1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 335 Becoming a Capitalist, Surpassing a Capitalist! (6k-page compilation)

A banquet costing thirty yuan per table would only be considered mid-range at Leming Hotel, but in Suji Town, it would definitely be top-tier.

With nine people at a table and an average order value exceeding three yuan, the profit margin is definitely substantial.

It has to be the finance manager; spending money is so easy for them.

Zhou Yan nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll take your business."

"I'm at ease leaving it in your hands!" Song Yang smiled as well.

"Manager Song, could you tell me if the guests coming tomorrow have any dietary restrictions, especially the old man? I'll write it down first." Zhou Yan took out paper and pen.

Song Yang said, "My old man doesn't have any dietary restrictions except for not eating cilantro. Just bring out your best dishes."

“Okay, I understand now.” Zhou Yan nodded.

"Then it's settled. I'm going to work." Song Yang smiled and left.

Kong Liwei clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Master Zhou, that's impressive. You've managed to book a banquet with 31 tables in a rural town. Even state-run restaurants might not be able to afford that price."

“Thirty-one tables, two tables would be sixty, that’s comfortable,” Aunt Zhao nodded in agreement.

“A banquet costing thirty yuan isn’t easy to earn; it has to be something that leaves people satisfied.” Zhou Yan walked to the counter, noted this down, and then started writing the menu.

The braised rock carp is the grand finale, while the snowflake chicken soup can only serve as a connecting dish.

The cold dishes included a platter of braised pig's head meat, a serving of braised beef, and a platter of braised vegetables.

For the stir-fried dishes, I served beef with dried bamboo shoots and braised pork ribs.
Steamed dishes include braised pork belly with salt and steamed pork with rice flour.

I'll also have some shredded pork with garlic sauce, twice-cooked pork, and Mapo tofu as side dishes to go with rice.

The meal consisted of twelve dishes, a very generous spread, and was well worth the 30 yuan cost of the banquet.

Prepare a bowl of longevity noodles for the birthday celebrant, perfect!
Kong Liwei watched for a while and said with some emotion, "Thirty yuan for twelve dishes, including braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup. If this were the same price in Jiaozhou, it would bankrupt Leming and Feiyan restaurants."

Zhou Yan laughed upon hearing this: "That would be too much. We'll raise the price a bit then."

Once the menu was opened, Zhou Yan understood.

It's just a banquet, isn't it?

They're all about catering!

I'll start working in Suji first, accumulating experience and recipes.

There's no other way; we have to make do with the dishes, so we can only serve more side dishes like Mapo Tofu and Twice-Cooked Pork.

It's good to master a few more famous and expensive banquet dishes like braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup.

"Ah Wei, how many tiers are there for the private banquets at Leming Hotel?" Zhou Yan put down his pen and asked curiously.

“There are four tiers, the lowest being thirty, followed by fifty, eighty, and one hundred and twenty,” Awei said.
"The difference lies in the dishes. The 30-yuan meal is about the same level as a traditional banquet, with three cold dishes, three steamed dishes, three braised dishes, and a braised carp as the grand finale. The dishes are very substantial, all meat dishes, and the portions are generous, which makes it very popular with the people."

"Once you get over fifty, the dishes change again. They start serving elaborate dishes that you can't usually find at home, like shrimp cakes with golden coins, duck stuffed with tofu skin, and shrimp with white oil."

"The banquets priced at 80 and 120 are rarely ordered. The menu is not fixed. The food consists of delicacies from land and sea. The menu is determined by what can be obtained on the day. In short, it's all about the wonderful taste."

For example, at the beginning of the year, a wealthy Hong Kong businessman surnamed Duan ate several banquets at the Leming Hotel, each costing 120 yuan. The dishes served were all high-end: crispy fried finger rings, crispy fried chicken cubes, stir-fried shrimp, and main courses such as: scallion-braised fish lips, braised deer tendon with scallions, boiled cabbage in clear broth, braised bear paw, and spicy and sour sea cucumber… a variety of delicious dishes were served in rotation.

After listening, Zhou Yan seemed to be deep in thought. In this era, Xiong Da had not yet been insured, and seafood was limited by transportation. Delicacies from land and sea were the signature dishes of major restaurants and were indeed high-end dishes in everyone's eyes.

Sichuan cuisine boasts a rich variety of dishes and diverse cooking methods, primarily including stir-frying, pan-frying, braising, deep-frying, covering, pasting, stuffing, spreading, and roasting. It is known for its unique style for each dish and its diverse flavors.

He has only learned a dozen or so home-style dishes. Compared to the vast and complex art of Sichuan cuisine, he is like a baby who has just learned to walk.

To build a reputation and make big money in a restaurant, you need both popular home-style dishes that sell in the main dining area and high-end banquet dishes that can command a premium.

The banquet package is so delicious.

As for the wealthy businessman surnamed Duan who booked a banquet at the Leming Hotel at the beginning of the year, he is most likely Duan Yuyan's father.

"Does that wealthy businessman also have a beautiful daughter?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"That girl is amazing! She's dressed like a movie star, and she's so pretty and has such a great presence, she's just as good-looking as the boss's wife!" Kong Liwei looked at him in surprise. "Huh? How did you know?"

"I've met you." Zhou Yan smiled.

“I heard them say that their car costs over 700,000! Good heavens! Do you know how much 700,000 is? I only earn 700 yuan a year. I would have to work for a thousand years to afford one of their cars. I wouldn’t even earn enough for a car wheel in a year.” Kong Liwei gritted his teeth: “Those evil capitalists! They should be hung from a street lamp!”

"If I wanted to recruit you as my son-in-law, would you do it?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Kong Liwei immediately became serious and said, "But on the other hand, I think Boss Duan is a good person. He's generous and gives my master a hundred yuan tip. He seems like a kind-hearted person. If he's willing to take me as his son-in-law, I'll seriously consider it."

"Ah Wei, your bottom line is really flexible." Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh.

“Everyone criticizes capitalists, but who doesn’t want to be a capitalist?” Kong Liwei laughed. “My wish is very simple, just four words: to reap without sowing.”

“Capitalists deserve to die! Work hard, and when I make money and buy a car, I’ll let you drive it too,” Zhou Yan said, patting him on the shoulder.

Hate capitalists, become a capitalist, and transcend capitalists!
"Really?! Bro! I'll definitely do my best!" Kong Liwei's eyes lit up.

"The walls on the second-floor room are dry now, would you like to move in?"

"Move it! Although my uncle and aunt are very kind to me, that room is next to the pigsty and it still smells a bit. I'll go move the things right away!" Kong Liwei immediately went to push the cart.

“Okay, then I’ll go help you move them.” Zhou Yan also pushed her bicycle out with him, dragged the quilt and clothes back, and carried them up to the second floor.

"Sister Zeng chose this room first, so you can sleep in the room next door, do you want it?" Zhou Yan asked, pointing to the room with the open door.

“The rooms are all the same size, so there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be used.” Kong Liwei carried the quilt into the room, made the bed first, took off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and sighed, “Comfortable! This bed is sturdy and spacious, and the room has fresh air.”

As he spoke, he lifted a corner of the blanket and moved a little further in: "Teacher Zhou, would you like to try it out? It's very warm!"

"Get the hell out of here!" Zhou Yan put the sack full of clothes on the bedside, turned around and left. He could already hear Awei snoring as he closed the door.

This workload will take Awei some time to adjust to.

Back at the shop, Aunt Zhao and the others finished washing the dishes and went upstairs to sleep, leaving Zhou Momo to draw.

The little one is full of energy every day, so Aunt Zhao doesn't dare let her take a nap, otherwise she can chatter away all night long, which is really exhausting.

Zhou Yan didn't want to take a nap. Bored, he took out the books from the cabinet and started reading.

The "Exam Preparation Outline for Chefs' Professional Skills Examination" is very short, only twelve pages long. It mainly defines the scope of the exam. The exam content is within the outline, and chefs only need to prepare according to the outline.

For example, the requirements for a level three chef include knowledge of steamers. They must be proficient in various cooking methods such as frying, stir-frying, quick-frying, deep-frying, braising, stewing, and simmering, and be able to prepare dishes and soups with appropriate flavor.

The dishes that students are required to master include Steamed Pork with Pumpkin, Sweet Braised Pork Belly with Longan, Chicken Slices with Egg White, Braised Catfish with Garlic, Stuffed Snow Pear, and so on.

To be honest, it's not quite the same as what his master said.

For Zhou Yan now, these dishes are somewhat beyond his capabilities.

However, in practice, the assessment requirements for Level 3 chefs are still mainly based on small-scale frying and stir-frying, which are simpler than the outline requirements.

Zhou Yan took out the Sichuan Cuisine Cooking Manual and began to read it carefully. The book was divided into two volumes and was a textbook compiled by the Sichuan Provincial Catering Service Technical School.

The first volume covers cooking ingredients, while the second volume discusses cooking techniques; the content is quite substantial.

Zhou Yan started by looking at the cooking ingredients, enjoying the pleasure of knowledge entering his mind, and became quite engrossed in watching.

After everyone finished their afternoon nap and came downstairs one after another, the books were put back on the counter. After dinner, the restaurant quickly became lively again.

Outside the restaurant, by the riverbank, three figures peered toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

Leading the group was Yan Wen, the director of the town's state-run restaurant. He frowned and said, "How can business be this good? It's unbelievable. This isn't the textile factory's second canteen, is it?"

"Director, this is Zhou Erwa Restaurant," head chef Fan Qingfeng corrected.

"Individual business owners are heartless capitalists, they're working the workers to death. Look, even the waiters are practically running! It's blatant exploitation of the working people!" said foreman Wu Danzhen, her voice filled with indignation.

Yan Wen and Fan Qingfeng looked over and nodded in agreement; the two waiters did indeed look very hardworking.

"No, no! We're not here to criticize individual business owners; we're here to find problems!" Yan Wen shook his head. "Business at our state-run restaurant has been getting worse and worse lately. We're only keeping going by weekend banquet bookings. There are so few customers on weekdays that we're almost breaking even!"

"Director, do you think Zhou Erwa Restaurant has taken away our business this week?" Wu Danzhen asked.

"Is that even a question? Look who that is. Huang Laowu used to be a regular at our state-run restaurant. He loved my shredded pork with garlic sauce. I was wondering why I hadn't seen him lately. I thought his family had fallen on hard times and he couldn't afford to eat out anymore. Turns out he's here!" Fan Qingfeng said through gritted teeth, pointing at a Mediterranean-looking man at a table near the door.

"There's a traitor among the people!" Wu Danzhen exclaimed indignantly.

"Alright, alright! I called you here to come up with solutions, not to criticize you!" Yan Wen glared at the two of them and said seriously, "The operating situation of our state-run restaurant this month is not optimistic. It is close to the loss line. If it continues to lose money for three months, we will have to apply to the county for funding. If the funding does not come through, we may face the result of salary suspension and cancellation."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qingfeng and Wu Danzhen immediately shut their mouths, their faces becoming more serious.

“Although I hate to admit it, the reputation of Zhou Erwa’s privately owned restaurant has indeed spread very quickly. Suji is only so big, and the textile factory workers have the strongest spending power. The better his business is, the worse our business will definitely be.” Yan Wen said with a solemn expression, “We are here today to find the root of the problem and also to learn! The whole country is undergoing reforms now, and I think our state-owned restaurants in Suji should also be reformed!”

Fan Qingfeng and Wu Danzhen looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

"Director, what are your plans for reform?" Fan Qingfeng asked.

Yan Wendao: "First of all, we must maintain our advantage and make the reputation of banquet booking even better, so as to attract more people to book banquets at state-run restaurants. A banquet costs 20 or 30 yuan, and the profit is quite considerable, which is more valuable than individual customers."

Secondly, we need to improve our service awareness. Simply having rules like "no insulting or beating customers" is no longer enough to meet the growing emotional needs of the people.

I went to Chengdu a few days ago for a training session. State-run restaurants in big cities have started to emphasize service awareness; waiters are required to greet guests with a smile.

"I object!" Wu Danzhen raised her hand. "Director, we waitresses are also masters of the country. We are working people. Why should we expect them to greet customers with smiles? Treating customers like gods is a bad habit of capitalism! If a customer is wrong, they should be hit. Some customers are just lacking in education."

“Some customers really don’t know how to eat, and they love to point fingers. I’m tempted to give them a good wok.” Fan Qingfeng chimed in. Yan Wen laughed at the two of them, pointing at Zhou Erwa’s restaurant, and said, “Look at them! If we had half that kind of business, would I still have to worry about the state-owned restaurant closing down? Let me tell you, I can just transfer back to another restaurant in the city. You guys might have a different story.”

"If you do a good job, then keep up the good work. If you don't, I'll have to ask my superiors for help!"

The state-run restaurant in Linjiang is scheduled to close at the end of the year. This has already been announced. It's a typical example of a restaurant that lost out to privately owned restaurants, and the waiters and chefs with mediocre skills will be laid off.

“The director is right. I’ll go back tonight and further enrich the banquet menu,” Fan Qingfeng said immediately.

“I…I’ll go back and train the waiters on how to greet customers with a smile,” Wu Danzhen said.

Yan Wen looked at Zhou Erwa's restaurant, scratched his head, and muttered to himself, "That Zhou kid really has some skills. It's time for this sleeping dragon of state-run restaurants to awaken."

……

Zhou Yan was indeed unaware that a sleeping dragon was eyeing him from outside the door, but there were far too many guests coming to Aunt Zhao today to ask if they could make reservations or book banquets for the weekend.

If Zhou Yan hadn't been so adamant, Aunt Zhao would have been tempted to take the order.

Money can never be earned enough, but life is finite.

Having died once, Zhou Yan deeply understood the meaning of these words.

I'm already exhausted from Monday to Saturday, so I need to set aside time on Sunday to let loose and relax.

Working year-round without a break, even an iron man like Zhou Yan couldn't keep up.

Not to mention middle-aged people like Aunt Zhao and Comrade Lao Zhou.

Even if you earn so much money, you still need to set aside some time to spend it.

Of course, Zhou Yan was also considering leaving a way for state-run restaurants to survive.

Given Zhou Erwa Hotel's current reputation in Suji, if it really opens up banquet bookings and reservations on Sundays and promotes its reputation for banquet bookings, then state-run hotels will eventually go out of business.

If Tuesday's Wa restaurant moves to Jiaozhou next year, and the people of Suji don't even have a proper restaurant to eat at, then he will have committed a huge sin.

State-run restaurants are state-owned entities. If you really push someone to the brink, they might resort to underhanded tactics.

After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan went for a run with Xia Yao. After taking Xia Yao back to her dormitory, he ran five kilometers along the riverbank by himself.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Momo and Aunt Zhao were doing their homework, while Old Zhou and Awei were playing chess.

Zhou Yan walked over. The two chess novices were evenly matched and locked in a fierce battle.

"Awei, aren't you going to work or home tomorrow?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at Awei whose hair was still wet.

"Going back to listen to my mom's nagging is pointless. I'd rather go with you guys to slaughter a pig. I want to have a pig-slaughtering feast too. In Leming, I can only watch them slaughter piglets." Kong Liwei looked up at him: "Master Zhou, what do you say?"

“Sure, go if you want,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. It’s just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks, and it also gives us more people to hold the pig down.

A fat pig weighing over 300 pounds is not so easy to press down.

After watching for a while, Zhou Yan felt bored and decided to read a book.

"Hey bro~ Look! My certificate!" Zhou Momo saw him coming over and immediately picked up a handwritten certificate from the side of her hand. "Monthly Learning Model Student in the Literacy Class!"

"Wow! That's amazing!" Zhou Yan paused, took the certificate from her hand, looked at it carefully, and nodded, saying, "Our Momo is so amazing!"

"Right? There's only one model student! It's me!" The little guy was even more proud.

"Mom, what about yours?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at Aunt Zhao who was writing.

"I already said there's only one, why are you still asking! Instead of asking what you should be asking, go boil some water and take a bath!" Aunt Zhao glared at him, her eyes capable of piercing a knife.

Zhou Yan shrank back, put down the certificate, and ran away.

"It's okay, Tieying, it'll be yours next time." Zhou Momo leaned over and hugged Aunt Zhao. "The teacher said there will be three certificates of merit next month. If I get first place, you can get second place."

"You talk too much, go and write properly!" Aunt Zhao said, suppressing a laugh.

"I've finished writing." Zhou Momo let go of his hand, knelt on the stool, and said with a hint of smugness, "You have to write it well, or you'll have to copy it ten times!"

……

Zhou Yan slept in late, a rare occurrence. When he got up, it was already bright outside and the sun was shining high.

I touched the clock on the bedside table and glanced at it; it was already eight o'clock.

He got up and dug out an old set of clothes to put on.

I'm going back to the countryside to slaughter a pig today. I don't need to dress too formally, so I won't feel awkward later.

Zhou Yan originally wanted to wake Zhou Momo up, but when he went over, he found the door locked and she had left sometime earlier.

Zhou Yan dragged the money box out from under the bed, moved a stool over, climbed up, and pulled open a wooden board on the wall to reveal a half-meter-high hidden compartment, then stuffed the money box inside.

This is Comrade Lao Zhou's masterpiece, a place to store valuables.

After the wooden board was placed on top, it was flush with the wall and looked ordinary, just like the partition that was already there.

Moreover, the place is high enough that even someone as tall and long-armed as Zhou Yan has to stand on a stool and tiptoe to put the box in.

Zhou Yan went downstairs and happened to see Awei squatting in the yard washing his face.

Behind the kitchen is a small courtyard, with an old well in the corner and a small room built next to it as a bathroom.

There's a public toilet three shops away, just outside the door.

“Teacher Zhou, I discovered something last night,” Awei said, turning to look at Zhou Yan, who was squatting down beside him.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yan asked vaguely as he scrolled through his phone.

Ah Wei said, "You must close your eyes when you go to sleep at night, otherwise you won't be able to sleep well."

Zhou Yan: "..."

That's truly a simple philosophy of life.

"Actually, I stayed up late reading yesterday," Awei said with a grin, spitting out the foam from his mouth.

"Damn, Wei, you've been secretly studying 'Sichuan Cuisine Cooking' in the middle of the night?" Zhou Yan tilted his head to look at him.

"Hey, I read 'Water Margin,' don't slander me!"

"That's fine."

Zhou Yan splashed cold water on his face, hung the towel on the towel rack, and said, "Let's go, it's time to massage the pig."

"Let's go, let's go! This is a must-do for Chinese New Year, and we can have some fun before New Year's Day. It's a rare opportunity!" Awei splashed some cold water on his face and immediately followed Zhou Yan out the door with great enthusiasm.

"Where are Auntie and Momo?" Awei asked curiously, looking at Zhou Yan's padlock.

"He probably went back to the village early this morning." Zhou Yan put the keys in his satchel, his basket on one side filled with various seasonings and side dishes, and rode off on his bicycle.

"Boss, aren't you eating breakfast in the morning?" Awei caught up with Zhou Yan on his bicycle.

Zhou Yan casually said, "I was so focused on slaughtering the pig that I forgot about this. Let's just get something to eat when we get back to the village. Are you hungry?"

"I'm hungry. Talent really can't put food on the table," Awei sighed.

“Talent can actually put food on the table. I’m not hungry right now. You need to reflect on whether you have too little talent or whether it has become corrupted,” Zhou Yan said seriously.

Ah Wei looked unconvinced: "I graduated from Jiaozhou No. 3 Junior High School properly, and my family still has my junior high school diploma! I'm not kidding, I'm a top student among chefs."

"Master Kong is actually only a junior high school graduate! You really can't judge a book by its cover!" Zhou Yan gave a thumbs up.

Ah Wei smiled smugly, but upon closer inspection, he felt something was amiss.

"What do you mean by 'don't judge a book by its cover'? Teacher Zhou! Explain yourself! I, Awei, am a man of impeccable manners and cannot tolerate this kind of insult!" Awei said, looking indignant.

Zhou Yan squeezed the brakes, and the bicycle stopped in front of the girls' dormitory.

"Zhou Yan." Xia Yao called out, carrying a bag in her hand, and quickly stepped forward.

Today she wore a gray wool coat, a black turtleneck sweater with an exquisite necklace, suit pants with leather shoes, her long black hair was tied up, revealing her beautiful face, and she wore pearl earrings, looking both elegant and intellectual.

She even wore lipstick, making her complexion look rosy.

"You look so beautiful today." Zhou Yan looked at her, his eyes shining.

"Is it your outfit that's pretty, or your personality?" Xia Yao asked him with a smile.

"She's beautiful, and her fashion sense is excellent," Zhou Yan said.

Xia Yao smiled and got on the back of the bicycle with her bag.

"Have you had breakfast?" Zhou Yan asked.

"not yet."

"When we go back to the countryside later, I'll cook noodles for you."

"it is good."

Kong Liwei, who was standing to the side, moved his mouth, and some words that would have been censored were on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, for the sake of the boss's wife, he held them back and rode his bicycle very fast.

No wonder Zhou Yan wasn't hungry!
He ate until he was stuffed!

　Asking for a monthly ticket~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)