Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Wang Jianye listened and nodded continuously, with an approving look on his face: "Okay, let's do it.

Chen Yu, you are responsible for organizing the research team; Chef Li, the dish development depends on you.

We need to act quickly to seize the opportunity."

After Chen Yu and Master Li agreed, they took quick action.

Chen Yu selected a group of employees with strong communication skills and quick minds from various departments, formed several research teams, and went to the towns around Zibo respectively.

One group came to Yangzhuang.

At the entrance of Yangzhuang, there stands a mottled stone tablet with the name of the village engraved on it.

In the village, cement roads lead straight in all directions. Along the road are rows of red brick and tile houses, and occasionally a few two-story buildings can be seen.

Not far away, the factory chimneys were emitting faint blue smoke, which contrasted beautifully with the figures working in the fields.

The members of the research team split into several groups and went into the local market.

The market was bustling with noises of hawking and bargaining.

The vegetable seller sat on a small stool with fresh vegetables placed in front of him; the meat seller stood behind the meat stall, the machete in his hand flying up and down.

The team members moved among the crowd and chatted with stall owners and customers.

"Uncle, do you usually go out to eat?" a young researcher asked with a smile to an uncle who was buying vegetables.

The old man scratched his head and smiled innocently, "I go there occasionally, but it depends on the price.

We all earn our money through hard work, so we can’t afford to spend too much.”

"So what kind of food do you like?"

“The stronger the taste, the more exciting it is to eat.

Like the local duck we raise at home, stewed until it is soft and add some chili, the taste is amazing. "

At the factory gate, workers came out to get some fresh air during their lunch break.

The researchers walked up to them and started chatting with them.

"Brother, you guys work so hard, why do you care about your meals?"

A middle-aged worker wiped the sweat off his face and said, "We must eat well and at a reasonable price.

Otherwise, after a hard day's work, the money you earn is not enough for food."

"Do you have any requirements for the dining environment?"

“There’s nothing special about the environment, as long as it’s clean.

It mainly depends on how the food is.”

The team members went into the residents' homes, sat together with the villagers, chatted about family matters, and recorded in detail the residents' expectations for the taste, price and dining environment of the dishes.

A few days later, the research team returned to the hotel.

Chen Yu took the sorted information and walked into Wang Jianye's office to report: "Boss Wang, we have basically figured out the situation in Yangzhuang.

Residents are price-sensitive, and as we expected, they prefer dishes with strong flavors and large portions.

Moreover, they have a deep affection for local traditional ingredients, such as local duck and yam, which are often eaten by every household.”

After listening to this, Wang Jianye pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, then we will design exclusive dishes and sets based on these characteristics.

Chef Li, you should focus on developing new dishes using local ingredients that not only suit their tastes but also have the characteristics of our restaurant."

Chef Li took the order and rushed into the kitchen with his team of chefs.

In the kitchen, pots and pans were neatly arranged, and the flames on the stove were jumping happily.

Master Li picked up a Yangzhuang local duck, looked at it carefully, and said to the chefs beside him: "Let's try combining this local duck with the fresh seasonings from Weishan Lake to see what sparks can be created."

The chefs acted quickly, cutting the native duck into large pieces and putting them into the basin.

Master Li personally prepares the unique sauce of Weishan Lake. He puts onions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers, spices, etc. into a stone mortar one by one and crushes them vigorously with a pestle and mortar. After a while, the aroma of the sauce fills the air.

Pour the sauce into the bowl with the duck meat and stir evenly so that every piece of duck meat is coated with the sauce.

Then, put the duck meat into the casserole, add appropriate amount of water, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat.

As time goes by, the aroma in the kitchen becomes stronger, with the fragrance of duck meat blending with the unique taste of lake fresh seasoning.

On the other hand, some chefs are developing desserts using local yams as ingredients.

They washed, peeled, cut the sweet potatoes into small pieces and steamed them in a steamer.

Mash the steamed sweet potatoes with a spoon, add appropriate amount of sugar and flour, and knead into dough.

Divide the dough into small pieces, roll them into balls and fry them in oil until golden and crispy.

After taking it out of the pan, sprinkle it with a fine layer of powdered sugar and the "Sweet Sweet Taro Crisp" is ready.

At the same time, in the office of "Luxiang Pavilion", Liu Dashan sat on a carved armchair, holding a piece of market intelligence in his hand, his brows furrowed.

The intelligence document detailed the plan of Wang's entire restaurant chain to expand into rural towns.

After reading it, Liu Dashan snorted coldly: "They still want to develop in the towns and villages, what a wishful thinking.

We have been in Zibo for so many years, we can't let them succeed easily.

Go, inform them that we will also open branches in towns and villages, focusing on the people-friendly style of traditional Shandong cuisine.

With our brand influence, are we still afraid that we can’t compete with them?”

Soon, "Luxiangge" also began to prepare branches in several towns, posting posters and recruiting employees, trying to gain an advantage in the town market.

Facing the renewed competition from Luxiangge, Wang Jianye remained calm after hearing the news. He gathered his team members in the conference room and said, "Luxiangge is moving quite fast, but we are not afraid.

Let’s work together to come up with a detailed marketing plan.”

Everyone sat around the conference table, discussing the matter one by one.

Finally, it was decided to hold a grand food festival in Yangzhuang.

On the day of the event, the market square in Yangzhuang was bustling with colorful flags flying and people coming and going.

The chefs from all the Wang family restaurants set up several large pots in the square, with fires burning in the stoves.

Master Li personally stood in front of a pot and began to make "Lake Fresh Flavor Local Duck Pot".

He put the marinated duck meat into the pot. The moment the duck meat entered the pot, a sizzling sound was made and the aroma spread instantly.

The residents around gathered around and looked around curiously.

A middle-aged man squeezed to the front, looked at the duck meat stewing in the pot, swallowed his saliva, and asked: "Master, what is this dish? It smells so good." Master Li smiled and replied: "This is the 'Lake Fresh Flavor Duck Pot' newly developed by our restaurant. It uses our Yangzhuang local duck and adds our unique lake fresh seasoning. It tastes delicious. You can try it later."

After a while, the duck meat was stewed.

Master Li scooped out a bowl and handed it to the middle-aged uncle: "Uncle, please try it."

The middle-aged uncle took the bowl, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of duck meat and put it in his mouth, his eyes lit up instantly: "Oh, this duck meat is so delicious, the taste is different from what we usually eat, it's fragrant and tasty, and the portion is so large.

"Master, where is your restaurant? I will eat here from now on."

Seeing this, the residents nearby also gathered around and vie for a taste.

On the other side, there was a queue in front of the stall making "Sweet Sweet Potato Crisps". The children stared at the sweet potato crisps just out of the pot, their saliva almost flowing out.

In a corner of the event site, there is a long table with information for applying for membership cards.

The staff enthusiastically introduced to the residents: "Fellow villagers, apply for our restaurant membership card, and you can enjoy discounts when you dine in the future. It's a good deal."

After hearing this, residents gathered around to consult and apply, and a large number of people applied for membership cards on the spot.

After the event, Chef Li and his team of chefs did not stop innovating.

They collect feedback from residents and further optimize new dishes based on everyone's opinions.

Some residents suggested that the soup of the "Lake Fresh Flavor Local Duck Pot" would be better if it was richer, so the chefs adjusted the recipe of the sauce and increased the amount of spices.

Some residents also said that the "Sweet Potato Crisps" could be sweeter, so they increased the proportion of sugar appropriately.

At the same time, based on the rich vegetable resources in Yangzhuang, Master Li developed a new dish called "Garden Vegetable Stew".

He led the chefs to select local fresh beans, eggplants, potatoes and other vegetables, cut the beans into sections, cut the eggplants into cubes, and peel the potatoes and cut them into dice.

First, fry the potatoes in a pan until golden brown, then remove and set aside.

Then add the beans and eggplant into the pot and stir-fry. After the vegetables become soft, add the fried potatoes, add appropriate amounts of salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and other seasonings, stir-fry evenly, and finally add a little water, cover the pot and simmer for a while.

Before serving, sprinkle with a handful of chopped green onions.

This dish has a refreshing taste and is rich in nutrition. It has both the original flavor of vegetables and a unique cooking flavor.

In this ongoing business war, Wang's full range of restaurants have continued to expand in the Zibo market and have gradually opened up markets in rural areas.

……

After a period of hard work and achieving a phased victory in the Zibo market, Wang Jianye stood on the terrace of the hotel, his eyes penetrating the morning mist, over the rolling mountains that winding like a giant dragon, and directly looked towards Linyi, which was also full of opportunities and challenges.

In the mid-1990s, commercial activities in Linyi were like wild grass growing vigorously in spring, presenting an extremely prosperous scene.

Wholesale markets have sprung up like mushrooms in every corner of the city.

In these markets, merchants from all over the country gathered together, speaking in different accents and exchanging business tips with each other.

The city streets are crowded with traffic, and the sounds of bicycle bells and car horns are intertwined.

On both sides of the street, shops are lined up next to each other with signs everywhere.

Shop owners stand at the door of their stores, shouting at the top of their lungs, trying to attract more customers; customers stop in front of the stalls and bargain with the shop owners. The sounds that come one after another are like a unique symphony of the market.

However, the local catering market has long been firmly occupied by several strong local restaurants.

These restaurants have taken root in the market and have a solid position thanks to their accurate grasp of local tastes over the years and their long-standing good reputation.

Wang Jianye knew very well that it would be an extremely difficult battle to gain a foothold in Linyi.

But the never-give-up spirit in his bones and his business acumen as sharp as a cheetah prompted him to resolutely decide to enter Linyi.

On this day, the sunlight shone through the old but clean windows of the office, falling on the slightly messy but vibrant desk.

Wang Jianye summoned Chen Yu and Master Li, and the three of them sat around a conference table piled with documents and launched an intense pre-war planning.

On the wall of the office, there is a huge map of Linyi.

On the map, the locations of various commercial areas, residential areas and transportation hubs are clearly marked with pens of different colors, such as red, blue and green.

Wang Jianye stood up and walked to the map. He was wearing a neat suit. Although he looked a little tired, he could not hide the determination in his eyes.

He extended his finger and slowly moved along the main streets on the map, and said in a low but powerful voice: "Linyi is a real commercial center, with an astonishingly large flow of people every day and immeasurable consumption potential.

Although the local restaurants are indeed very strong, I believe that our fusion cuisine concept may be able to carve out a niche for ourselves here.

However, we must be fully prepared and not be careless in the slightest.”

Chen Yu pushed the pair of black-framed glasses on his nose, and his eyes behind the lenses sparkled with wisdom.

He stared at the map, thought for a moment, and then analyzed: "Mr. Wang, you see, Linyi's commercial center is mainly concentrated around several large wholesale markets.

There is a huge flow of people there, but the competition is as fierce as a battlefield.

In my opinion, we might as well consider selecting a location around these areas.

In this way, we can not only radiate to the main customer base, but also avoid overly fierce competition.

Of course, it is also very important to understand the eating habits and taste preferences of Linyi people, and then make targeted adjustments to the dishes based on these."

Master Li sat aside, wearing a clean white chef's uniform, which still had a hint of the smell of kitchen life.

He nodded slightly and continued, "I have heard before that people in Linyi have a special liking for pasta and also have a high demand for meat dishes.

We can try to incorporate pasta elements into fusion dishes and develop some special dishes with pasta as the main ingredient.

At the same time, we make good use of local high-quality meat resources to create meat dishes with unique flavors, bringing customers a new taste experience.”

After hearing this, Wang Jianye's eyes lit up from his originally solemn face, and he nodded heavily: "Okay, let's do it.

Chen Yu, you will be responsible for site selection and preliminary market research; Master Li, you will lead your team of chefs and focus on researching new dishes.

We must act quickly and try to fire our first shot in Linyi as soon as possible."

After receiving the order, Chen Yu led his team to Linyi without stopping.

Their busy figures can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys of Linyi.

They moved among the crowd and communicated frequently with real estate agents.

Whenever he arrives at a potential store, Chen Yu will carefully look at the store's location, estimate the size, and inquire about the rental price.

That day, Chen Yu, led by a real estate agent, came to a store located in a residential area near the wholesale market.

The store is of moderate size, with a small square in front of the door. There are a few old people sitting on benches in the square to bask in the sun, and children are laughing and playing nearby.

The store is in an excellent location, with convenient transportation and many residents surrounding it.

Chen Yu stood at the door of the store, full of joy, as if he had seen the future prosperity of the hotel. (End of this chapter)