Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The cooking competition was very lively, with residents showing off their cooking skills. The judges scored the dishes based on taste, creativity and appearance. Finally, first, second and third prizes were selected and awarded. A winning resident said happily: "This event is so interesting. Not only did I learn a lot of cooking knowledge, but I also had the opportunity to show off my cooking skills. I hope there will be more such events in the future."

Through cooperative activities with the community, the Guadalajara branch of Wang's All-in-One Hotel has greatly improved its visibility in the local community and has a closer relationship with residents. Wang Jianye knows that only by continuous innovation and improvement, and active interaction with the local market and residents, can the hotel continue to develop in the fiercely competitive catering market. He will continue to lead the team to explore more development opportunities and lay a more solid foundation for the future of the hotel.

After the success of the community cooperation activities, Wang Jianye turned his attention to the training and development of employees. He believed that employees were the core force of the hotel's development, and improving the quality and skills of employees was crucial. Therefore, he organized a series of internal training courses covering service skills, food knowledge, cultural etiquette and other aspects.

In the service skills training class, the trainer told the employees: "When customers make special requests, we should listen patiently and not rush to refuse. For example, if a customer asks to adjust the taste of a dish, we should promptly feedback to the kitchen and try our best to meet the customer's needs." An employee asked: "Trainer, if a customer is in a bad mood and dissatisfied with the service, what should we do?" The trainer replied: "First, stay calm and polite, apologize to the customer, ask the customer about the specific area of ​​dissatisfaction, and then actively solve the problem. If you cannot solve it yourself, report it to your superior in a timely manner."

In the food knowledge training class, the chef team introduced the source of ingredients, cooking methods and special flavors of each dish in detail to the employees. The chef said: "Our 'Mexican-Chinese Salad' uses local fresh avocados and high-quality vegetables imported from China, paired with a special Chinese-Western combination sauce. It has a refreshing taste and rich nutrition. Everyone should be familiar with this information so that they can better introduce the dishes to customers." The employees took notes carefully and asked questions from time to time.

A local cultural expert was invited to conduct cultural etiquette training. The expert explained: "In Guadalajara, when communicating with customers, we should pay attention to eye contact and keep smiling, which will make customers feel our enthusiasm and respect. At the same time, we should understand some local cultural taboos and avoid inappropriate behavior during the service process."

Wang Jianye attended some of the training courses. He told his employees: "Everyone should seriously learn these knowledge and skills and improve their service level. Only when our service quality improves can the hotel attract more customers and achieve better development."

With the in-depth development of staff training, the hotel's service quality has been significantly improved. Customers have expressed their appreciation for the professional service of the staff. A customer said to the waiter: "Your service is becoming more and more professional. I can feel your enthusiasm and dedication every time I come." The waiter smiled and responded: "Thank you for your recognition. We will continue to work hard."

While paying attention to the internal development of the hotel, Wang Jianye did not ignore market competition. He regularly organized market research to understand the dynamics of competitors. At a market research and analysis meeting, Xiao Ma, who was in charge of the research, reported: "Mr. Wang, a new restaurant has recently opened. They specialize in traditional Mexican cuisine with relatively low prices, which may have a certain impact on our business." After listening, Wang Jianye thought for a moment and said: "We can't just focus on price. We must play to our strengths. Our dishes incorporate multiple cultural characteristics. This is our unique selling point. We can launch some promotional activities to attract more customers, and at the same time further optimize the dishes and services to improve customer satisfaction."

According to Wang Jianye's instructions, the team formulated a series of countermeasures. They launched the "Cultural Fusion Food Week" event, during which some special dishes enjoyed discounts. At the same time, the chef team further optimized the dishes to improve the taste and quality of the dishes. The waiters also paid more attention to service details to provide customers with more considerate service.

During the "Cultural Fusion Food Week" event, the restaurant's customer flow increased significantly. A customer came to dine during the event and said, "I came here because I heard you had a discount event. I didn't expect the dishes to be so unique and the service to be so good. I will come here often in the future." Wang Jianye saw that the event had achieved good results and said to his team members, "In the face of competition, we must remain calm, give full play to our own advantages, and continue to improve and innovate. Only in this way can we remain invincible in the market."

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In Guadalajara, Wang's full range of restaurants are gaining influence through continuous efforts and innovation. The restaurant is crowded with customers every day, waiters shuttle between tables, skillfully serving customers, and customers chat with satisfaction one after another. Wang Jianye looks at this busy and orderly scene, thinking about how to promote this successful experience to other planned branches.

On this day, Wang Jianye called the team members to the conference room. After everyone sat down, he said: "The success of the Guadalajara branch is inseparable from your in-depth exploration of local culture and accurate grasp of customer needs. Now we plan to prepare more branches, so today we called everyone here to summarize the experience and lessons of the Guadalajara branch and prepare for the preparation of new branches."

Xiao Li, who is in charge of market research, spoke first: "In Guadalajara, we spent a lot of time communicating with local residents and learned that they attach great importance to the freshness of ingredients. For example, when they buy vegetables and meat, they will carefully check the freshness. Therefore, we must strictly control the procurement process to ensure the quality of the ingredients. This point must not be ignored when preparing for a new branch."

Xiao Zhang, who is in charge of service management, went on to say, "I was also deeply impressed by the local dining etiquette. In Guadalajara, customers are used to dining in a relatively relaxed but polite atmosphere. The service rhythm must be well controlled. It should not be too hasty and make customers feel oppressed, nor should it be dragged out and make customers wait for a long time. The service staff of the new branch must pay attention to this."

Chef Lao Zhao, who is in charge of the development of dishes, also said: "People in Guadalajara have a unique preference for the use of spices. When we were developing dishes, we adjusted the types and amounts of spices based on their taste habits to make the dishes more popular. The new branch should make corresponding adjustments based on the local taste characteristics while retaining the characteristics of our hotel."

Everyone shared their experiences. Wang Jianye listened carefully and took notes in his notebook. After everyone finished speaking, Wang Jianye said, "Everyone's experience is very valuable. These are what we have gained in Guadalajara. We will apply these experiences to the preparation of subsequent branches, so that all Wang's hotels can take root in more places."

Later, Wang Jianye led the team to a new city to prepare for a branch. As soon as they got off the plane, they felt the different atmosphere of this city from Guadalajara. The streets were crowded with people and the architectural style was unique.

During the inspection, Wang Jianye said to the team members: "Every city has its own unique features. Just like what we did in Guadalajara, this time we also need to deeply understand the local culture, market and customer needs, and create branches that suit local characteristics." The team members nodded and kept Wang Jianye's words in mind.

They began to visit various places in the city. They walked into local restaurants to observe the types of dishes, tastes, and customer feedback; they walked through the markets to understand the supply of various ingredients and price fluctuations; they talked with local residents to find out their eating habits and expectations for dining. In a popular local seafood restaurant, the team members ordered several signature dishes. During the meal, they noticed how much the surrounding customers liked seafood dishes. A team member said to Wang Jianye, "Mr. Wang, you see, the customers here seem to be particularly fond of seafood dishes. Almost every table has some seafood. We can do more with the dishes."

Wang Jianye nodded and responded: "Indeed, this is important information. Based on this situation, our chef team can come up with some creative ideas for seafood dishes in advance. They must combine the local love for seafood and also incorporate the characteristics of our hotel."

Lao Chen, the head of the chef team, said: "Mr. Wang, I think we can try to combine the special spices of Mexico with the local fresh seafood to create a unique flavor. For example, using a common local chili and lemon juice to make a sauce and pairing it with grilled shrimp should be very distinctive."

Wang Jianye agreed: "This is a good idea, but we need to pay attention to the balance of flavors. We cannot let one flavor be too prominent. We want customers to be able to taste the freshness of the seafood and feel the unique flavor."

As the investigation progressed, Wang Jianye and his team had a clearer direction for the preparation of the new branch. They began to look for a suitable store in the new city. One day, the team members found a good site in the city's commercial district. The site was located on the ground floor of a commercial building, surrounded by office buildings and with convenient transportation.

Xiao Wang, who was in charge of site selection, said to Wang Jianye, "Mr. Wang, what do you think of this place? There is a large flow of people around, and most of them are young office workers with strong spending power."

Wang Jianye carefully inspected the surrounding environment and internal structure of the site and said, "The location is indeed good, but we also need to consider factors such as rental costs and the adaptability of the store. Let's evaluate it carefully."

At the same time, the chef team is also working intensively on the research and development of new dishes. In the kitchen temporarily rented by the hotel, the chefs are busy preparing various ingredients and conducting repeated attempts.

Lao Chen said to a young chef, "Xiao Li, for this seafood pasta, we can add some Mexican herbs based on the traditional method and see if the flavor can be improved." Xiao Li followed Lao Chen's instructions and chopped the herbs and added them to the pot.

After many attempts and adjustments, several new seafood dishes gradually took shape. Lao Chen invited Wang Jianye to taste them. Wang Jianye tasted the new dishes one by one and said, "This spicy seafood stew tastes good, the spicy taste and the freshness of the seafood blend well, but the soup can be thicker, so that the taste will be richer. And this pan-fried salmon, the skin is not crispy enough, the heat needs to be adjusted."

The chef team continued to optimize the dishes based on Wang Jianye’s suggestions.

During the preparations for the new branch, Wang Jianye also put forward requirements to the decoration team. He said to the team leader: "The decoration style this time should reflect local characteristics, and at the same time, it should be integrated with the overall style of all Wang's hotels. For example, we can use local traditional patterns on the wall decoration, but in terms of color matching, we must maintain the bright and warm style that our hotel has always maintained."

The head of the decoration team responded: "Mr. Wang, we already have a preliminary design plan. We plan to install some lamps with local characteristics on the ceiling and pave the floor with locally produced stones to create a unique atmosphere. At the same time, the style of the tables and chairs will continue the simple style of our hotel, but incorporate local elements in the details."

Wang Jianye nodded in satisfaction: "The truth lies in the details. We must pay attention to the coordination of the overall style."

Wang Jianye also paid special attention to employee training. He told the trainers: "The training content should be adjusted according to the characteristics of local customers so that employees can better serve local customers. For example, they should understand the communication methods and consumption habits of local residents so that they can be more targeted in the service process."

The trainer said, "Mr. Wang, we have developed a detailed training plan. In addition to training on service skills and food knowledge, we will also arrange special courses to allow employees to gain a deeper understanding of local culture and customer needs."

The preparations were going on as planned, but some problems were encountered. Xiao Zhao, who was in charge of purchasing, approached Wang Jianye and said, "Mr. Wang, a local seafood supplier said that due to recent changes in market demand, prices may rise sharply, which may affect the cost of our dishes."

Wang Jianye thought for a moment and said, "We can't easily change suppliers because their product quality is guaranteed. You can communicate with the supplier again to see if we can strive for a relatively stable price through long-term cooperation. At the same time, we can also consider adjusting the price of the dishes appropriately, but we must be careful about the range so that it will not be unacceptable to customers."

Xiao Zhao followed Wang Jianye's instructions and communicated with the supplier several times. Finally, the supplier agreed to keep the price stable for a certain period of time and promised to provide better quality products. (End of this chapter)