Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The day before the opening, Wang Jianye went to Japan again to check the preparations. He walked into the renovated store and saw that the interior layout was simple and distinctive. The wooden floor and ceiling beams created a warm and natural atmosphere. The small paintings on the wall were framed in Japanese style to show different cultural characteristics. The open kitchen area was clean and bright, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the colorful cushions added vitality to the space. The green plants and special small ornaments in the corners were just right, not ostentatious but able to give people a surprise.

Wang Jianye went to the kitchen again, where the chefs were making final preparations. The ingredients for the new dishes were neatly arranged and the kitchen utensils were polished to a shine. Wang Jianye said to the chefs, "When we open tomorrow, everyone should check the freshness of the ingredients and the preparation of the dishes to make sure there are no problems."

Then, Wang Jianye went to the training room to watch the staff do the final training drill. He said to the staff: "The hotel will open tomorrow, everyone should be in the best condition to welcome customers. Pay attention to details in service, and communicate and solve problems in time. I believe that everyone can do a good job after so much training."

The employees answered in unison: "Yes, Mr. Wang!"

Everything is ready, Wang Jianye stands at the door of the store, looking at the sign, looking forward to it. He knows that the opening tomorrow will face challenges, but he believes in the team, believes that the carefully prepared dishes and unique decoration style can attract customers and gain a place in the Japanese catering market.

On the opening day, Wang Jianye arrived at the store early. The store was decorated in a simple and elegant style. Small flags of five countries, China, France, the United States, Mexico and Japan, were neatly placed at the door. The flags fluttered gently in the breeze. Passersby were attracted by the flags, and many slowed down their pace to look into the store.

Customers came into the store one after another. A young office worker walked in, stood at the door and looked around. He saw the unique decoration style of the store, and his eyes stayed on the small objects with different cultural characteristics for a moment, then walked to the menu. He looked at the "Mexican-Japanese Sashimi Roll" on the menu, showed a curious look, waved to the waiter and asked: "How is this dish fused?"

The waiter smiled and politely replied, "Sir, this dish is made of Japanese sashimi with Mexican special spices and sauces, and then rolled in seaweed. It has a rich taste and a unique flavor."

After listening to it, the young office worker nodded and said, "It sounds interesting. Give me one."

After a while, the dishes were served. The young office worker picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of sashimi roll and put it in his mouth. After chewing it for a few times, he showed a surprised expression on his face and said, "I didn't expect this combination to be so harmonious. It has both the deliciousness of sashimi and the unique taste of Mexican spices."

However, not all customers are satisfied with the fusion dishes. In a customer feedback survey in the early days of the restaurant, a customer said to the waiter: "These fusion dishes are creative, but the taste is a bit messy, not as pure as Japanese cuisine."

The waiter wrote down the customer feedback and gave it to Wang Jianye. After seeing the feedback, Wang Jianye immediately called a meeting with the chef team. Wang Jianye stood in front of the meeting room and said seriously: "We must pay attention to customer feedback and adjust the dishes. On the basis of integration, we should highlight Japanese elements to make it easier for customers to accept."

The chef team looked at each other and nodded to show that they understood. Chef Lao Zhao said, "Mr. Wang, let's do some market research to understand the taste preferences of Japanese customers and adjust the dishes accordingly."

In Tokyo, when Wang's full-line restaurant opened, some Japanese customers were not very receptive to fusion dishes, thinking that the taste was messy and lacked the pure taste of Japanese cuisine. After seeing the customer feedback, Wang Jianye immediately called a meeting with the team and asked them to pay attention to the feedback, adjust the dishes, and highlight the Japanese elements on the basis of fusion to make it easier for customers to accept.

So, the chef team went deep into the market again. In the early morning, the streets of Tokyo gradually became lively. Chef Xiao Zhang, Lao Zhao and others came to a market frequented by local residents. They shuttled between the stalls, observing the types and preferences of customers in choosing ingredients. Xiao Zhang saw a housewife choosing fish, so he walked up, bowed slightly and asked: "Hello, what cooking method do you usually like to use for fish?" The housewife looked up and smiled and replied: "I usually steam it or make sashimi, which can preserve the freshness of the fish." Xiao Zhang said while recording: "Thank you, what do you pay attention to in seasoning?" The housewife thought for a moment and said: "I will use some light soy sauce and a little ginger and green onion, and I won't add too complicated seasonings."

Then, they walked into another restaurant. The restaurant was full of diners, and the chefs dispersed to observe the customers' ordering habits. Lao Zhao noticed that a young couple at the next table ordered a sashimi platter and a vegetable salad. After he waited for the waiter to serve the dishes, he politely asked: "Excuse me, I see you ordered these two dishes. Do you usually prefer to eat this kind of light food?" The boy replied: "Yes, we think light food can better taste the flavor of the ingredients themselves, and it tastes very refreshing." Lao Zhao then asked: "Then what kind of dishes do you think will attract you to try?" The girl thought for a while and said: "If it is a creative fusion dish, but the taste is not too strong and can maintain a delicious taste, we are willing to try it."

In another corner, chef Xiao Li saw an old man dining alone, with a bowl of udon noodles and a delicate side dish in front of him. Xiao Li walked up to him and asked softly, "Old man, how do you like the taste of this udon noodles?" The old man put down his chopsticks and said, "It's good. The udon noodles have a smooth texture and the soup is light and fresh. I like this taste." Xiao Li asked again, "If there is udon noodles that incorporate the characteristics of other countries, would you like to try it?" The old man nodded, "As long as the taste is not too strange and can maintain this light and fresh feeling, I am willing to try it."

After several days of market research, the chef team communicated with many Japanese customers, observed their ordering habits in the restaurant and their reactions to different dishes, and found that Japanese customers generally like light, delicious and exquisite food.

After returning to the hotel, the chef team immediately began to discuss the adjustment of the dishes. Chef Xiao Zhang spoke first: "Mr. Wang, based on the research in the past few days, we think that lightening the taste of some dishes, reducing the strong taste and increasing the delicious taste should be more in line with the taste of Japanese customers. For example, for the American barbecue French-seasoned Wagyu beef, we lightened the barbecue sauce to highlight the fresh taste of the Wagyu beef itself."

Wang Jianye nodded and said, "Okay, make samples after you make the adjustments, and we'll see the results."

So the chefs took action immediately. Xiao Zhang came to the kitchen, picked up a piece of wagyu beef, and carefully wiped the surface moisture with kitchen paper. He put the wagyu beef on the workbench, picked up salt and pepper, and sprinkled them evenly on both sides of the wagyu beef with skillful and focused movements. Then, he turned on the oven and put the wagyu beef in the oven. During the baking process, Xiao Zhang observed the color changes of the wagyu beef from time to time and adjusted the oven temperature. When the surface of the wagyu beef showed an attractive golden color, he took the wagyu beef out.

At this time, Lao Zhao was preparing a special sauce. He poured a small amount of barbecue sauce into a bowl, added some lemon juice and Japanese soy sauce, and slowly stirred it with a spoon. Xiao Zhang put the roasted wagyu on a plate, and Lao Zhao picked up the prepared sauce and slowly poured it on the wagyu, and the sauce slowly flowed down along the texture of the wagyu.

At the same time, other chefs were also adjusting different dishes. Xiao Li was adjusting the burrito. He reduced the amount of the original rich Mexican sauce, added some fresh vegetables and sweet shrimps unique to Japan, and squeezed a little light mayonnaise. Xiao Wang was remaking udon noodles. He added some kelp and bonito flakes to the traditional udon soup to make the soup more delicious. After the dishes were adjusted, Wang Jianye organized the team to taste them. Everyone sat around the dining table, and Xiao Zhang brought the adjusted American barbecue French-seasoned Wagyu beef to everyone. He said, "Everyone try it and see how it tastes after this adjustment." Wang Jianye picked up the knife and fork, cut off a small piece of Wagyu beef and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He nodded slightly and said, "Well, the barbecue sauce is much lighter this time, and the freshness of the Wagyu beef is indeed more prominent."

Lao Zhao next to him also tasted it and said, "Yes, this combination feels a lot fresher and is more in line with the tastes of Japanese customers."

Then, Xiao Li handed the adjusted burrito to everyone and said, "This is the adjusted burrito. Sweet shrimps are added and the sauce is changed. You can try it." Everyone took the burrito and tasted it. A chef said, "After this change, the taste is not so strong, and the sweet shrimps are more sweet, and the taste is richer."

Xiao Wang brought the remade udon noodles and said, "I added kelp and bonito flakes to this udon noodles. Try the soup." Wang Jianye tasted the soup and said, "The soup is much fresher and tastes good overall."

Everyone tasted the other adjusted dishes in turn, and said that they were more in line with the tastes of Japanese customers than before.

Later, new dishes were introduced. A regular customer walked into the restaurant, saw the new dishes on the menu, and said to the waiter, "You have updated the menu. I want to try the new dishes." The waiter smiled and said, "Okay, sir, these new dishes are adjusted according to customer feedback. You will definitely like them."

Soon, all the dishes were served. The regular customer first tasted the adjusted American barbecue French seasoned wagyu beef, his eyes widened slightly, and he said: "Wow, this wagyu beef tastes much better than before. Before, the sauce was too strong. Now you can taste the tenderness of the wagyu beef and the unique flavor." He took another bite of the Mexican burrito and nodded in praise: "This burrito is also good, the unique creativity is still there, and it suits our taste."

After hearing this, the customer next to him also tried the new dishes out of curiosity and said, "Indeed, the flavors of these dishes are well adjusted. They are both creative and delicious."

As more and more customers recognized the new dishes, the restaurant's business gradually improved. During meal time, the number of customers in the restaurant increased significantly, and the waiters were busy shuttling around in the restaurant to serve the customers.

When paying the bill, a customer said to the waiter, "Your new dishes are really good. I will come here often in the future." The waiter smiled and replied, "Thank you for your recognition. We will continue to work hard."

In the kitchen, the chefs were more motivated to work after seeing how much customers liked the new dishes. Xiao Zhang said to Lao Zhao, "It seems that we are on the right track. As long as customers like it, that's fine." Lao Zhao nodded and said, "That's right. We have to keep working hard to develop more popular dishes."

Wang Jianye was observing customers dining in the restaurant. When he heard customers' favorable comments on the new dishes, he said to the manager beside him: "Customer feedback is the direction for our improvement. We should pay more attention to customer needs and constantly adjust the dishes in the future." The manager replied: "Okay, Mr. Wang, we will continue to pay attention to customer opinions and make timely adjustments."

As time went by, the restaurant's reputation got better and better, attracting more new customers to come and taste it. In the restaurant, new and old customers enjoyed the food while sharing their favorite dishes. A new customer said to his friend: "I came here after hearing the recommendation from a friend. I didn't expect the fusion food to taste so good and unique." The friend smiled and said: "Right, I said this restaurant is good. They will also adjust the dishes according to customer feedback. They are very attentive."

In the following days, the chef team did not relax, and continued to pay attention to customer feedback and make subtle adjustments to the dishes. When Xiao Zhang was making American barbecue French seasoned wagyu beef, he found that some customers felt that the taste of the lemon juice could be a little lighter, so he adjusted the sauce formula again. He said to Lao Zhao: "Lao Zhao, I think if I reduce the lemon juice a little, the taste may be more balanced." Lao Zhao looked at the sauce he adjusted and said: "Okay, let's try it. Customer opinions are the basis for our improvement."

Xiao Wang also added some optional side dishes to the udon noodles based on customer feedback, such as fried tofu skin and shredded seaweed. He said to the customer who came to order, "Hello, now you can add fried tofu skin or shredded seaweed to udon noodles, you can try it." The customer said curiously, "Okay, it sounds good, give me an order of fried tofu skin."

With the continuous adjustment of these details, the restaurant's dishes are more and more in line with the tastes of Japanese customers, and the business is getting more and more prosperous. The restaurant is often full, and the laughter of customers echoes throughout the space.

The waiters serve customers enthusiastically and respond to their needs in a timely manner. When customers make some special requests, the waiters always respond with a smile: "OK, sir/madam, we will handle it for you right away." Customers also highly praised the hotel's service.

A customer said to the manager: "Not only are the dishes delicious, but the service is also thoughtful. I will definitely come here often in the future." The manager smiled and replied: "Thank you for your support. We will keep it up."

Wang Jianye looked at the good development trend of the hotel and said to the team members: "Everyone's efforts have paid off, but you must not be proud. You must continue to pay attention to customer needs and constantly improve the quality of food and service." The team members nodded and said they would continue to work hard.

During this process, the hotel also faced some minor problems.

For example, due to the popularity of new dishes, the demand for some ingredients increased, resulting in occasional shortages of ingredients. The head of the purchasing department approached Wang Jianye and said, "Mr. Wang, the demand for wagyu beef has increased significantly recently, and the supplier sometimes cannot supply enough in time. What do you think we should do?" (End of this chapter)