tables and interacted with the guests. They listened carefully to the guests' opinions and suggestions and answered their questions about the preparation of dishes and the sources of ingredients.

Wang Jianye walked up to a food critic and asked with a smile:

"What do you think of today's dishes?"

The food critic put down his cutlery, looked at Wang Jianye and said:
"Overall, it's very good. Your concept of integrating Chinese, French and British cuisine is very novel, and you have really put a lot of effort into the preparation of the dishes, integrating the food characteristics of the three cultures very well. However, some details may need further polishing, such as adjusting the proportion of the sauce to make the taste more perfect."

Wang Jianye nodded seriously and said, "Thank you very much for your valuable suggestions. We will make serious improvements."

In addition to hosting internal tasting events, the hotel has also launched a series of special services to meet the needs of different customer groups.

For those who watch theater performances, the hotel has specially designed a quick set meal service. At the Wang's All-System Hotel branch near the theater area, every performance day, there will be a group of hurried customers. They are pressed for time and hope to enjoy a delicious meal quickly between performances. For this purpose, the hotel has prepared a special performance set menu. The dishes on the menu are carefully selected and prepared, and can be produced in a short time.

For example, a "Theater Express Meal" includes an exquisite sandwich with a variety of fillings, including British ham, French cheese and Chinese shredded vegetables, paired with a refreshing fruit salad and a cup of hot coffee or tea.

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When customers walked into the restaurant, the waiters quickly came forward to greet them and guided them to the special fast-food dining area to sit down. The waiter handed over the menu and said, "Hello, this is the fast-food set menu we prepared for customers watching the show. You can choose according to your preferences.

We will prepare your meal as soon as possible to ensure you don't miss the show. "Customers quickly browsed the menu and placed their orders. The chefs quickly got busy in the kitchen. They skillfully made sandwiches, spread various fillings evenly on the bread slices, and then cut them into neat small pieces with a knife and put them on the plate. Fruit salad was also quickly prepared, with fresh fruit cut into pieces and paired with a special salad dressing.

After a while, the food was brought to the customers' tables by the waiters. While enjoying the food quickly, the customers thanked the waiters and said, "Thank you, this set meal is very convenient and tastes great."

For business people in the surrounding office buildings, the hotel provides customized business lunch and afternoon tea packages. At noon on weekdays, business people in office buildings come out of their offices and look for a suitable place to eat. Wang's full range of hotels has become one of their popular choices.

The hotel's business lunch packages are divided into different grades and flavor combinations to meet the needs of different business people. For example, a "Business Elite Package" includes a French-style grilled steak with black pepper sauce. The steak is fried to the customer's desired degree of doneness, tender and juicy, and is served with an English-style grilled vegetable and a Chinese-style fried rice.

The set meal also comes with an exquisite dessert, such as French caramel pudding or Chinese red bean paste.

When business people walk into the restaurant, the waiter will recommend a suitable set meal according to their needs and preferences. "Sir, this is our business elite set meal. The steak is made of top-quality beef and is fried very deliciously. The fried rice and grilled vegetables are also delicious. The dessert is our signature caramel pudding. Are you interested in trying it?" Business people can choose according to their own time and taste preferences.

The afternoon tea set is designed to meet the needs of business people to relax and replenish energy during the afternoon work. The afternoon tea set includes a variety of exquisite snacks and drinks. The snacks include English scones with cream and jam; French macarons with bright colors and crispy texture;

Chinese dim sum, such as xiaolongbao and shrimp dumplings, are also made into small and exquisite shapes for easy consumption. Drinks include English black tea, French coffee and Chinese tea. Business people can enjoy delicious dim sum and drinks in the comfortable environment of the hotel while communicating and negotiating business with colleagues or clients.

Through these differentiated market strategies and special services, Wang's full range of restaurants has gradually emerged in the London catering market.

Through word of mouth, more and more people have come to know about this restaurant that offers a unique fusion of Chinese, French and British cuisine, as well as its high-quality services tailored for different customer groups.

The hotel's popularity continued to rise, customer traffic also increased, and it successfully established a firm foothold in the fiercely competitive catering market in London. (End of this chapter)