Coquettish Rebirth

"The influence of Chinese food is indeed relatively large, but the international ranking of Chinese restaurants is not high. In the 2010 ranking of the world's 50 restaurants by the famous British gourmet magazine "restaurant", only 3 Asian restaurants were shortlisted, one in Japan, two in Singapore, and restaurants in mainland China Sun Shan lost its name. Among the top 20 restaurants in Asia announced at the same time, Hong Kong accounted for 6, Macau 1, and mainland China only had Dadong Roast Duck, ranking exactly 20th. It can be seen that Chinese food is well-known, but Chinese restaurants have not. Entering the mainstream, the internationally recognized best Chinese restaurant is not in the mainland..." Lao Zhang, the former state banquet chef, talked in front of Jia Hongjian at this time.

As for Lao Zhang, he used to be a state banquet chef, specializing in cooking for various dignitaries and dignitaries who visited China. This level and his understanding of foreign food styles are really profound.Ten years ago, this old Zhang helped Jia Hongjian and the others in the development of dishes for a chain restaurant that helped laid-off workers get re-employed.In the past two years, Lao Zhang has retired and is enjoying his life at home.Now Jia Hongjian flew back to the country specially, and brought some gifts to Lao Zhang and his family with Ye Jing, specifically to ask such a question.After all, he is an insider, and we are outsiders!

"Is this a question of cultural barriers?" Ye Jing asked at this time. "There must be this factor, but as an Asian country, Japan has 8 restaurants listed in the Michelin Guide, while the UK has only 2. Of course, British food is bad, but on the other hand, we in China have no A restaurant has been selected by Michelin, at least it shows that Japanese restaurants are far more international than ours. Take the New York you mentioned as an example. I remember that there are basically no Chinese restaurants that can squeeze into the best restaurant rankings every year. But Japanese restaurants are different, and even Korean restaurants can be listed once or twice from time to time. In short, there is a big gap between how we see ourselves and how others see us.” Lao Zhang said very frankly.

To be honest, Lao Zhang's understanding is very good!This kind of vision is no longer what a cook should have. This kind of vision of observing the food market in other countries is already at the level of a big boss of a chain restaurant group, right?Hey, the chef who cooks for the leaders of various countries is of a different grade!People's research is really deep!Jia Hongjian remembered that when he was young, he heard that some salespersons in domestic state-run non-staple food stores were very powerful. When weighing sugar for customers, the customer asked for a few kilograms. No need to scale!On the scale, it is definitely just right enough!This level of research spirit, the older generation is really better than the younger generation, so I don't know where it is!At least Jia Hongjian felt that if he was a cook for a state banquet, he would definitely not study such things as rankings and shares in the American restaurant market. What about food that foreign leaders have praised?

Just when Jia Hongjian was thinking this way, Lao Zhang took the initiative to continue, "The reason for the big gap between how we see ourselves and what others see us is, I personally think so. Of course It’s just my own opinion, and it’s not necessarily correct. I’ll just say that, Mr. Jia, you just listen to it. I think there are many reasons for this. From a technical point of view, Chinese food does not have the tricks of Western food, Japanese barbecue, etc. Although Our Chinese food also has a plate, but the plate of Western food is very large and there are few dishes. The whole picture of the plate is like an abstract painting! Not to mention anything else, at least at first glance Afterwards, it feels very artistic and has gimmicks! And how about our Chinese food presentation?

At most, there are some vegetables and some flowers, and at most it is the carving of tofu and radish, which is not so strong in terms of ornamental, gimmick and so-called artistic sense.Even Indian paratha, which became popular in the capital a few years ago, because everyone has never seen this method and thought it was fresh, but it did not provide any new flavors.And our Chinese food does not have such a gimmick of flying cakes; from a business perspective, Chinese restaurants mostly follow the low-end route, pay attention to small profits but quick turnover, and are not familiar with the management of high-end restaurants; Haven't really embraced Chinese food yet; the gap between us is pretty obvious in terms of service.A good restaurant cannot be successful with good dishes, service is the key. "

... "Service?" Hearing this, Jia Hongjian was suddenly taken aback.He used to think that the taste and even the environment are the most important thing in running a high-end restaurant, so why is the service the key?Isn't the service of any high-end restaurant similar?Aren't they all the same?How does this matter?And Lao Zhang saw Jia Hongjian's confused eyes, so he explained without asking. "Weak service of Chinese food is indeed a prominent problem. In the capital, decent Japanese restaurants and Korean restaurants can leave a deep impression on people, indicating that they have retained their cultural characteristics in terms of service. But how many Chinese restaurants are there that people can never forget? You two think about it, how many Chinese restaurants in China you can never forget after you have been there? Do you think it is far more than other restaurants? No? "

Having said that, Lao Zhang paused, as if sorting out his thoughts and words, "Our domestic Chinese food service is poor. The reasons are complicated, but the key lies in the people. The wages of Chinese food waiters are relatively low, and it is difficult to retain people, like Western restaurants. In that way, it is very rare for college graduates to be able to work for 3-5 years. Urban people don’t like to work, so they can only recruit migrant workers. These children have lived in the countryside since childhood, and the pressure is low, so they are relatively loose, lack procedural awareness, and stand out. In my eyes, I don’t have a job or I’m not smart. I feel like I’m a monk hitting the clock for a day, and I don’t take the initiative to find work. Of course, most of the urban people who work in the company are similar. After all, they are part-time workers. Rather than doing business by yourself, it’s normal to have no work in your eyes. But in a western restaurant, a good waiter can look at five or six tables and be orderly; while our waiters are already in a hurry when they look at four tables. I can’t care about any service details. This is the gap!”

Ye Jing hurriedly found out a pen and paper at this time, and took notes of what Old Zhang had said little by little.After writing down the previous ones, Ye Jing asked: "Service details?" Lao Zhang also slowed down his speech in cooperation, "The so-called service details are, for example, how to serve food, When setting the tableware, you can’t put the dishes on the table all at once. Even the most basic point in mid-to-low-end restaurants is that when the waiters serve the dishes, they should hold the plate with their hands and their fingers should not touch the plate. Inside? You can’t touch the dishes and soups, right? But seriously, these things are too common in China! You said that when you saw a waiter rubbing his finger on the dish you wanted to eat, you still think it’s high-end Do you still have an appetite?

In better western restaurants, the waiters have to walk fast and quietly. Our waiters are used to yelling and crackling when they walk.Whether it is Western food or Chinese food, the serving procedures are very particular. In Western restaurants, better waiters see regular customers coming in and can directly inform the back kitchen when and what will be served. After the customer finishes eating the appetizer, chat for a few words and the main course will be guaranteed. Come up, it is very difficult for our Chinese restaurant to do this, because the back kitchen can’t do it, and the waiter can’t remember it if the customer doesn’t urge it.Of course, foreign diners have the habit of paying for the service.If the service quality of the waiter is good, consumers will pay a few more dollars for consumption, but if there are too many tables served by a waiter, the tips you give will add up, and it is even normal that the tips are much higher than the minimum wage!

But here, no one gives tips, so the quality of service has improved, and the waiters don't get any benefits. Isn't he like a monk ringing the clock for a day?Anyway, no matter how you do it, it’s all the money, at most it’s a corkage fee or something, and the other things are more or less the same, isn’t it the same as when the big pot was in the past?Moreover, such an industry does not have the ethos of studying in the past, even the whole society is impetuous, and everyone still thinks that the waiter is not decent, how can this waiter study? "

…"Can't strengthening training solve these problems?" After Ye Jing finished recording, she asked without waiting for Jia Hongjian to speak.It seems that she has fully entered the role of the boss! "Difficult, the profit of Chinese restaurants is too low, generally around 50, and only 30 in areas with fierce competition, while the profit of western restaurants is generally above 70, and the value of single products is high, which provides more room for operation. You How often do Western restaurants have private rooms? Because the tables are far apart, everyone consciously does not disturb others when eating. Chinese food is not good, and the pressure on rent is too high. The same storefront, the benefits of setting up ten tables and eight tables are completely different. It’s different, so Chinese restaurants are very crowded, leaving only a small aisle. In addition, our cultural environment is different from that of foreign countries. People are used to talking loudly in public, so they are extremely noisy. If you want to discuss something, you have to book a private room.

The profit margin is small, and the training provided by the restaurant for the waiters is very limited, and the recruitment is mainly based on the cheapness.In foreign countries, the waiter can't get the recommendation letter from the boss, and the next restaurant dare not use it, but we are used to fooling around.In short, the biggest task of our waiters is not to serve the guests well, but to let them finish their meal quickly and free up the table.Just like what Stephen Chow said in "The God of Cookery", let the consumers feel as uncomfortable as they are, and let them leave and turn over the table after eating, and the boss is even happy to see this!Not to mention that when you are busy, you can often pick your nose, stroke your hair, and pick your nails. In western restaurants, this is absolutely unacceptable. "

Having said this, Lao Zhang paused, "So at least in China, it is difficult to change these situations, because the waiters in Chinese restaurants generally work long hours. Taking the capital as an example, they can only take one day off a week, at least 10 hours a day, and there is no overtime. Therefore, it is difficult to improve the staff's professionalism, service awareness, and grasp of details. Foreign laws are relatively strict, and the legal working hours of waiters are 6 hours a day. For restaurants, at least you don’t need to pay too much attention to this aspect. But in terms of service, you also have to do something tricky, at least make people think that our high-end Chinese restaurant is different from other high-end western restaurants. The service is good, but it is not as good as others. That's the way to go!"

hiss!This is interesting!After Ye Jing looked at Jia Hongjian happily, she asked Lao Zhang curiously like a primary school student, "Then let's make some gimmicks like Indian flying cakes? Or let's learn to make some gimmicks when we put the plates "Difficult! Our Chinese food is too complicated, there are hundreds of ingredients to prepare, and there are only a few Japanese and Western food, which is almost an assembly line operation. Chinese food can indeed be open, but no matter how talented the chef is, 50 pots can be cooked in any way. There is no more, especially the big flip spoon.

This big turning spoon is a kind of spooning skill that our Chinese chefs use when cooking dishes on the stove.The large turning spoon is mostly used when making grilled and roasted dishes, and it is generally turned 2 to 3 times during the cooking process.The use of a large turning spoon is to thicken the dishes with starch after the dishes are mature, then pour an appropriate amount of oil along the side of the pot, and then turn them over so that the dishes are turned upside down into the bottom of the spoon.The large turning spoon is often used for dishes with neat raw materials, or dishes with neatly assembled ingredients. It is required that the shape of the dishes should be complete and not scattered after the large turning spoon.The chef came to 20 pots, and his physical strength could not support it.What's more, the technique of big turning spoon is almost lost. In the past, it was necessary to rely on a big turning spoon to cook vegetables. Now, to cook shiitake mushrooms, you first boil the vegetable heart in boiling water, put it on the plate, and then pour the sauce. It's fast. It saves effort, but the taste is completely wrong. Fortunately, customers can't taste it.Skills such as turning spoons cannot be practiced in three to five years, and the master may still be able to, but he is really enlightened, who can afford it? "

"We can afford it!" Ye Jing immediately said, "Master Zhang, can you make a big deal of it?" r1152