Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The store was packed with customers, and the sounds of customers chatting and cutlery clattering mixed together.

In the kitchen, the fire was blazing on the stove and the chefs were sweating profusely as they cooked one dish after another; in the lobby, the waiters were busy serving food, pouring wine and clearing tables for the customers.

Lao Chen, the foreman of Xuzhou, is a straightforward man. He has been working in the catering industry in Xuzhou for many years and is quite experienced in handling various situations.

At this moment, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his eyebrows were tightly knitted into the shape of a "川" character, and he stared at the serving port while shouting at the top of his voice: "The dishes are ready, why is no one serving them? Hurry up!" Xiao Li, a young waiter from Lianyungang, was busy filling out menus for a table of customers. When he heard Lao Chen's shout, he panicked a little, but still tried to respond calmly: "Brother Chen, I'm busy here, please wait a moment."

His tone was calm, yet there was a hint of nervousness that was barely noticeable.

Old Chen didn't want to wait. He quickly walked over to Xiao Li, snatched the order form from his hand, and said with wide eyes: "Wait a minute? Can't you see that the food is almost cold? Why are you so slow?" Old Chen's voice was so loud that the customers around him couldn't help but look at him strangely.

Xiao Li's face suddenly turned red. He felt extremely wronged in front of everyone, and his eyes instantly turned red.

He lowered his head slightly, bit his lips tightly, and said in a trembling voice: "Brother Chen, I've been busy. I didn't mean to be slow..." But Old Chen had no intention of stopping his criticism, and continued loudly: "Always busy? What are you busy with? Look at you locals, you just don't have any sense of urgency!" As he said that, he impatiently threw the order form back to Xiao Li.

Xiao Li's self-esteem was completely hurt, and hot tears welled up in his eyes.

He gritted his teeth, slammed the order form on the table, glared at Lao Chen and said, "How can you talk like that! I quit!" After that, he took off his work clothes and walked out of the store without looking back.

This sudden change made the originally busy lobby suddenly quiet. All the employees stopped their work and looked at each other in confusion.

The customers also noticed the strange atmosphere and began to discuss it in low voices.

Wang Jianye was checking accounts in the office at the time. When he heard the noisy noise outside, he was startled and had a feeling that something was wrong.

He quickly put down the pen in his hand and walked out of the office quickly.

What came into view was an awkward and tense scene. Lao Chen stood there with an unsightly look on his face; the other employees stood there at a loss; and outside the store, Xiao Li's back was gradually going away.

Wang Jianye was filled with mixed emotions, including dissatisfaction with Lao Chen's impulsive behavior and concerns about the intensified conflicts within the team: "What's going on? How can we continue our business if the team is in such a mess?" He walked among the employees, took a deep breath, and tried to keep his voice calm: "Everyone should take care of their own business first, so as not to affect the customers' meals."

After saying that, he winked at Lao Chen, signaling him to come to the office.

The atmosphere in the office was so depressing that it made people feel breathless.

Old Chen sat on the chair, lowered his head, and did not dare to look into Wang Jianye's eyes.

Wang Jianye crossed his arms, looked at Lao Chen, and said seriously: "Lao Chen, you were too impulsive today! Xiao Li is a new employee. If there are any deficiencies, you can slowly teach him. How can you scold him in public like this?" Lao Chen's face turned red, and he hurriedly explained: "Boss Wang, you don't know, it was the peak period, he was so slow in serving the dishes, I was so anxious that I couldn't do anything.

We Xuzhou people are particular about doing things quickly. How can we do it if they are so slow?" Wang Jianye frowned and said patiently: "I understand your emphasis on work efficiency, but we are a team. We can't just ask everyone to follow your Xuzhou way.

The employees in Lianyungang have their own way of doing things. What we need to do is to understand and tolerate each other instead of blindly blaming them. "

After hearing this, Lao Chen lowered his head silently and said in a low voice: "Boss Wang, I know I was wrong. I was indeed too anxious at the time and did not control my emotions well."

Wang Jianye patted Lao Chen on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you know you are wrong.

This incident has sounded the alarm for us. The conflicts within the team must be resolved, otherwise it will affect the business of our restaurant sooner or later."

After careful consideration, Wang Jianye decided to convene a meeting of all staff.

The restaurant was closed for half a day on the day of the meeting.

All employees gathered in the lobby, and the familiar lively atmosphere was now replaced by a sense of tension and anticipation.

The tables and chairs were neatly arranged in several rows, and the sunlight coming through the windows sprinkled on the ground, forming patches of light.

The employees sat down one after another, with more or less a hint of uneasiness on their faces.

Wang Jianye stood on the small steps in front of the lobby, his eyes slowly swept over each employee, and said, "I called everyone here today to talk about some recent problems within our team.

I think everyone knows that there are some conflicts between our old employees from Xuzhou and the new employees from Lianyungang. "

The employees in the audience lowered their heads one after another, some frowned slightly, some sighed softly, and many of them showed a hint of embarrassment in their eyes.

Wang Jianye went on to say: “We all came together for the development of this restaurant, we are a team.

Xuzhou employees are efficient and Lianyungang employees provide meticulous service. These are both advantages and we should learn from each other instead of blaming each other.”

Lao Zhao, a representative of the old employees, nodded and said, "Boss Wang, you are right.

We may have been too impatient and ignored everyone’s feelings.”

Xiao Zhang, one of the new employees, also stood up and said timidly, "We also know that sometimes we are a little slow and affect efficiency. We will improve in the future."

Wang Jianye smiled with satisfaction and continued, “In order to make our services more standardized and unified, starting today, we will formulate a set of unified service standards.

From welcoming customers when they enter the door to ordering, serving food, and checking out, there are clear requirements for every link.

Everyone must follow this standard, which will not only ensure efficiency but also improve service quality.”

The employees nodded in agreement.

Then, Wang Jianye changed the subject: "At the same time, I have also decided to set up a 'North-South Integration Award'.

If any employee does a good job in promoting exchanges and cooperation between employees from the north and south, and has outstanding performance in learning from each other's strengths and improving their own abilities, we will give him a reward every month."

As soon as the news came out, the employees in the audience suddenly brightened up, and the originally dull atmosphere began to become lively.

A young employee asked excitedly: "Boss Wang, how is the 'North-South Integration Award' selected?" Wang Jianye smiled and replied: "The selection criteria mainly include several aspects.

The first thing is to actively communicate with colleagues from different regions and learn from each other's strengths; the second is to solve problems through cooperation at work and make obvious progress; and the third is to be able to spread a positive and proactive team atmosphere.

At the end of each month, we will evaluate everyone’s performance.”

The employees started discussing with each other, and the atmosphere became more and more heated.

However, if we want employees to truly understand and integrate with each other from the bottom of their hearts, systems alone are not enough.

Wang Jianye knows very well that cultural cognition and identification are the key.

So he carefully planned a team activity and organized employees to visit Lianyungang Old Street.

It was a sunny weekend, and the warm sunshine shone on the earth, giving everything a golden glow.

At eight o'clock in the morning, all employees gathered at the restaurant entrance, ready to set off with great enthusiasm.

Lianyungang Old Street is full of historical charm, and the mottled walls bear witness to the vicissitudes of time. There are old buildings on both sides of the street, and the bluestone road shines with a faint luster under the sunlight.

Wang Jianye personally took everyone for a stroll along the old street, introducing it as he walked: "Look, this old street carries many years of history and culture of Lianyungang.

Lianyungang's culture is like the sea, inclusive and profound.

Our local employees grew up here and have feelings for every tree and blade of grass here.

Today, our Xuzhou employees also came to experience it. "

The Xuzhou employees looked around curiously, while the Lianyungang employees acted like little tour guides, enthusiastically introducing the stories of the old street to their Xuzhou colleagues.

"You see, this old house used to be a famous business, and it was very prosperous back then."

Xiao Li (the one who had resigned before and was persuaded by Wang Jianye to come back) pointed to an old building and excitedly spoke to the old employees around him.

Old Chen asked with great interest, "What did they sell here in the past?" Little Li replied with a smile, "I heard from the older generation that they sold all kinds of rare items from all over the country, from silk to tea."

During the tour, everyone was talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Wang Jianye took his employees to a local restaurant to taste the traditional cuisine of Lianyungang.

The table was filled with a variety of seafood dishes and unique soy products.

"Come, everyone, try this steamed sea bass, it's one of Lianyungang's signature dishes."

Wang Jianye greeted everyone warmly.

Everyone enjoyed the food and shared their feelings.

"I didn't expect there are so many delicious foods in Lianyungang. I really didn't pay attention to it before."

Xiao Wang, an employee from Xuzhou, said with emotion.

“Yes, actually every place has its own unique charm.”

Lianyungang employee Xiao Zhao responded.

This visit enabled Xuzhou employees to have a deeper understanding of Lianyungang’s culture and life, and also brought employees from both places closer together.

After returning to the store, the communication between employees has increased significantly.

Xuzhou employees began to learn the patience and meticulousness of Lianyungang employees, and Lianyungang employees also worked hard to improve their work efficiency.

But Wang Jianye felt that this was not enough, so he decided to take everyone to visit Xuzhou Yunlong Mountain so that the employees from Lianyungang could also experience the cultural heritage of Xuzhou.

It was another weekend, and the employees embarked on a journey to Xuzhou.

Along the way, everyone was laughing and talking, and the carriage was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

Yunlong Mountain stands majestically, with lush trees on the mountain and stone steps winding up.

During the mountain climbing process, the Xuzhou employees became tour guides, telling their colleagues in Lianyungang about the legends and historical stories of Yunlong Mountain.

"Legend has it that Yunlong Mountain was once a giant dragon, which was crushed here because it violated the laws of heaven and turned into a mountain."

Old Chen spoke vividly, with pride shining in his eyes.

Xiao Li asked curiously: "Is there anything special on this mountain that can prove this legend?" Lao Chen smiled and replied: "Look at the stone over there, isn't it of a strange shape? It is said that it is the scales of a giant dragon.

The temple on the top of the mountain was also built because of this legend."

The Lianyungang employees listened with great interest and praised highly.

After reaching the top of the mountain, standing on the high ground and overlooking the city of Xuzhou, you can see the magnificent scenery.

Everyone faced the breeze and was shocked by the magnificent scenery.

"Wow, Xuzhou is so beautiful! I only heard you talk about it before, but seeing it with my own eyes today is really different."

Xiao Zhang, an employee from Lianyungang, sighed.

"Yes, Xuzhou has a profound history and culture, and we hope everyone can learn more about it."

Lao Zhang, an employee in Xuzhou, responded.

This trip to Xuzhou gave the Lianyungang employees a new understanding of Xuzhou, and they also gained a greater understanding and closeness to their colleagues in Xuzhou.

After this series of efforts, the team atmosphere in the restaurant has changed significantly.

There are no longer conflicts between employees from the north and south as before, but they learn from and help each other.

During a busy mealtime, the Xuzhou and Lianyungang employees worked in perfect harmony.

Old Chen shouted in the kitchen: "We need an order of braised pork and a seafood tofu pot, urgently!" When Xiao Li heard it in the lobby, he responded quickly: "Got it! Brother Chen, leave it to me!" He quickly delivered the order to the kitchen and brought the prepared dishes to the customer's table in the shortest time possible.

The customer said with satisfaction: "Your service is fast and thoughtful, which is great!" Looking at the customer's satisfied smile, Wang Jianye's heart was also filled with joy.

After this period of hard work, the conflicts within the team have been eased and the overall service efficiency has been greatly improved.

At a general staff meeting, Wang Jianye said excitedly: "I have seen everyone's efforts, and our team has changed a lot during this period.

It is because of our unity and integration that our business can get better and better.

I hope you can keep up the good work and let’s make this restaurant bigger and bigger together!” The employees shouted in unison: “Good!” The sound resounded throughout the restaurant, full of strength and confidence.

In the days that followed, the team's cohesion grew stronger and stronger.

Employees often communicate and get together after work to share stories and delicacies from their hometowns.

Not only that, influenced by the atmosphere of unity, employees are more proactive in innovating at work.

Together, they combined the characteristics of Xuzhou and Lianyungang and launched a series of new dishes, such as "Xuzhou-style grilled seafood", which combines Xuzhou's grilling techniques with Lianyungang's fresh seafood and became very popular as soon as it was launched; "Seafood braised pork with rice", which combines the classic elements of both in one bowl of rice, allowing customers to taste a unique delicacy. (End of this chapter)