Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

In addition to issues with dishes and ingredients, the restaurant also encountered some management problems.

As business gets busier, there are occasionally issues with work coordination and inconsiderate service between employees.

Wang Jianye realized that the management of the hotel must be strengthened.

He developed a detailed employee training plan, including training on service procedures, food knowledge, etc.

“Everyone, please pay attention, customers should be warmly greeted when they come in, and the characteristics of the dishes should be patiently introduced when they order.

The dishes must be served quickly and attention must be paid to the placement and hygiene of the dishes.”

Wang Jianye spoke seriously at the employee training session.

The employees listened attentively and nodded.

After a period of training, the hotel's service quality has been significantly improved and customer satisfaction has also increased.

……

The business of all branches of Wang's restaurants in Kaifeng is booming, and the restaurants are often packed and bustling.

The chefs in the kitchen were busy as the sounds of spatulas colliding and stoves roaring formed a busy melody.

However, behind this seeming prosperity, Wang Jianye was facing a serious problem - the problem of food supply gradually surfaced.

On weekdays, Wang Jianye would always walk around various areas of the restaurant. One day, he walked into the kitchen and saw the chef pacing back and forth anxiously, holding a few packets of spices that were almost empty in his hands.

Wang Jianye hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, Lao Chen? You look very anxious."

Chef Lao Chen frowned and said helplessly: "Boss Wang, the spices are almost gone.

Our restaurant is doing well, and the demand is too high. The local suppliers are always insufficient. If this continues, we will not be able to make some dishes!" Wang Jianye's heart sank. Looking at the bags of spices, he couldn't help but worry secretly: "We have always had suppliers, why is this happening?" Old Chen explained with a bitter face: "Local suppliers have always supplied ingredients for Henan cuisine. They don't have much stock of some specific spices and soy products for Xuzhou cuisine, and they often can't keep up with our demand."

Wang Jianye realized the seriousness of the problem, but he could only comfort Lao Chen: "Don't worry, I'll find a solution right away."

Walking out of the kitchen, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he kept thinking about how to solve this problem.

"We must not let the problem of food supply affect the restaurant's business. We must find a solution as soon as possible."

He secretly made up his mind.

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.

On this day, the sky was covered with dark clouds, lightning and thunder.

The rain poured down like a torrential rain, and it seemed as if a huge curtain of water was hanging between the sky and the earth.

Wang Jianye was busy in the office when the phone suddenly rang urgently.

"Boss Wang, this is bad! The road to the original pepper supplier was blocked due to heavy rain, and the pepper cannot be delivered on time. What should we do?" The purchasing manager's voice on the phone was full of anxiety and panic.

Wang Jianye stood up suddenly and the pen in his hand fell unconsciously: "Is it so serious? How long can the existing peppercorns in the store last?" The purchasing manager replied in a crying voice: "It can only last for two days at most. If no new peppercorns are delivered within two days, our signature dishes will be out of stock!" Wang Jianye hung up the phone and paced back and forth in the office, anxious.

Looking at the raging storm outside the window, his heart was filled with struggle and determination.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must find a solution immediately."

There was a determination in his eyes. He picked up the phone and started contacting suppliers who could provide peppercorns.

After numerous phone calls, we were unable to find a suitable supplier who could deliver goods in a short time.

Wang Jianye was extremely anxious, and suddenly he thought of the spice merchant in his hometown of Xuzhou.

So, he called Lao Zhang, the spice merchant in his hometown without hesitation.

Zhang's voice soon came from the other end of the line: "Jianye, why did you think of calling me?" Wang Jianye said quickly: "Brother Zhang, I'm in big trouble here.

There was heavy rain in Kaifeng, the supplier's road was interrupted, the supply of pepper was cut off, and the store was about to run out of stock.

Do you have any Sichuan peppercorns? Can you help me out?" Lao Zhang said with some embarrassment, "Jianye, I do have Sichuan peppercorns, but it's raining so hard and the roads are not easy to travel on. Transportation is a big problem."

Wang Jianye said hurriedly: "Brother Zhang, please think of a way. As long as you can transport the peppercorns here, I will pay double the freight.

This is really urgent, please help my brother this time! "Old Zhang was moved by Wang Jianye's sincerity: "Okay, Jianye.

Since your matter is so urgent, I will try to find a truck and transport it to you in the rain.

But there may be some bumps along the way, so you have to be prepared.”

Wang Jianye was excited: "Brother Zhang, thank you so much! No matter what, as long as the pepper can be transported here, please remind the driver to pay attention to safety on the way."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianye was still nervous. After all, no one could guarantee whether there would be any accidents during transportation in such bad weather.

But at this moment, he could only place his hopes on Lao Zhang.

Every minute of waiting seemed extremely long. Wang Jianye looked out the window from time to time. The rain showed no sign of abating and the strong wind was still howling.

Finally, after a long wait, the truck slowly drove into the back door of the hotel in the wind and rain.

Wang Jianye rushed out excitedly to greet them. Looking at the soaked driver and the truck loaded with peppercorns, his heart was filled with gratitude.

"Master, thank you for your hard work! Thank you so much for delivering the peppercorns to me in such heavy rain!" Wang Jianye said, holding the driver's hand tightly.

The driver wiped the rain off his face and said, "Boss Wang, you're welcome.

Boss Zhang has instructed that this matter must be done well.

Although the journey was difficult, we finally delivered the goods safely."

After solving this urgent problem, Wang Jianye knew that he could no longer treat the symptoms without addressing the root cause. He had to solve the problem of food supply thoroughly.

After some thought, he decided to go to Qixian, Tongxu and other surrounding counties in person to find a long-term and stable source of food supply.

On a sunny day, Wang Jianye embarked on his journey.

He first came to Qi County and asked around in the local agricultural product market for farmers who could provide high-quality soy products and spices.

The market was bustling with people, a wide variety of agricultural products on display, and the cries of vegetable vendors could be heard one after another.

Wang Jianye stopped in front of a stall selling soy products, looked at the tofu, dried bean curd, etc. on the stall, and asked the stall owner: "Boss, your soy products look good.

How is the yield, and can it be supplied stably and long-term?" The stall owner was a simple and honest uncle. He looked at Wang Jianye and said with a smile: "The yield is okay. We grow our own beans and make them ourselves.

But long-term supply depends on your quantity.”

Wang Jianye quickly introduced himself, “Uncle, I’m the owner of a restaurant in Kaifeng. Our restaurant business is pretty good and the demand is quite high.

If you can guarantee the quality and supply, we can sign a long-term cooperation agreement."

The uncle frowned and said: "Long-term cooperation is no problem, but we need to discuss the price.

How do we solve the transportation problem?" Wang Jianye said with a smile, "Don't worry about the price, I'm sure you will be satisfied. As for the transportation, I'll find a way."

If I cooperate with you, I definitely want to do business with you for a long time."

After some bargaining, the two sides reached a preliminary cooperation intention.

Wang Jianye then visited several farmers in Qi County without stopping. After many comparisons and negotiations, he successfully signed long-term cooperation agreements on the supply of soy products with several farmers.

After leaving Qi County, Wang Jianye came to Tongxu again.

Tongxu's spice planting is well-known locally. The spice plants all over the mountains sway gently in the breeze, emitting bursts of unique fragrance.

Wang Jianye shuttled through the fields and communicated with farmers who grew spices.

He walked up to a farmer who was busy with his work and said, “Brother, your spices are growing really well.

I would like to ask, can you supply this spice to my restaurant? I guarantee that the price is reasonable, and this cooperation will definitely be long-term and stable. "

The farmer straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked in confusion: "Are you the restaurant owner? How much goods can you buy? You won't default on the payment, right?" Wang Jianye quickly explained: "Brother, don't worry.

I run a restaurant in Kaifeng and my business has been good. You don't have to worry about the dosage.

As for payment for goods, every payment will be settled on time.

This is my business card, you can learn more about my restaurant. "

The farmer took the business card and looked at it carefully: “Okay, it sounds pretty reliable from what you said.

However, there are risks in growing spices. If there is a natural disaster, the supply may be affected.”

Wang Jianye smiled and said, “Brother, I understand too.

We can write it clearly in the contract so that when we encounter force majeure, we can understand each other and resolve it through joint negotiation.

Do you think this will work?" After in-depth discussions and communication, Wang Jianye successfully reached long-term cooperation agreements with many farmers in Tongxu for the supply of spices.

The moment the agreement was signed, Wang Jianye felt relieved, but he knew very well that this was only the first step.

After returning to Kaifeng, Wang Jianye began to solve the problems of storage and transportation.

He rented a spacious warehouse on the outskirts of Kaifeng. The warehouse was empty and filled with a stale atmosphere.

Wang Jianye stood in the middle of the warehouse, and his mind had already outlined the busy scene here in the future.

"Find someone to clean up this warehouse quickly, and then buy some refrigeration equipment to ensure that the food can be stored fresh."

Wang Jianye instructed his assistant Xiao Li.

Xiao Li nodded: "Boss Wang, I will arrange it right away.

But the price of this refrigeration equipment is not cheap, is there any problem with the budget?" Wang Jianye patted his chest and said, "Budget is not a problem. As long as the quality of the ingredients can be guaranteed, the money should be spent without hesitation."

Under Wang Jianye's supervision, the warehouse was soon renovated and the refrigeration equipment was installed and debugged one after another.

The temperature in the warehouse is just right, and the neatly arranged shelves are waiting for the ingredients to be put in.

At the same time, Wang Jianye also formed a small transport fleet.

He personally selects drivers and instructs them on how to transport ingredients safely and how to adjust transportation methods according to the characteristics of different ingredients.

"Masters, the transportation of these ingredients is related to the survival of our restaurant.

For things like soy products and spices, you must keep them moisture-proof and insect-proof.

If you encounter any emergency, please contact me immediately."

Wang Jianye said to the drivers seriously.

The drivers nodded one after another: "Boss Wang, don't worry, we will do a good job!" After a series of efforts, the food supply problem was finally properly solved.

The warehouse is filled with fresh soy products and spices, and transport fleets are constantly on the way to deliver them to restaurants.

Wang Jianye stood at the entrance of the hotel, looking at the vehicles coming in and out, feeling filled with emotion.

“All the hardships along the way have finally paid off.

Now that we have a stable supply of food, the restaurant can finally move to a higher level of development.”

A gratified smile appeared on his face, and his eyes were full of expectation and confidence for the future.

As the restaurant's food supply got on track, business became more and more prosperous.

Every morning, when the first rays of sunlight shine on the roof of the warehouse, the fleet is ready to transport the freshly purchased ingredients to the restaurant.

Lao Zhou, the warehouse manager and an experienced master, always comes to the warehouse early and carefully checks each batch of ingredients.

Lao Zhou took a bunch of fresh and plump peppercorns and carefully observed their color and grain size, muttering to himself, "This batch of peppercorns is good. The grains are big enough and the fragrance is strong. They will definitely enhance the flavor of the dishes."

As he checked, he registered the qualified ingredients into the warehouse.

Xiao Li, who was helping at the side, asked curiously: "Master Zhou, you check so carefully every time, do you have any special tricks?" Old Zhou smiled, and the wrinkles on his face squeezed together: "Xiao Li, checking the ingredients is a meticulous job.

Take Sichuan peppercorns for example. To judge whether they are good or not, you have to judge based on many aspects, such as color, particles, and taste.

The color is deep red and shiny, the grains are full and uniform, and the aroma is rich and long-lasting, that is the good stuff.

The same goes for other ingredients, don't be careless!" Xiao Li scratched his head: "I see, Master Zhou, you are really amazing, this must have accumulated a lot of experience."

Lao Zhou patted Xiao Li on the shoulder and said, "After working in this business for a long time, you will naturally understand it.

These ingredients are related to the quality of the restaurant's meals, so we have to keep a close eye on them."

The transport convoys also experience various stories on their way back and forth to various places.

The driver, Mr. Zhang, is a cheerful middle-aged man who always likes to share his experiences on the road with his colleagues.

One day, on the way back from Tongxu transporting spices, they encountered a sudden light rain.

Master Zhang drove the truck carefully and joked with other members of the team through the intercom: "Hey, do you think God likes to play jokes on us? There are always some problems when delivering goods.

Although the rain is not heavy, we still have to be careful not to get the spices wet."

Another driver, Master Liu, responded: “Brother Zhang, you are right.

But as long as we are careful, there will be no problem.

Having said that, after all these trips, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see these high-quality ingredients delivered to the restaurant.”

Master Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, seeing the restaurant business is getting better and better, our hard work is worth it!" In the restaurant, the chefs praised the fresh ingredients. (End of this chapter)