1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 117 Sunday dining is open for reservations...

After the pork liver was cooked, Xiao Lei didn't leave immediately. He helped Zhou Yan finish cooking the last dish.

Zhao Hong also poured back the two portions of pig liver that were undercooked.

"Running a shop really trains you. I can tell you've worked hard these past four months and grown a lot." Xiao Lei looked at Zhou Yan wiping the stove, his tone tinged with emotion.

He knew Zhou Yan's skill level all too well; it was impossible for him to improve that much in a short period of time without diligent study and practice.

He was the only one in the restaurant's kitchen, cooking for hundreds of customers at a time, not much different in size from the small stir-fry area in the factory canteen.

If we could turn back time twenty years, Xiao Lei would admit that he couldn't have done as well as Zhou Yan at that age.

"Were you acting like I was the one who did that at the factory canteen?" Xiao Lei stared into Zhou Yan's eyes. He hadn't slept well last night because of this.

Zhou Yan looked completely innocent and composed: "Master, how could you think of me like that? Am I that kind of person?"

"Have you been seeing other masters behind my back?"

"Heaven and earth bear witness, apart from my grandmother teaching me how to make braised food, I absolutely have no other master!" Zhou Yan said without any guilt.

The system, well, that's a cheat, it can't be considered a master.

Xiao Lei reached out and patted his shoulder, laughing as he said, "Don't be so rigid. It's a new era now. If you encounter a master craftsman in the future, you should flatter him if you want. Don't hesitate to learn a skill if you have the chance. Once you've learned it, you can teach me, your master, and I'll still call you Master Zhou."

Zhou Yan: "Huh?"

Σ(⊙▽⊙“a?

Master, is your bottom line so flexible?
"Times have changed, and we must keep up with the times so that we won't be left behind." Seeing Zhou Yan's stunned expression, Xiao Lei smiled and said, "Although I have been learning cooking from your master for more than ten years, I also went to the Workers' University for a year of training in 71. The address was the Red Flag Restaurant, which is also Rongleyuan."

I learned a lot of skills from many master chefs and famous chefs there, and only after returning did I become the head chef.

Chefs today are different from those of the old days; they are happy to share their skills and willing to pass on their expertise. Especially the veteran chefs—as long as you're diligent enough, they're all willing to guide you.

Rongleyuan, as the training base of Rongcheng Catering Company, has cultivated many outstanding chefs over the past ten years. It is no exaggeration to call it the Whampoa Military Academy of Sichuan cuisine.

I'm not very talented, so I went back to Suji after graduation. Some of my classmates stayed at Rongleyuan and are now top-level chefs.

When talking about his experience learning to cook when he was young, Xiao Lei's eyes softened.

Zhou Yan nodded upon hearing this. He had heard of the Rong school before, as it was quite famous among the various schools of Sichuan cuisine.

If you look at it that way, then he might be somewhat involved.

This era is indeed somewhat special.

"Have you subscribed to 'Sichuan Cuisine' yet? Those master chefs often share their techniques there, and their articles are all of a very high standard. You can subscribe to it; it's only 1.6 yuan a year. You can learn even a little bit of cooking from a master chef, and it will benefit you for life," Xiao Lei strongly recommended to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Master, are all the people featured in 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine masters?"

“Of course, only a master chef could make it onto the list.” Xiao Lei nodded, with a touch of emotion, “The editors of this magazine may not be good cooks, but they certainly know how to find masters. Some recipes are even written directly in the articles. I don’t know how they convinced the chefs.”

Zhou Yan did know a little bit: first, you had to be stubborn, thick-skinned, and fearless.

"I heard there's a very talented master in next month's issue who'll be featured in the magazine. You must remember to check it out," Zhou Yan earnestly instructed.

"Which master?" Xiao Lei's interest was piqued.

Zhou Yan said seriously, "I can't reveal it now, but just remember to watch it when the time comes. Maybe I can even let you have a meal with that master."

"Huh? You have such connections?" Xiao Lei was somewhat surprised.

“Oh, right!” Zhou Yan nodded: “This master is from Jiaozhou. He and I are very close. He is very humble and easy to get along with.”

"Just shout it out, and I'll treat you to a meal." Xiao Lei nodded: "I want to see which master from Jiaozhou it is, exchange ideas, and see if I can learn anything from him."

"Okay!" Zhou Yan nodded, took off his apron, and saw his master out, agreeing to come back tomorrow at noon to learn how to make stir-fried pig liver.

After everyone had walked away, Aunt Zhao finally couldn't help but ask, "Zhou Yan, did your master come to learn how to make stir-fried pig liver from you?"

Comrade Zhou, who was wiping the table, also looked at Zhou Yan.

"This is called mutual discussion and improvement among chefs. My skills were all taught by my master, how could I possibly teach him?" Zhou Yan quickly clarified, as such words of betrayal to one's master should not be spoken carelessly.

Zhou Momo, who was drawing in the sand with a small stick, immediately ran over upon hearing the sound. She grabbed Zhou Yan's leg and climbed up, clinging to him like a koala, looking up at him and pleading in a childish voice, "Brother, will you take me to play on the seesaw?"

Zhou Yan reached out and lifted her up, then handed her to Aunt Zhao with a smile: "Mom, why don't you take Momo out to play? My husband and I have cleaned up the mud and lime upstairs. Once we install the door tomorrow, you can move into your new room."

“Yes, we can handle that.” Zhou Miao nodded.

Zhou Momo hugged Aunt Zhao's neck, her expression a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, and said softly, "Mommy, please~"

"Go ahead," Aunt Zhao smiled, reaching out to untie the apron around her waist.

"Mommy!" Zhou Momo happily hugged her face and kissed her. "Mommy! You are the best mommy in the world!" "Playing is fine, but you have to come home when it gets dark. If you still can't get up when it gets dark, don't come with me next time," Aunt Zhao warned.

"Mmm!!" Zhou Momo nodded her little head obediently.

……

When Zhou Yan and the others finished cleaning up the second floor and came downstairs, they saw Zhou Momo running back with a pout and red eyes.

Aunt Zhao followed behind, holding a thin bamboo stick in her hand.

“Guoguo! Mom is naughty…” Zhou Momo threw herself into Zhou Yan’s arms, sobbing and squeezing out tears, looking very aggrieved.

The little guy was sweating profusely from playing, and his bangs were all wet.

Zhou Yan glanced at the completely dark sky outside and knew without asking what had happened; they must have gone crazy playing and didn't want to go home.

"Come on, your naughty mother is going to take you for a bath." Aunt Zhao placed the thin bamboo stick on the counter and lifted Zhou Momo from Zhou Yan's arms.

"Brother, save me—" Zhou Momo kicked her short legs.

Zhou Yan silently turned his face away and smiled; he was too cute to help.

Zhou Momo was so tired from playing that she fell asleep halfway through her bath. Wrapped in a small blanket, she was carried upstairs to sleep by Aunt Zhao.

"More than one customer asked us today if we're open on Sunday. What are your plans?" Aunt Zhao came downstairs and asked Zhou Yan.

"I've been thinking about this issue for the past few days and plan to try a reservation system. We'll be open on Sunday noon, but not in the morning or evening, and we won't be selling braised beef or other braised dishes for the time being," Zhou Yan said. "Customers who want to eat here can only make a reservation in advance. We'll prepare the ingredients according to the reservations and won't serve customers without a reservation to avoid wasting ingredients. This will also give me a half-day off."

After thinking about it for a while, Zhao Tieying understood and nodded, saying, "This is a good idea!"

"Tomorrow I'll put a notebook at the front desk. You can let the guests who make reservations write down their own menus. If they can't write, just call me." Zhou Yan added, "For each guest who makes a reservation, we'll collect a deposit equal to one-third of the total amount of the order. If they don't pay, it won't count as a reservation."

"Why?" Zhao Tieying asked, puzzled.

"Our restaurant is doing well, and we might attract some jealous people. If someone were to sabotage us by ordering a huge table of food but not actually eating it, all the ingredients we prepared would go to waste, and our profitable business would immediately turn into a loss-making one," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"You're so smart, I'll listen to you." Aunt Zhao nodded.

Zhou Yan wrote a notice, which can be put up at the entrance tomorrow morning so that workers going to and from work can see it.

Zhou Yan's decision to open reservations for Sunday lunches wasn't just about making more money; more importantly, it was about entering the banquet market in Suji Town.

The textile factory workers' meals have reached their peak, and the daily turnover has been hovering around 500 for the past two days, with little upward momentum.

Dining out is a low-frequency consumption activity, but because of its social aspect, the average order value is generally higher.

When you're hosting a dinner party, you should always make sure your guests eat well.

When textile factory workers treat customers to meals, they often invite people who are not their own colleagues. This can serve as a great way for restaurants to promote themselves and attract new customers.

This track was previously monopolized by state-owned restaurants.

Other small restaurants and street stalls are not up to standard and cannot be compared with state-run restaurants with a second-level master chef.

Zhou Yan decided to test the waters, taking on the role of a challenger and snatching a piece of meat from the mouth of the state-run restaurant.

However, he wasn't very ambitious; he only prepared lunch.

We don't sell breakfast, braised food, or braised beef because we want everyone to be able to sleep in a little longer. We need to let everyone sleep in a little more each week, otherwise it's too stressful.

The reason for not selling dinner is to allow people to have a half-day off, giving them time to travel to Jiaozhou or the surrounding areas if they wish.

Money can never be fully earned; you need to set aside time to spend it in order to achieve a balance between work and rest, and to keep your energy up as you work.

These past few days, Comrade Zhou has become obsessed with the Three Kingdoms. He no longer plays chess with Zhou Yan, and instead sits under the lamp reading for two hours at night before going to sleep.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but worry: Could it be that Comrade Zhou, now that he's middle-aged, has developed a desire to dominate?
If you see the saying: "How can a great man remain subservient to others for long?"

Will he harbor thoughts of challenging Zhao Niangniang's family's imperial throne?

Actually, Zhou Yan had already read through the Romance of the Three Kingdoms once. After Old Zhou finished reading it, he would go to the old man to exchange it for another copy.

That old man was quite interesting.

……

The next morning, Zhou Yan put up a notice at the door announcing that reservations for Sunday noon were available, and wrote down the detailed rules below.

Sure enough, customers came to inquire and make reservations in the morning. Most of them were small gatherings of three to five people, while there were also family gatherings of eight or nine people.

"Zhou Yan, you're finally willing to open on Sundays! My sister and brother-in-law are coming to see my mother tomorrow. We were originally planning to take them to a state-run restaurant, but it's much better to eat here!" Zhao Dong arrived late and ran into Zhou Yan as he entered the store. He said with a smile, "My brother-in-law owns a restaurant in Jiaozhou. He always thinks that the chef at his Feiyan Restaurant has the best cooking skills in Jiaozhou. He's very picky about the taste. This time, I'm going to show him what it means to be outdone."

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(End of this chapter)