1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 231 I was just asking casually... (Bonus chapter for monthly votes: 164)

"It's alright, let him curse. Anyone who has run a braised food shop here for three years would inevitably feel resentful if a competitor suddenly bought the house and tried to kick them out to open their own restaurant," Zhou Yan said with a carefree laugh, not taking it to heart.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang laughed when they heard this. It was indeed unpleasant to have one's reward stolen.

Xiao Lei asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly buy a house in Jiaozhou?"

Zheng Qiang also looked at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan slowed down and said with a smile, "It's for the future. People always strive for better things. Su Ji Restaurant is making money now, but its ceiling is limited. Without other customers coming in, it will be difficult to make any further breakthroughs."

This location is excellent, directly facing the Jiaozhou Wharf. It attracts many tourists every day, and East Street is lined with restaurants and snack shops, creating a significant scale effect. Many people from Jiaozhou prefer to eat here.

"Once I've saved up some money next year, I'll tear this house down and rebuild it into a large two-story restaurant."

"Build a big hotel?" Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang were both surprised when they heard this.

Buying a house is one thing, but they also want to demolish and rebuild a grand hotel?
Zheng Qiang asked curiously, "Are you planning to book banquets? Weddings, birthday banquets, and the like?"

Zhou Yan shook his head: "We can't handle banquets. We don't have enough manpower and the space is limited. It's safer to run a restaurant."

Xiao Lei pondered for a moment and said, "Then you'll have to hire a lot of people. You've already pushed your small restaurant to its limit. You don't even dare to add any more dishes to the menu."

To open a large restaurant, the menu needs to be extensive, and with a large number of customers, you simply can't handle the workload without hiring staff. Kitchen helpers, prep cooks, and chefs are all indispensable.

Zhou Yan looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Master, Senior Brother Zheng, would you two be interested in coming?"

“I…” Zheng Qiang looked at Xiao Lei, his face showing hesitation.

“No, it’s not worth it for you to treat us.” Xiao Lei shook his head, refusing decisively: “We made a thousand yuan last month by hosting a banquet in the open air. I got six hundred, and Zheng Qiang got four hundred.”

Judging from the current trend, each month going forward will be no worse than the last, especially the two months around the Lunar New Year, when we'll be busy from the beginning to the end of the month. If we split up, we could potentially earn a thousand a month.

"You're asking us to work as chefs in your restaurant, how much salary are you going to offer us? Even if you're going to give us shares and dividends, who will have the final say in things at the restaurant? Disagreements are inevitable."

“Uncle-Master is right.” Zheng Qiang nodded in agreement.

"Then I am not worthy." For the first time, Zhou Yan felt the melancholy and helplessness he felt when Huang He tried to poach him but was politely refused.

However, he was quite happy.

He persuaded his master to go into business, and he also brought them together to hold a banquet in the open air.

Now that they've made money, he's genuinely happy for them.

My master was very frank and made his point very clear.

With their current income, it's indeed difficult to pay them wages.

Moreover, they are currently in the rising phase of their careers. His mentor is a particularly opinionated and capable person, and they have already begun to consider splitting up to expand the scale, with considerable income expectations.

As for the shares and dividends, Zhou Yan could accept them, but as his master said, issues of power and decision-making might arise later on, which could lead to unpleasantness.

Xiao Lei smiled and said, "If we can't do it, the Kong School has many senior and junior disciples to consider. Nowadays, the wages in major restaurants are generally not high, and the trend of going into business is impacting everyone's thinking. Even someone as conservative as Lao Luo is tempted. As long as you offer a reasonable salary and appeal to their reason and emotions, people will come."

Zhou Yan's expression was somewhat subtle: "Then...isn't this poaching Yue Ming's girlfriend?"

Xiao Lei waved his hand dismissively: "What are you trying to poach? Leming is the Whampoa Military Academy of the culinary world in Jiaozhou. Talented chefs come out one after another, and they leave after graduation."

Your three senior uncles have all gone further than the last; even your eldest senior uncle, with his skill level, went to Chengdu. The manager once said he wanted him to be the head chef, he even submitted his application, got the offer from the Chengdu restaurant, and then left the very next day.

This incident reportedly infuriated Le Ming's manager, who secretly berated him for half a month, spreading rumors that he was impotent, had premature ejaculation, and suffered from hemorrhoids.

"Really?" Zheng Qiang asked curiously.

Xiao Lei and Zhou Yan glanced at him; he really was a good apprentice.

"I was just asking casually..." Zheng Qiang said weakly.

"There's no smoke without fire," Xiao Lei said meaningfully.

Zheng Qiang and Zhou Yan seemed to be deep in thought.

"Then how did the manager know that my senior brother had such an embarrassing condition as hemorrhoids?" Zhou Yan asked again.

Now it was Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang's turn to look at Zhou Yan, their eyes wide like saucers, as if they had discovered something extraordinary.

"I was just asking casually..." Zhou Yan said weakly.

The three exchanged glances and then laughed at the same time.

Zhou Yan secretly made up his mind that he must be present at such occasions in the future.

The notion that whoever is absent will be the one swarmed by crickets has indeed remained true.

Xiao Lei continued, "You can consider Lao Luo, Wang Mian... They are all down-to-earth and hardworking people with solid skills and calm personalities."

Most importantly, the salary is low, only 100 yuan a month, and the employee is not valued, is not good at networking, has no room for advancement, and the salary is basically stagnant, with only a few yuan added to their seniority each year.

They all have apprentices. If they come, and bring two more reliable apprentices with them, then they'll have a kitchen helper, a prep cook, and a young chef—a basic team will be ready.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, making a mental note of the names. His master had been the head chef of the cafeteria for over ten years, and had seen and experienced a great deal of people; he was a good judge of character.

He said someone with good character can't be bad.

Zhou Yan said, "Didn't Uncle Luo say he wanted to open a restaurant? Once he's got that idea in mind, he might not be willing to come back to work, right?"

"Just ask him when the time comes. If he's willing to come, he can come. If he wants to do it himself, let him do it. These things depend on fate," Xiao Lei said with a smile. "If you hadn't told me today, I would have been preparing to start building a team after the New Year to expand and professionalize the rural chefs."

Zhou Yan was a little shocked after hearing this: "Master, it has to be you again."

This venture into business has truly unlocked my master's potential; I'm now thinking ahead and even making long-term plans.

“The market for rural chefs is quite large, but it’s very unregulated and the skill levels vary greatly. I plan to learn as I go, develop a standard, and then expand the scale and reputation.” Xiao Lei looked at Zhou Yan and said, “You’re quick-witted. Do you think this is feasible?”

“I think it’s very feasible, Master. You’re truly brilliant; you dare to think and act.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Nowadays, booking a hotel for wedding and birthday banquets is still an option for a minority of wealthy people. In rural towns and even in Jiaozhou city, more people choose to hire local chefs to host open-air banquets for their weddings and birthday celebrations, and prepare the dishes themselves, thus controlling costs to the greatest extent possible.

This market has vast potential and will not be replaced for at least many years to come.

His master wanted to first build a good reputation, then integrate resources to take on more orders for outdoor banquets, thereby earning more money.

However, since chefs at outdoor banquets charge per table, their profit margins are actually relatively limited.

It's nowhere near as profitable as running a restaurant and catering for banquets.

However, opening a restaurant requires significant capital investment, with very high upfront costs for banquet halls and similar facilities.

If it weren't high-class, who would be willing to spend so much money to book a banquet at your place? It's about the host's reputation.

The biggest asset of the "baba banquet" is the pile of steamers, pots, and kitchen utensils. It is a light-asset operation, which is most suitable for their current situation.

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "In a few years, when we've made some money, we can go and open a restaurant together that can handle all the banquets. I'll just invest and not participate in the management. You can just give me a share of the profits."

Xiao Lei thought about it for a moment and nodded: "That's a good idea. Opening a restaurant will cost a lot of money. Let's save up a large sum of money before we consider it."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

The master is someone who can lead a team, but judging from the trend of the times, hosting a banquet is the ultimate goal.

Perhaps they will have opportunities to cooperate in the future.

It's good that they shine in their respective fields and meet at the top.

Zheng Qiang stood by and chuckled to himself, since he had no objections.

He had already realized that both his martial uncle and Zhou Yan were much smarter than him.

He doesn't need to think too much; he just needs to do his job well.

He earned 400 yuan in the first month of his dry-field banquet business, which was equivalent to half a year's salary at a restaurant in Rongcheng.

He's been at home this month, so he doesn't even need to pour out the water for washing his feet.

Their status in the family has risen dramatically; they've reached the top.

"Master, what's the situation with Old Man Huang's son?" Zhou Yan asked casually, having heard Old Man Huang mention it earlier and sounding quite distressed.

“Huang Erwa, he used to be a soldier, in the vanguard of the Sino-Vietnamese War. He was the only one from his platoon to come back. He's a bit mentally unstable now. He's afraid to sleep at night with the lights on, and he can only sleep a little during the day with the doors and windows open. He can't live a normal life at all.” Xiao Lei sighed.
"She was such a sunny and cheerful kid when she was little, but now she might not even greet me if she sees me. She says it's some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder... I don't understand it either."

"So that's how it is..." Zhou Yan fell silent upon hearing this.

This situation is similar to his uncle's experience, but his uncle's situation is slightly better. His stress reaction was not as strong, and he adjusted himself. Now that he is working at the Armed Forces Department, he seems to be in better condition, and his energy has returned.

Xiao Lei shook his head, his face showing pity: "Old Huang has it tough too. He has one daughter and two sons. His eldest son died young, and his second son has turned out like this. The couple just grows some vegetables to make bean sprouts and makes a few baskets to sell. They still can't earn much money in a year."

Fortunately, his son receives a pension, so even if the two elderly people pass away in the future, at least the state will support them and they won't go hungry.

Old Huang's pickled mustard greens are really good. If you need any in the future, just go directly to him to buy them; it'll be a small favor to them.

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded. It would be hard to find another place in Jiaozhou with this quality of bean sprouts.

"It's a pity that his craft has no one to carry it on; it's probably going to die out. If Old Man Huang passes away, we might have to go to Yibin to buy pickled mustard greens again." Xiao Lei said, his expression tinged with melancholy.

"Doesn't he also have a daughter?" Zhou Yan asked.

Xiao Lei said helplessly, "My daughter did learn the craft, but after she married and returned to Yibin, she took the craft back with her."

Zhou Yan: ...

People do laugh when they're speechless.

The three chatted all the way back to Suji, and parted ways at the stone bridge.

"You bought so many dried goods!" Aunt Zhao and the others stepped forward to help unload the goods. When they saw the bag of bean sprouts, they were a little surprised: "Why did you buy such a big bag of bean sprouts?"

Zhou Yan explained with a smile, "I plan to make braised pork belly with salt, and then try twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens."

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(End of this chapter)