Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

They also give additional discounts and points rewards to customers who make long-term orders.

Points can be exchanged for the hotel’s special dishes or gifts, which greatly improves customer loyalty.

At the same time, all Wang's restaurants strictly control the portion and quality of the dishes.

Chef Li personally checks the freshness and quantity of ingredients every day to ensure that every dish satisfies customers.

He also constantly adjusts the taste and combination of dishes based on customer feedback, striving to provide customers with a value-for-money experience.

In this fierce business war for territory, both sides went back and forth and neither side gave in.

Every day, deliverymen from "Lake Fresh Feast" and Wang's entire restaurant chain shuttle through the streets and alleys of Weishan Lake area, and their figures have become a unique landscape of this city.

Customers also benefit from this competition. Not only can they enjoy delicious dishes, but they can also enjoy more convenient services and more favorable prices.

But Wang Jianye and his team always believed that with their unique fusion dishes, high-quality services and spirit of continuous innovation, they would be able to occupy a larger share in the Weishan Lake market.

Zhou Dashan is also constantly adjusting his strategy, trying to defend the dominant position of "Lake Fresh Feast" in the local catering market.

……

In Weishan Lake, an area that is like a pearl embedded in the land of southern Shandong, its catering market is like a turbulent ocean, full of endless business opportunities but also harbours many challenges.

The business war between Wang's restaurants and "Lake Fresh Feast" has entered a white-hot stage. Every move and response seems to create huge waves in this market ocean.

At that time, the tourism industry around Weishan Lake was like a new bud breaking out of the ground in spring. Although it was still immature and small in scale, Wang Jianye, the "helmsman" who had been working in the catering industry for many years and had a keen sense of smell, instantly captured this huge potential business opportunity.

He knew very well that if he could seize this emerging force, he would be able to open up a brand new world for all Wang's hotels.

In the hotel's slightly quaint but worldly office, Wang Jianye paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with determination and expectation.

He turned to look at Chen Yu and said solemnly: "Xiao Chen, the tourism industry around Weishan Lake is booming, this is our opportunity.

You immediately led the team to establish cooperative relationships with local travel agencies and made sure our hotel became a must-visit food destination for tourists visiting Weishan Lake."

Chen Yu nodded vigorously, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

In the mid-1990s when communications mainly relied on telephone and fax, Chen Yu embarked on a difficult "cooperative development journey".

Every morning, before the first ray of sunlight completely dispels the mist over Weishan Lake, Chen Yu is already sitting at his desk, and the phone in front of him seems to have become his weapon for charging into battle.

He picked up the phone and dialed the numbers of travel agencies one after another, patiently introducing the unique charm of Wang's entire series of hotels to the travel agency managers.

"Hello, Manager Zhang, our Wang's entire chain of restaurants are unique.

We have integrated flavors from all over the world, such as Korean kimchi and Singaporean curry, which can all be found in our dishes.

At the same time, we cleverly incorporate the local seafood characteristics of Weishan Lake into it, so that tourists can not only taste the food but also deeply feel the unique cultural atmosphere of Weishan Lake.

Moreover, we have specially prepared exclusive preferential packages for tourists recommended by travel agencies. From the combination of dishes to the price setting, we have fully considered the needs of tourists to ensure that every tourist will be satisfied and happy with their meal. "

During every phone call, Chen Yu was fully engaged and explained the hotel's advantages in detail, but most of the responses he received were doubts and rejections.

But Chen Yu was not discouraged. Day after day, he kept making calls, constantly adjusting the way and focus of the introduction.

Finally, after countless communications and negotiations, several travel agencies were impressed by Chen Yu's sincerity and the characteristics of the hotel and were willing to try cooperation and include all Wang's hotels in the recommended dining list of their tourist routes.

At the same time, in the steaming kitchens of Wang's full-line restaurants, filled with the constant clatter of pots and pans, Chef Li is leading his team of chefs in a "food innovation revolution."

They went deep into the villages around Weishan Lake, communicated with local elders, and explored the local traditional food culture of Weishan Lake.

After some effort, they discovered a unique wild mushroom growing in the wetlands near the lake.

This wild mushroom is small and exquisite in appearance and light beige in color. In the past, it has not been widely used in catering due to cognitive limitations and cooking difficulties.

When Master Li looked at the wild mushroom, an idea suddenly occurred to him. He thought of Korea's fragrant and mouth-watering bibimbap.

What kind of sparks would be created if the two were combined? Chef Li immediately called together the chefs and began intensive research and development work.

They kept trying different cooking methods and proportions of ingredients. After countless failures and adjustments, a new dish - lake fresh mushroom stone pot rice - was finally born.

As soon as this dish was served, the rich aroma instantly filled the entire restaurant.

The deliciousness of wild mushrooms and the mellowness of stone pot rice are perfectly combined. The rice grains are plump and wrapped in a special sauce. It is paired with fresh lake seafood and wild mushrooms with unique aroma, and has a rich taste.

A tourist from a distant city, after tasting this dish, his eyes lit up instantly and he praised it highly: "This dish is so unique! With one bite, you can taste the unique flavor of Weishan Lake and feel the gift from nature, and have the novel experience of exotic food. It really makes people have endless aftertaste.

When I return, I will definitely recommend it to my friends.”

The "Lake Fresh Feast" was like being touched on the reverse scale when faced with this series of new initiatives by all Wang's hotels. Zhou Dashan, an "old man" who has dominated the Weishan Lake catering industry for many years, naturally refused to be outdone.

He sat in his hotel's office, which was decorated in a simple style and hung with paintings of Weishan Lake scenery, his brows furrowed and the wrinkles on his face became more and more obvious.

After pondering for a long time, he decided to increase the publicity efforts and try to save the situation through publicity.

He invested a lot of money to place large advertisements in local newspapers, using eye-catching fonts to emphasize the authentic lake seafood taste of his restaurant: "Lake seafood feast, inheriting the authentic lake seafood cooking skills of Weishan Lake. Each dish is a tribute to tradition, allowing you to taste the most authentic Weishan Lake flavor."

The slogan "Lake Fresh Feast" can often be heard on radio broadcasts, with the host introducing the restaurant's signature dishes in a tempting voice.

However, most of these advertisements simply emphasize tradition and lack innovative highlights. In this era of pursuit of novelty and diversity, they have failed to attract more new customers.

At the same time, in order to reduce costs, "Lake Fresh Feast" began to compromise in the procurement of ingredients.

They no longer carefully select each batch of lake seafood as they did in the past, but instead choose suppliers with lower prices.

This decision soon brought bad consequences, and the quality of some dishes showed obvious fluctuations.

The originally fresh and plump lake fish has become loose in texture; the tender and delicious lake shrimp has also lost its former elasticity.

After tasting the dishes, some old customers couldn't help but frown and started to complain: "What's wrong with this dish? The taste is not as good as before, not fresh at all, is it still the 'lake fresh feast' as before?"

After learning about these situations, Wang Jianye became more determined to improve quality.

He knows that quality is the lifeline of the hotel. In this fierce business war, only by adhering to quality can the last laugh. Every morning, Wang Jianye would personally go to the lakeside of Weishan Lake and wait for the fishermen to return with a full load.

He stood by the lake, watching the fishing boats approaching and personally selecting each batch of lake seafood.

He carefully checks whether the fish's eyes are bright, whether the scales are intact, and whether the shrimps are alive, ensuring that every batch of ingredients is fresh and of high quality.

In order to improve the quality of service, he spent a lot of money to hire a professional trainer who was well-known in the catering service field.

After the trainer came to the hotel, he conducted systematic training for the waiters.

In a spacious room in the hotel, the waiters stood in neat rows, listening attentively to the trainer's instructions.

The trainer smiled and said to the waiters, “The moment customers come in, your warm welcome is like serving them an appetizer.

A sincere smile and a warm greeting can make customers feel our sincerity.

During the service process, you must always pay attention to the needs of customers. You must be able to understand the customer's intention from a look or a gesture, and let them feel your meticulous care.

For example, if the water in a customer's cup is running low, you should add more water immediately; if a customer has questions about the dishes, you should answer them patiently."

After a period of training, the service level of the waiters has improved significantly.

Their smiles are more sincere, their service is more thoughtful, and customer satisfaction has increased significantly.

As time goes by, the reputation of all Wang's hotels has spread like a spring breeze, spreading to every corner of Weishan Lake and even further.

More and more tourists, recommended by travel agencies, are visiting Wang's Hotels with great anticipation.

They were attracted by the hotel's unique decoration style. The decorative paintings on the walls that combined elements from all over the world complemented the characteristic ornaments of Weishan Lake.

In the restaurant, the waiters' warm and thoughtful service makes tourists feel like they are in the spring breeze.

The creative and delicious dishes won them praise.

Local customers are also attracted by the novel dishes and high-quality services and have become regular customers of the restaurant.

The restaurant is packed every day, customer flow continues to grow, and business is booming.

On the other hand, the "Lake Fresh Feast" is losing customers due to the declining quality of its dishes and lack of innovation.

The once bustling restaurant has now become deserted, and the waiters have lost their former enthusiasm and their faces are full of worry.

Eventually, "Lake Fresh Feast" was unable to maintain its operations in this fierce business war and had no choice but to downsize.

The sign that once was glorious now looks somewhat dull and dim.

All of Wang's restaurants have firmly established themselves in the Weishan Lake area and have become leaders in the local catering market.

On a sunny day, Wang Jianye stood at the door of the hotel, looking at the endless stream of customers, feeling filled with emotion.

His eyes showed both relief after going through hardships and longing for the future.

“Although this business war was difficult, full of challenges and setbacks, we won through innovation and persistence.

In the future, we will continue to work hard and explore new food fields to bring more and better food experiences to customers, so that the brand of Wang's entire hotel series will shine brightly in Weishan Lake and even in the wider world."

……

After achieving a brilliant victory in the Weishan Lake area, Wang Jianye's eyes looked beyond the mountains, rivers and lakes to Zibo, which was also full of life and business opportunities.

In the mid-1990s, industry in Zibo was booming. Factories stood in every corner of the city, smoke rose from the chimneys, and busy workers could be seen everywhere.

With the development of the economy, people's living standards have gradually improved, and their demand for catering has become increasingly diversified.

However, the local catering market is mainly dominated by several old restaurants, which have been rooted in Zibo for many years and occupy an important position in the hearts of local diners with their traditional Shandong cuisine and unique Zibo-style food.

Wang Jianye knew very well that it was not easy to gain a foothold in Zibo.

But his unyielding spirit and keen insight into the market made him decide to enter Zibo.

He called Chen Yu and Master Li together for a heated discussion in the office.

In the office, a map of Zibo hangs on the wall, marking the commercial centers and densely populated areas of each area.

Wang Jianye stood in front of the map, sliding his finger along the main streets of Zibo, and said firmly: "Zibo is a good place, with developed industry, large flow of people, and huge potential in the catering market.

Although there is an old restaurant in front, our fusion cuisine concept may open up a new world here.”

Chen Yu pushed up his glasses and analyzed while looking at the map: “Mr. Wang, Zibo’s commercial areas are concentrated in the city center and around several large factories.

The location of our store is critical. We have to choose a place with high traffic and relatively low competition.

Moreover, we need to gain a deeper understanding of Zibo residents’ eating habits and taste preferences and make targeted adjustments to the dishes.”

Master Li nodded slightly and added: “Yes, I heard that people in Zibo love barbecue and have a great demand for meat dishes.

We can incorporate barbecue elements into fusion cuisine and combine them with local specialty ingredients to develop new dishes.”

After hearing this, Wang Jianye's eyes lit up: "Okay, let's do it.

Chen Yu, you are responsible for site selection and preliminary market research; Chef Li, you lead the chef team to research new dishes.

We must act quickly to establish our brand in Zibo."

Chen Yu led his team into the streets and alleys of Zibo, leaving early and returning late every day.

They shuttled between various business districts, communicated frequently with real estate agents, and carefully examined the location, area, rent, and other conditions of each potential store.

During the inspection, Chen Yu discovered that there was a store in an excellent location for rent in the city center.

This store is located in a busy commercial street, surrounded by office buildings, with a large flow of people, and no direct competitors nearby. (End of this chapter)