1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 66 He Has His Own Rhythm (Third Update! Please Read On)
"I just finished warming up too." Lin Zhiqiang looked at the glass jar Zhou Yan handed him, which was filled with red radish strips, and took it with a smile. "You're so thoughtful. The two of them had been asking me to go to your place to ask for some more the day before yesterday. I kept forgetting. Without your pickled radishes, they can't even swallow their porridge in the morning. So I won't be polite with you."

Lin Zhiqiang put the pickled radishes in the security room of the family compound, then came out and jogged ahead with Zhou Yan, chatting as they ran.

“Wang Wei is a good comrade. If she hadn’t publicly reported Sun Meili for corruption and falsifying accounts today, the rent issue would only be temporarily shelved. They would definitely have found another way to get you. Now it depends on the amount the security department and the discipline inspection commission find. You might end up spending the rest of your life in jail…”

Lin Zhiqiang gave Zhou Yan a general overview of the situation.

Zhou Yan was shocked after hearing this. He really didn't expect Wang Wei to file a real-name report and bring down Sun Meili.

Just!
That's so cool!
This woman looked to be about the same age as him. She had just graduated from vocational school and had been working in a textile factory for a year when she sent her boss to jail.

He was indeed the one who sparked the fire.

Wang Wei took pity on him, which is why she decided to file a formal complaint on short notice. According to her original plan, she would collect evidence for a period of time to track down and investigate the food suppliers.

"Wang Wei really graduated from a vocational school with a major in accounting, not a police academy?" Zhou Yan was a little confused after hearing this and couldn't help but confirm with Lin Zhiqiang.

Lin Zhiqiang smiled and said, "His professionalism is correct, but his father seems to be a veteran criminal police officer from the Rongcheng City Public Security Bureau."

"I see. Like father, like daughter. She's truly a remarkable woman." Zhou Yan couldn't help but admire her. He owed her a favor; perhaps he'd treat her to a meal later?
Lin Zhiqiang added, "Actually, Yao Yao is also very talented. She ranked first in her major for three consecutive years and has won many awards for her painting. Before she even graduated, several provincial design institutes were already vying for her."

"Ah? Yes, yes, Xia Yao is very outstanding..."

Zhou Yan didn't know why Uncle Lin suddenly changed the topic to Xia Yao, but he still picked up the conversation.

The conversation didn't last long before the topic shifted, and Lin Zhiqiang began talking about Deng Xiaoping's southern tour at the beginning of the year, the opening of fourteen coastal port cities, and the large-scale wave of people going into business and the establishment of private enterprises.

Zhou Yan mostly listened, since these events were only briefly mentioned in the book, but when Lin Zhiqiang narrated them, he felt a sense of participation, at least he was also a grain of sand in the era.

"Xiao Zhou, do you think I'm right?" Lin Zhiqiang asked, turning to look at him as he spoke with great enthusiasm.

“I think Uncle Lin’s judgment is correct. Coastal cities such as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are full of opportunities and will surely become the leaders of China’s economic development in the future.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Great minds think alike. This is the trend of the times. Go with the flow and seize an opportunity to take off." Lin Zhiqiang looked into the distance, his eyes shining.

Looking at him, Zhou Yan couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

At 38, he was the deputy director of a state-owned factory with a promising future, but he saw a more profound national trend and was prepared to participate in it.

Uncle Lin was itching to go into business.

Zhou Yan had no doubt that with his abilities and vision, he had the opportunity to become a trendsetter of the times.

As for Zhou Yan, he doesn't have that much ambition, nor that much ability.

Even a small wave of the times could drown him. Right now, all he wants is to run Zhou Erwa Restaurant well, pay off his debts, and let his parents and Zhou Momo live a good life.

He wants to make money and live a leisurely life; he has his own rhythm.

He loved the feeling of growing his small restaurant little by little, making more and more money every day.

……

"146.3 yuan!"

"Jie Jie Jie!"

"Another record high!"

Zhou Yan wrote down today's net profit on a piece of paper, his smile gradually turning villainous. After running back and taking a shower, he began his favorite part of the day: keeping track of his accounts.

Today's turnover reached a new high of 288.6 yuan, an increase of more than 50 yuan compared to yesterday.

This is the effect of celebrity influence and riding the wave of trending topics; it is indeed remarkable.

After deducting the 20 yuan I gave back to his mother today, I have a balance of 388.74 yuan.

He still owes 299.78 yuan before he can pay off all his outstanding debts.

Today is Wednesday, there are still three days left. I'll stop once I've earned 300.

After putting the bundled money into the cash box, Zhou Yan didn't rush upstairs. Instead, he took out paper and pen and started calculating the price of the rice bowl.

Half an hour later, Zhou Yan put down his pen, crumpled the two sheets of paper into a ball, and threw them into the trash can.

The pricing system is chaotic, and without affordable side dishes, the value for money of the rice bowls is not good.

If prices can't be lowered, then more customers won't be attracted.

Even if customers who originally ordered stir-fries are willing to eat rice bowls instead, it will not significantly increase revenue; on the contrary, it will cause confusion in the restaurant's positioning.

Rice bowls tend to be fast food, and the restaurant's current prices are relatively high compared to the cafeteria's large-scale cooking, relying on the taste to retain a portion of its customers.

What Zhou Yan needs to do now is to lock in these high-value customers with delicious food and a great dining experience, and rely on a relatively high average order value to ensure revenue. Simply pursuing a large number of customers will only make the kitchen busier and more chaotic, and may not necessarily lead to more money.

Currently, he is the only one handling everything in the kitchen, which is a problem that must be considered.

The reason why Zhou Erwa Restaurant has been able to gain a foothold is not because of its low prices, but because of its delicious food.

The canteen's food purchase price is half that of his, and they can also get subsidies from the factory. They dare to sell a plate of twice-cooked pork for 55 cents. How can he compete?
Of course, if he can develop some more cost-effective dishes and recruit suitable helpers in the kitchen, it wouldn't be too late to expand into rice bowls as a new growth point.

What Zhou Yan needs to do is to make a large bowl topped with three kinds of dishes, priced at around six cents, so that customers are satisfied and he can still make a 50% profit on the rice bowl.

Currently, no matter how the dishes on the restaurant menu are combined, the price will never be less than one yuan, and there is basically no solution.

He tossed the ledger into the cash box and carried it upstairs.

The most important thing in opening a restaurant is cost and profit accounting. You have to make trade-offs in order to run a restaurant well.

The veteran restaurateurs Zhou Yan interviewed became his most valuable experience in opening a restaurant.

Lying in bed, he pulled up the system panel and glanced at it:
[Player: Zhou Yan]

Occupation: Chef

[Wealth Points: 342.08]

[Professional Skills]:
Knife skills (advanced): 2600/100000 (a skill level)

Cooking level (intermediate): 4488/10000 (Turtle-like student - unable to stay at school)

Seasoning (Intermediate): 4688/10000 (An old lady climbing stairs - you can't refuse (help her))

Eloquence (Advanced): 88890/100000 (A sparrow pecking at a cow's rear end - a sparrow eating a cow's brute force)
Zhou Yan paused, thinking, "This damn system has so many clichéd ideas."

After mastering advanced knife skills, he continued to improve steadily, and his control of heat and seasoning also showed significant improvement.

This is something Zhou Yan can actually perceive himself; it's just that the system provides quantified data.

He can slice pork belly into even, 2-millimeter-thin slices, as well as pig ears, pig tongues, cucumbers, and potatoes. His knife skills don't disappear with the ingredients; rather, they truly become his expertise.

The same applies to improving the cooking temperature and seasoning.

For example, the vegetables he stir-fried these past two days were noticeably tastier than the ones he stir-fried last Monday.

This is the change brought about by improvements in cooking time and seasoning.

The dishes awarded by the system are not separate skill packs.

Zhou Yan will definitely be able to master similar dishes much faster.

For example, if he has mastered the art of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, and wants to make twice-cooked pork with green peppers, he doesn't need to learn the dish all over again. He only needs to adjust the ingredients and continuously test the heat and seasoning.

Moving my gaze downwards, I saw familiar dishes; apart from the smashed cucumber, everything else was still high-class.

[Mastering the Dishes]:
Double Pepper Beef Noodles (Premium): 99999/100000
……

Garlic Sprout Twice-Cooked Pork (Premium): 99999/100000
Cucumber Salad (Intermediate): 1871/10000
……

Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded)
Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 712/1000

Side Quest: Collect the initial braising liquid and begin your braising culinary journey! Quest Reward: Braised Delicacies Grand Ceremony, Quest Progress: 0

[Wealth Mall]: Unlocked when wealth value reaches 1000.

……

"This Wealth Mall will be launching soon!" Zhou Yan couldn't help but feel a little excited.

……

the next day.

pier.

Zhou Jie has changed the signboard, replacing the original "Zhou Ji Hot Pot" with "Zhou Ji Braised Beef".

The soup pot that used to cost 40 cents a bowl has been changed to: Braised Beef with Pork Belly - 50 cents a bowl! Braised Beef with Pork Belly (with extra beef) - 60 cents a bowl!
Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua, who moved back from next door, stared wide-eyed at the new signboard.

"What the hell? They're selling them for six cents at the docks!"

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(End of this chapter)