Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The family walked into the restaurant. The father, wearing a simple casual shirt and dark blue jeans, stood calmly in the middle of the restaurant. He raised his head slightly, slowly scanned the surroundings, and showed appreciation in his eyes. He turned to his family and said, "This place looks really good, very unique."

The mother was wearing a floral dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps. She smiled, gently pulled her daughter's hand, and said, "Yes, it feels quite fresh." The daughter ran around the restaurant excitedly like a happy little bird, her eyes fixed on the paintings of different styles on the wall, and kept saying, "So beautiful, so beautiful."

My father came to the dining table, gently pulled out a chair and sat down, then picked up the menu. He quickly scanned the dishes with a focused look. Suddenly, his finger stopped on the "Mexican Salad", and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He said to his family, "This dish combines Mexican avocado with Chinese salad. It sounds interesting. Let's order one to try."

The mother nodded slightly in agreement, her eyes full of anticipation: "It sounds really novel, let's order some other special dishes." The daughter came over immediately, pointed at the "Ink and White Cookies" on the menu, and said impatiently: "I want to eat that 'Ink and White Cookies', the name sounds delicious." The father smiled and touched his daughter's head, saying: "Okay, let's order it."

Soon, the dishes were served. The family focused their attention on the "Mexican-Chinese Style Salad" in front of them. The dish was colorful, with the emerald green of avocado, the light green of cucumber, and the orange-red of carrot intertwined in a very harmonious combination. The father took the lead in picking up the fork, gently picked up a piece of salad and put it in his mouth. After chewing it carefully for a few times, he nodded slightly and said, "Well, this tastes very special, you should try it too."

Hearing this, the mother and daughter also picked up their utensils to taste the food. The mother took a bite and a look of delight appeared on her face. She said, "This taste is well blended, with the richness of avocado and the freshness of Chinese cold dishes." The daughter ate while nodding vigorously and said vaguely, "It's delicious, I like it."

However, the initial opening was not smooth sailing. In a corner of the restaurant, several local customers were dining. A bearded customer frowned, gently put down the cutlery in his hand, and said to his companion: "These fusion dishes are very creative, but the taste is a bit strange, not as authentic as traditional Mexican dishes."

After hearing this, my companion also put down his knife and fork and agreed, "Yeah, it always tastes a little bit like the familiar Mexican food. I still prefer our traditional tortillas and spicy meat sauce." A customer wearing a hat next to him took a sip of water and continued, "I think the seasoning of this dish can be adjusted. The proportion of spices is not right. I feel that the unique flavor of Mexican food is not fully displayed."

At the restaurant's feedback counter, a young lady filled out a feedback form and handed it to the staff, saying, "I think the taste of these dishes can be adjusted. Although the fusion idea is great, it always feels like something is missing. The characteristics of Mexican food can be more prominent." The staff took the feedback form with both hands, wrote it down carefully, and said, "Thank you for your feedback. We will pass it on to the relevant personnel."

After seeing these customer feedbacks in his office, Wang Jianye looked solemn and immediately called a meeting with the chef team. The atmosphere in the meeting room was a little depressing. Wang Jianye sat at the head of the meeting table, looked at everyone with a serious expression, and said: "We must pay attention to customer feedback, and further optimize the taste on the basis of integrating dishes to make it more in line with the preferences of local customers. Everyone, please share your ideas."

Chef Zhang, the head of the chef team, pushed up his glasses and spoke first: "Mr. Wang, we do need to make changes. I have observed that Mexicans have a strong preference for spicy food. We can increase the amount of Mexican peppers in some dishes. At the same time, we can also learn more from traditional Mexican cooking methods, such as grilling meat over charcoal to give the dishes a unique smoky flavor. This may make the dishes more in line with the local tastes."

Chef Xiao Li continued, "Yes, we can also be more local in the selection of ingredients. For example, corn plays an important role in Mexican cuisine. We can use corn in more dishes, such as grinding corn into powder to make special tortillas and pairing them with other ingredients. This can not only highlight the local characteristics, but also enrich the variety of dishes."

Chef Xiao Zhao also put forward his own ideas: "We can also communicate more with local residents to understand their specific taste requirements for dishes, so that adjustments can be more targeted. For example, we can ask them about their spice usage habits and their preferences for saltiness, sourness and sweetness of dishes. Only by deeply understanding their preferences can we make more popular dishes."

Wang Jianye nodded in approval: "Everyone is right, let's do it according to this idea. Make adjustments as soon as possible so that customers can see our changes. Time is short, so everyone should work hard."

After the meeting, the chef team took quick action, once again going deep into the streets and alleys of Mexico City, visiting the homes of local residents, and communicating with them.

At a community activity center, Master Zhang met a local woman. He walked up to her and asked politely, "Hello, what seasonings do you like to use in your cooking? Do you have any special requirements for the taste?"

The auntie answered enthusiastically: "Of course we Mexicans like chili peppers. The hotter the better. There are also various spices, such as cumin and coriander seeds, which can make the dishes more flavorful. In addition, we like fresh ingredients, and the heat is also very important when cooking. If the ingredients are not fresh or the heat is not right, the taste will be far from good."

While taking notes, Chef Zhang asked, "What do you think of our fusion dishes? Do you have any suggestions?" The aunt thought for a moment and said, "The idea is good, but the taste is not Mexican enough. You can add more chili and spices to make the taste stronger. For example, add more chili powder to some dishes and increase the amount of spices a little bit, and the taste may be better."

In a vegetable market, Xiao Li asked an uncle selling vegetables: "Uncle, do you think there are any particular requirements for cooking traditional Mexican dishes?" The uncle answered while sorting the vegetables on the stall: "Traditional dishes pay attention to the cooking time and the freshness of the ingredients. For example, tortillas, you must use fresh corn to grind it into powder, and then they will be fragrant when they are baked. And barbecued meat will not taste good if the heat is not controlled well. If the heat is too high, it will burn easily, and if the heat is too low, it will not be cooked, and the taste will be bad."

Xiao Li asked again: "What special seasonings do you usually use to enhance the flavor of the dishes?" The uncle stopped what he was doing and said: "We use a special chili sauce that we make at home. It has a unique taste and can make the dishes more Mexican. The recipe of the chili sauce is passed down in our family. It uses several kinds of chilies and spices. It tastes amazing when applied to barbecue."

Through communication with many local residents, the chef team gained a deep understanding of Mexicans' strong preference for spicy food, as well as their emphasis on the selection of ingredients and heat control in traditional cooking methods. After returning to the hotel, they immediately adjusted the dishes. In the kitchen, Chef Zhang improved the sauce of the "Tequila Flavored Steak". He increased the amount of Mexican peppers and adjusted the ratio of spices to make the sauce more intense and stimulating. While stirring the sauce, he said to Xiao Zhao next to him: "Try this sauce and see if it's spicy enough."

Xiao Zhao took a bite, frowned slightly, and said, "Well, it's a lot spicier than before, but the spice flavor could be more prominent. I feel like the spiciness now overshadows the other flavors." After hearing this, Master Zhang added some cumin powder and coriander seed powder to the sauce, stirred it again, and said, "Try it again, how is it this time?" Xiao Zhao took another bite, smiled, and nodded, "This time it's much better, the spice flavor is strong, and the spiciness is just right. Now the various flavors are well balanced."

Xiao Li adjusted the seasoning of the "Mexican Salad". He added a kind of hot and sour sauce commonly found in Mexico to the original Chinese sauce, and sprinkled some roasted corn flour to make the salad taste more layered. He said to the chef next to him: "After this adjustment, it should be more in line with the taste of local people. Corn flour not only increases the taste, but also highlights the Mexican characteristics. And the addition of this hot and sour sauce also makes the taste richer."

After a period of adjustment, the restaurant's business gradually picked up. A regular customer walked into the restaurant and ordered a modified "tequila-flavored steak." When the steak was served, he cut it and the rich aroma hit his nose, with the mellow aroma of tequila and the warm flavor brought by Mexican peppers and spices.

He took a bite and showed a satisfied look on his face. He said to the waiter: "Now these dishes taste much better. They have retained their characteristics and are in line with our taste. Your adjustment is very successful. I thought the taste was a little bit bad before, but now it is completely different." The waiter smiled and responded: "Thank you for your recognition. We will continue to work hard. We also hope to bring customers better and better dining experience."

As more and more customers recognized it, the reputation of the restaurant gradually spread. In the restaurant, you can often hear customers' praise. A customer said to his friend: "The dishes in this restaurant are really good now. They integrate multiple cultures and taste so good. The environment is also very unique. I will come here often in the future. When I came here last time, I felt that this restaurant had potential. I didn't expect it to become even better after the adjustment."

My friend nodded and responded, "Yes, I think it's great too. They are very attentive and can make adjustments based on customer feedback. This kind of attentive attitude towards catering is rare, and it will definitely become more and more popular in the future."

Wang Jianye was pleased to see the lively scene in the restaurant. He knew that this was just the beginning. To gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive Mexican catering market, he needed to continue to work hard and make adjustments and improvements based on customer needs. He secretly made up his mind to lead the team to continue working hard to make all Wang's restaurants shine more brilliantly in Mexico.

A customer who just walked in looked at the surrounding decorations curiously and asked the waiter: "The decoration style of your store is very unique. How did you come up with the idea of ​​combining these different styles together?"

The waiter smiled and replied: "Our boss hopes that through this method, customers can experience the collision and integration of different cultures while tasting delicious food."

After hearing this, the customer nodded and said, "It's really creative and novel. I hope your dishes can always maintain this innovative spirit." The waiter responded, "Don't worry, we will keep working hard and will definitely bring you more surprises."

In another corner of the restaurant, two customers were talking quietly. One customer said, "I think the service in this restaurant is also very good. The waiters are very enthusiastic and respond quickly."

Another customer nodded in agreement: "Yes, I just accidentally spilled some water, and the waiter came over to clean it up right away, and kept telling me not to worry about it. This service attitude is really great."

At this time, the restaurant manager was patrolling various areas to ensure that customers had a good dining experience. He walked to a customer's table and asked, "Are you satisfied with our food and service? If you have any comments or suggestions, you are welcome to let us know at any time."

The customer smiled and replied: "Very satisfied, the food is delicious, the environment is good, and the service is thoughtful. I have recommended it to several friends, and I believe they will like it too." After hearing this, the manager smiled happily and said: "Thank you for your support and recognition. We will continue to maintain it, and hope that you will continue to pay attention to us."

Wang Jianye stood in a corner of the restaurant, quietly observing everything. He saw the satisfied faces of the customers, heard their laughter, and felt a sense of accomplishment.

But he also understood that the catering industry is like sailing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will fall behind. He turned back to the office, ready to call the team together to discuss the next development plan and formulate a longer-term strategy for the future of the hotel.

The business of the Mexico City branch is getting better and better, and customers are coming in one after another. The waiters hold trays in their hands and walk hurriedly between the tables and chairs, serving dishes to customers and cleaning the tables skillfully. Wang Jianye stood in a corner of the restaurant, quietly observing this busy and orderly scene, and began to plan a new layout in his mind. After careful consideration, he decided to lead the team to Guadalajara, Monterrey and other cities to investigate and prepare to expand more branches in Mexico.

The group set foot on the land of Guadalajara. The streets of this city are clean and full of charm. The unique buildings are arranged in an orderly manner, exuding a strong cultural heritage everywhere. Wang Jianye and his team members walked along the streets, carefully observing everything around them. Wang Jianye spoke first: "Do you feel it? The atmosphere of this city is different from that of Mexico City. People here seem to be more persistent in their pursuit of food." The team members nodded one after another, revealing their approval in their eyes. (End of this chapter)