Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 179 Improvement
Tan Jingya smiled and said, "Boss Li, both chefs are here. If you have any complaints about the food, please let us know. We can all work together to improve the dishes."

Li Zhe looked at Wang Jianjun beside him and said, "Brother, you go first."

Wang Jianjun had never eaten proper Sichuan cuisine before, so what could he possibly say?

“Both chefs are excellent cooks, but the food gets spicier and spicier as we eat. I think we should add a few less spicy dishes? After all, some of the people in this group can't handle spicy food.” Seeing everyone looking at him, Wang Jianjun paused, seemingly forgetting his words, before continuing:
"For example, if a family comes to eat, the adults can eat spicy food, but the children can't. If our restaurant doesn't have dishes for children, even if the adults want to come to our restaurant, they will choose another restaurant to cater to the children's tastes."

Tan Jingya took out a notebook and wrote down: "I think this is a good suggestion. Many Sichuan restaurants do have this problem. Not only can children not eat spicy food, but some ladies also don't like spicy food." She then said to Yan Hongfang, who was standing next to her, "Sister Yan, why don't you try making a few of your signature dishes later and let Boss Li try them?"

Yan Hongfang readily agreed: "No problem, I'll think about it when I get back." She had learned cooking from many masters, but none of them were willing to formally take her on as an apprentice. She had learned a wide variety of cooking skills and was not opposed to modifying dishes.

Tan Jingya then looked at Li Zhe beside her: "Mr. Li, do you think there's anything that needs improvement?"

Li Zhe laughed and said, "The taste of these dishes is excellent. However, there isn't much meat in the Kung Pao Chicken and Boiled Beef; they were gone after only a few pieces. Our restaurant uses preserved vegetables, so the prices of the dishes will definitely not be cheap, and the vegetables are more expensive than the meat. I think we could increase the proportion of meat appropriately."

Li Zhe paused for a moment, then continued, "What we want to leave our guests with is the impression that this restaurant is not cheap, but it is worth the price! The same dishes will give them a different feeling when they eat them at our restaurant."

Tan Jingya agreed, saying, "Mr. Li is right. Those who are willing to come to the restaurant to eat winter vegetables are customers who are not short of money. As long as our dishes are made with good ingredients and taste good, they can accept even if the price is a little high."

“That’s right, that’s exactly what I meant. Take this boiled beef, for example. After you serve it, many customers don’t taste it first; they check how much meat there is first,” Li Zhe said with a smile.
"If you add a few more pieces of meat, it will leave a good impression on the customers. As long as the taste is acceptable, the customers will not complain. If the taste is even better, the customers will definitely remember this dish and leave a good impression, and they will come again next time."

Li Zhe has never run a restaurant before; this is entirely from a customer's perspective. It may not be comprehensive, but it certainly represents the thoughts of some customers.

Han Xianjin smiled wryly and said, "Mr. Li, I understand what you're saying. It's just that I developed a habit of saving costs at this restaurant before, and I haven't been able to change it in a short time."

"It's alright, you don't need to try to save costs in the future, just cook it however you like."

In Li Zhe's view, this is still a problem with the restaurant's positioning. Judging from the location and environment of this Shuxiangju restaurant, one can guess that its main customers are residents of the surrounding alleys, whose spending power is generally not very high.

However, Li Zhe's new restaurant is located on a main street with convenient transportation, and the restaurant is positioned as mid-to-high-end. If the chef is stingy with the ingredients, it will be like ruining his own reputation. Even if the winter vegetables can attract some customers who are not short of money, he will not be able to retain them.

Wang Jianjun interjected, "Master Han, I heard from Sister Tan that you used to work at this restaurant?"

Han Xianjin sighed, “Yes, I’ve worked here for almost ten years. Back then, this area wasn’t as lively as it is now. There were hardly any shops, and we were the only restaurant. Who would have thought that while this alley has become bustling, our restaurant has gone out of business.”

There were some things Li Zhe couldn't say, so Wang Jianjun asked on his behalf: "Chef Han, your cooking skills are so good, I bet you had a lot of customers. How did your restaurant go out of business? It shouldn't have happened!"

"It's all because of those guys at the Second Commerce Bureau and the Price Bureau..." Han Xianjin's face darkened. "Let me put it this way, the prices of the dishes in our state-run restaurant are fixed, and so are the wages. When I first came here, a plate of Kung Pao Chicken cost three cents, and the price has only gone up once in the past few years. Now it's seven cents a serving."

Private restaurants can set their own prices; a plate of Kung Pao Chicken can cost 1.5 or even 2 yuan. We're half the price, so forget about making a profit; our restaurant is always losing money.

Han Xianjin became increasingly angry as he spoke: "It's not just the price of the vegetables, the menu can't be changed either, and our wages haven't increased for years. Yet we still have a lot of work to do, opening at ten in the morning and closing at eight at night. Everyone says our service is bad, but do you think it can be good?"

Wang Jianjun retorted, "Isn't the Second Bureau of Commerce aware of such an obvious problem?"

"The details here... are hard to explain." Han Xianjin snorted and waved his hand. "Anyway, I'm not working here anymore. Let them mess around. Just wait and see, they'll ruin themselves sooner or later."

Li Zhe looked at Yan Hongfang beside him and said, "Master Yan, I heard that the restaurant you work at is doing quite well. What made you decide to join us?"

Yan Hongfang said, "To be honest, I came here specifically for Jingya. We used to be colleagues; I worked in the kitchen, and she was in charge of the cashier. We always had a great relationship and got along very well. Now that she's planning to open a restaurant, I came here."

Li Zhe smiled, but a hint of wariness crept into his heart.

Previously, he planned to collaborate with Tan Jingya, adhering to the principle of "if you don't trust someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them," and didn't intend to deliberately place people in the restaurant. But now it seems that the restaurant still needs people he can trust; otherwise, if the manager and chef are of one mind, they will eventually sideline him, the major shareholder.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Li Zhe was being cunning before the restaurant even opened; rather, it's a matter of always being cautious.

Otherwise, even if Tan Jingya didn't have any ulterior motives at first, over time, his behavior would indirectly become condoning her actions. The best way is to not give her the opportunity to undermine him; only then can the restaurant operate sustainably. Li Zhe took the initiative to seize the initiative, saying to Han Xianjin and Yan Hongfang, "Chef Han, Chef Yan, let's call it a day. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with today's tasting."

Sister Tan and I will be looking at shops in the next couple of days. If a shop is suitable, we'll finalize it as soon as possible and have the renovations done before the Lunar New Year. After the New Year, we might adjust the menu again and hire more staff, aiming to open around the tenth day of the Lunar New Year.

At this point, Li Zhe looked at Tan Jingya beside him and asked, "Sister Tan, what do you think?"

Tan Jingya replied, "I have no problem with that, it's just that many companies are about to close for the holidays at the end of the year, so it might be a bit rushed."

"As for the opening procedures, we can spend a little money to find a middleman to help us with them, which will save us a lot of trouble." After Li Zhe finished speaking, he said to the two chefs, "The end of the year is just around the corner, so you two should have a peaceful New Year. You'll be busy after the New Year."

"Haha..." Han Xianjin said with a smile, "Being busy is not a problem. As long as I have something to do, I feel at ease. Boss Li, I have nothing to do at home. If you need anything, just let me know and I will go and help out at the new restaurant so that we can open ahead of schedule."

“Me too,” Yan Hongfang echoed.

"Alright, you two can come over whenever you have time. We are indeed short-staffed, and I'll give you bonuses at the end of the year." Li Zhe chatted with the two chefs for a few more minutes before getting up to take his leave.

Tan Jingya saw the two out of the restaurant and said, "Mr. Li, I'll make an appointment with the landlord of the shop as soon as possible so we can finalize the location of the restaurant."

“Sure, just come find me if you need anything.” Li Zhe glanced at the sky and, noticing it was getting dark, asked, “Sister Tan, would you like to come with us?”

"I'll help them pack up. Sister Yan also lives nearby, we'll go back together in a bit," Tan Jingya replied, watching Li Zhe and the other person ride their bicycles away from Shuxiangju.

After returning home, the two brothers turned on the coal stove and sat down to warm themselves by the fire.

Wang Jianjun held the water vat with both hands and filled it with water, laughing, "This is my first time eating authentic Sichuan cuisine today. It's quite an eye-opener. The taste is indeed good, but the flavor is a bit strong. I've been drinking water for a while, but I'm still thirsty."

“Eating it every day is definitely not feasible, but if you don’t eat it for a week, you’ll start to crave it. For a restaurant, this repurchase rate is already quite high.” Li Zhe occasionally used some words from later generations while speaking, not intentionally, but simply out of habit.

The term "repurchase rate" sounded new to Wang Jianjun, but after a moment's thought, he understood it. He thought to himself: Zhezi has been in contact with many foreigners, so his way of speaking is quite different.

"Knock knock..." There was a knock on the door.

Wang Jianjun went to open the door and saw Ji Hongbin standing outside. He asked, "Mr. Ji, it's so late, is there something you need?"

Ji Hongbin forced a smile: "I want to talk to Mr. Li about something."

"Please come in and talk," Wang Jianjun said, stepping aside and closing the door.

Li Zhe stood up and gestured for him to sit down: "Mr. Ji, please sit down and talk."

“I’m not sitting anymore. I’ve been sitting at home all day, and my butt hurts.” Ji Hongbin rubbed his hands and continued, “Here’s the thing: my paperwork for going abroad is done, and I’m going to America in a couple of days. Now that the house has been sold, we don’t plan to keep the furniture. We were wondering if Mr. Li would like to take it all over.”

When the house was being sold, Grandma Ji had mentioned selling the furniture to Li Zhe along with it, but her asking price was a bit high, and the two couldn't reach an agreement. In Grandma Ji's words, her furniture was either inherited from her ancestors or had been purchased a few years ago, and selling it separately would fetch a higher price than selling it to Li Zhe.

It seems that the old lady's sales this season were not very successful, or at least she did not sell out.

This is also why Li Zhe didn't take over this batch of furniture in the first place. Furniture is something that costs one price when you buy it and another price when you sell it.

However, some sellers always feel that they bought at a high price, so selling at a low price is equivalent to losing money, and they even think that the buyer got a good deal.

Buying directly from the Ji family might not be cheaper than buying from a secondhand furniture market. There's no rush when it comes to furniture; you can add more as needed.

Li Zhe hadn't wanted it before, and now he was even less inclined to. After chatting for a few minutes, he sent Ji Hongbin away.

(End of this chapter)