Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The man complained a few more times before hanging up the phone.

In the kitchen, Master Liu and Master Zhang sat aside, carefully recalling the process of making yesterday's braised pork.

Master Liu frowned and said as he recalled, "I remember that I personally picked the meat yesterday. It was very fresh, and I didn't find any problems when I was processing it."

Master Zhang echoed, "Yes, the ingredients I used are all commonly used ones, such as peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, etc. There is no way there are foreign objects like this."

Master Liu asked again: "Could it be that something accidentally fell into the pot during the cooking process?" Master Zhang scratched his head, looking confused: "I was helping the whole time, and my eyes never left the pot. I didn't notice anything falling into the pot."

The two of them talked back and forth, but couldn't figure out what the problem was. Finally, they decided to check the kitchen carefully again, not missing any corner.

Here, Xiao Zhang, who is in charge of public relations, sat in front of the computer, brows furrowed, and pondered every word of the official statement.

The office was very quiet, with only the sound of keyboard typing.

Xiao Zhang sometimes stopped to think, and sometimes typed quickly: "Dear customers, in response to the online reports today about foreign objects in our dishes, we attach great importance to it and have immediately set up an investigation team to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

Wang's Restaurant has always adhered to strict food safety standards and is committed to providing everyone with safe and delicious dishes.

We will find out the truth as soon as possible and announce the results to everyone in a timely manner."

Xiao Zhang showed the statement to Boss Wang. Boss Wang sat on the chair and read it carefully several times with a serious expression. Then he nodded and said, "Okay, send it out like this first. Remember to pay close attention to the comments section and report any situation immediately."

Xiao Zhang responded, turned back to the computer, and began to issue statements on various platforms, his eyes fixed on the screen, paying attention to every new message in the comment section.

At the same time, Boss Wang began to feel suspicious, always feeling that there was something fishy about this matter.

He decided to personally visit several nearby peers to get the upper hand.

He walked out of the hotel. The sun was still shining outside, but he had no mood to appreciate it.

Arriving at the restaurant next door, the owner, Lao Chen, saw Boss Wang and smiled. He came up to him and said, "Hey, Boss Wang, how come you have time to come here today?"

Boss Wang smiled bitterly and said, "Old Chen, to be honest, something happened in my restaurant. Someone on the Internet said that someone found foreign objects in the food. Have you heard about it?"

An imperceptible look flashed across Old Chen's face, but he quickly returned to normal and said in surprise, "Ah? There is such a thing? I haven't heard of it.

The restaurant business is not easy to do now, there are all kinds of people, Boss Wang, you have to be careful. "

Boss Wang noticed his expression and became more and more certain that this matter was not simple.

After leaving Lao Chen, Boss Wang went to several other restaurants and received similar responses from most of them.

He felt more and more that this was most likely a malicious frame-up by a competitor.

When he returned to the restaurant, Xiao Li had already made an appointment to meet with the exposed customer.

Boss Wang took Xiao Li to a cafe as agreed.

The customer was already sitting inside. When he saw Boss Wang and his friends, he stood up with a look of alertness on his face.

Boss Wang stepped forward, extended his hand politely, and said with a smile, "Hello, I am the owner of Wang's Restaurant. Thank you for your willingness to communicate with us in person."

The customer hesitated, but still shook hands, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone: "How are you going to handle this matter? I have been scolded badly online, and people said I deliberately slandered you."

Boss Wang said sincerely: "Don't worry, we will definitely give you justice.

Now I want to confirm with you again, are you sure this foreign object was found in the food in our restaurant?"

The customer frowned and raised his voice, "Of course I am sure. Can I still joke about such a thing?"

Boss Wang then asked: "After eating this dish, do you feel any discomfort?"

The customer was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment and said, "I don't feel uncomfortable at all."

Boss Wang thought for a moment and suggested, "Well, we would like to invite you to go back to the restaurant with us to see the kitchen's operating procedures. Is that convenient for you?"

The customer hesitated for a while and finally agreed.

Back at Wang's Restaurant, Boss Wang brought the customers to the kitchen.

At this time, the kitchen has been cleaned, the ingredients are neatly arranged, and the chefs are wearing neat work clothes, hats and masks.

As Boss Wang walked, he introduced: “You see, our ingredients are purchased on the same day, strictly screened, and the production process is also strictly regulated.

The chef will carefully check every dish before it comes out of the pot.”

The customer walked around the kitchen and didn't find anything wrong, so his expression eased a little.

At this time, Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of the investigation, hurried over and whispered a few words in Boss Wang's ear.

Boss Wang's face darkened and he said to the customer, "Please wait here for a moment. I have something to take care of."

It turned out that Xiao Zhang found out through some channels that it was most likely Sun Fu, the owner of Shiyunlou, who was behind this.

In order to suppress Wang's Restaurant, Sun Fu hired someone to deliberately create this food safety incident.

Boss Wang suppressed his anger and said to Xiao Zhang: "Contact a lawyer immediately and prepare relevant evidence. We can't be wronged like this.

At the same time, we have contacted local media and invited them to visit our hotel tomorrow to demonstrate our food safety management process.”

The next day, several local media reporters came to Wang's Hotel.

Boss Wang personally received the reporters and took them to visit the kitchen and food storage room, where he introduced in detail the standards for each link including food procurement, cleaning and processing.

“We always put food safety first and strictly control every link.

We have investigated this incident and found that it was a malicious frame-up by a competitor."

Boss Wang said to the camera.

While recording, the reporters asked: "Boss Wang, how are you going to give the customers an explanation for this incident?"

Boss Wang replied: “We will publish the investigation results in detail through official channels.

At the same time, in order to thank our customers who have always supported us, all customers who shop in the store will enjoy a 20% discount in the next week. "

As media reports came out, public opinion on the Internet began to reverse. Customers saw Wang's Restaurant's strict food safety management process and the results of the investigation and expressed their trust in Wang's Restaurant.

The customer who exposed the incident also came out to clarify, admitting that he was bribed and deliberately released false information.

Sun Fu, the owner of Shiyunlou, could not deny it in the face of evidence.

……

Wang Jianye narrowed his eyes and looked at the scenery rapidly receding outside the window.

There are few vehicles on the highway from Xuzhou to Huai'an, and the farmlands on both sides of the road are glowing golden in the morning light.

Wang Jianye tapped his knees lightly, feeling both excited and nervous.

"Mr. Wang, we'll be in downtown HA in another twenty minutes." Chen Yu, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat, turned around and reported. He was holding a thick stack of research materials in his hand, and his eyes behind his black-framed glasses were shining with excitement.

Wang Jianye nodded and looked out the window again. On this trip to Huai'an, he brought his best team - Marketing Director Chen Yu, Chef Li, Purchasing Director Zhao Qiang and Service Manager Zhang Li.

Everyone has an important mission, which is to find out the details of Huai'an's catering market within three days.

"Master Li, what do you know about Huai'an cuisine?" Wang Jianye turned and asked the head chef sitting in the back row.

Master Li rubbed his rough hands and frowned slightly: "I heard that Huai'an cuisine is light and fresh, and specializes in river seafood, which is different from the heavy taste of our Xuzhou. You have to try it to know the details."

Wang Jianye nodded thoughtfully. He took out his notebook, wrote the words "taste difference" on it, and drew two horizontal lines under it. This was the first challenge they faced.

The car drove into the city of HA, and the buildings on both sides of the street gradually became denser. Unlike the bustling and noisy Xuzhou, Huai'an gave people a gentle and peaceful feeling. There were not many pedestrians on the street, and the pace was obviously much slower.

"Let's find a place to stay first, and then start the investigation right away." Wang Jianye looked at his watch. It was just past nine in the morning. "Chen Yu, has the local guide you contacted arrived?"

"He's already here, waiting for us at the hotel." Chen Yu pushed his glasses. "He's the cousin of my college classmate. He's been working in the catering business in Huai'an for more than ten years, and he knows this place like the back of his hand."

Ten minutes later, the team checked into a business hotel in the city center. In the lobby, a slightly plump, smiling middle-aged man came to greet them.

"This is Mr. Ma, a native of Huai'an, who owns three restaurants." Chen Yu introduced.

Boss Ma shook hands with everyone enthusiastically: "Welcome everyone to Huai'an! I heard that your Wang's Restaurant is going to open a store here. This is a blessing for us Huai'an foodies!"

After the pleasantries, Wang Jianye got straight to the point: "Boss Ma, can you take us to see the most distinctive restaurants in Huai'an first? We want to get to know the local taste as soon as possible."

Boss Ma patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me! Let's go have lunch first. I'll treat you. We'll go to Huaiyang Restaurant, the oldest restaurant in Huai'an, and let you taste authentic Huaiyang cuisine!"

The group drove to Huaiyang Building in the old city. It is an antique two-story building with flying eaves and corners. There is a black-and-gold sign on the lintel, which looks quite old.

"This shop has been open for nearly a hundred years, and the craftsmanship is handed down from our ancestors." Boss Ma introduced as he walked, "Huai'an people believe in 'skin wrapped in water in the morning, and water wrapped in skin in the evening'. They drink tea and eat snacks in the morning, and take a bath in the evening. The morning tea at Huaiyanglou is famous."

Walking into the store, Wang Jianye immediately noticed that the decoration style here was completely different from that in Xuzhou.

There are elegant wooden tables and chairs, and ink paintings hanging on the walls, and the overall atmosphere is simple and elegant.

It was lunch time and the restaurant was full of customers, but the conversations were quiet, in stark contrast to the bustling Xuzhou restaurants.

"Please come this way!" Boss Ma took them to a large round table and asked the waiter to take their order.

"First, let's have a serving of soft-shelled eel, Pingqiao tofu, and Qingong meatballs. Then, let's have crab meat and white-robed shrimp." Boss Ma listed them all. "Oh, and we can't miss the special dim sum. Let's have a basket of crab roe soup dumplings and thousand-layer fried cakes."

While waiting for the food to be served, Wang Jianye looked around and carefully observed the dishes on other tables and the reactions of the diners.

He noticed that the people of Huai'an were elegant when eating and rarely made loud noises, which was completely different from the hearty style of the people of Xuzhou who drank from large bowls of wine and ate large chunks of meat.

"Mr. Wang, take a look at this." Chen Yu quietly handed over his phone, which contained the data he had just found. "Huai'an's per capita catering consumption is about 15% lower than Xuzhou, but people dine out more frequently, especially for family gatherings."

Wang Jianye nodded slightly and wrote down his discovery in his notebook. At this time, the first dish came up - soft-shelled eel. The white fish fillet was rolled into a tube, soaked in clear soup, and dotted with a few leaves of green coriander.

"Come and try our Huai'an signature dishes!" Boss Ma greeted enthusiastically.

Wang Jianye picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, and his eyes lit up immediately. The fish was so tender that it almost melted in his mouth. The soup was light but long-lasting, with a hint of pepper.

"This taste..." Master Li frowned and savored it carefully. "Not much seasoning was used. It all depends on the taste of the ingredients themselves."

"That's right!" Boss Ma said proudly, "Huaiyang cuisine emphasizes 'original flavor', unlike your Xuzhou cuisine which has a heavy flavor. Our long fish are all killed and cooked on the spot, and shipped directly from Hongze Lake."

The next few dishes were served one after another, and each one was new to Wang Jianye's team. The smoothness of Pingqiao tofu, the springiness of Qingong meatballs, and the deliciousness of crab meatballs were all very different from the Xuzhou flavor they were familiar with.

"This crab roe soup dumpling..." Zhang Li carefully used a straw to poke through the thin dough and took a sip of the soup. Her eyes suddenly widened, "Oh my god, it's so delicious!"

Wang Jianye was tasting the food while thinking in his mind.

Huai'an people's taste preference is very obvious - light, fresh, and original. This is very different from the Wang's Restaurant's dishes, which are characterized by strong aroma and rich flavor.

How to preserve Wang's characteristics while catering to the tastes of Huai'an people? This will be the biggest challenge they face.

After lunch, Wang Jianye declined Boss Ma’s offer to accompany him and decided that the team should split up to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the market.

"Chen Yu, you and Zhang Li go to the commercial district and take a look at the catering business and customer flow there.

Zhao Qiang, go to the farmers' market and wholesale market to find out the price and supply of local ingredients.

Master Li, let's go to the street food stalls, which best reflect the real taste of the locals. "

After assigning the tasks, Wang Jianye and Master Li strolled through the streets of the old city.

The afternoon sun lazily sprinkled on the bluestone road, and the sycamore trees on both sides cast mottled shadows.

Unlike the bustling commercial district, this place is full of life.

"Mr. Wang, look over there." Master Li pointed to a small stall with a long line of people. "There are so many people queuing up, it must be a famous place."

As we got closer, we saw an old stall selling cha san. The stall owner was a gray-haired old man who skillfully rolled the noodles into a comb shape and fried them in oil until golden brown.

"Uncle, two servings of tea-fried fried dough sticks, please." Wang Jianye took out some change.

"Okay!" The old man smiled and handed them two servings of freshly cooked cha san. "Eat it while it's hot. It's delicious!"

Wang Jianye took a bite, the crispy outer skin broke between his teeth, but the inside was soft and tough, with a light salty and five-spice flavor. (End of this chapter)