Food Intelligence King

Chapter 201 The Neighbor of the Ground Floor Shop Opens

As Chen Taotao drove past the entrance of the residential area, she waved goodbye to her grandparents through the car window.

As Chen Zhou stepped on the gas...

The elderly couple gradually disappeared from her sight.

Chen Taotao, sitting in the back row, asked:

"Dad, even when I grow up, will I still only be able to see you once a month?"

The little one glanced at his mother again, as if he hadn't seen his maternal grandmother very often either.

Chen Zhou replied, "That's up to you. But if you want to come see us, we'll be waiting for you at home and cook you something delicious."

Chen Taotao said earnestly:

"I'll call you in advance, and I'll come back after you get off work."

Chen Zhou nodded and smiled.

They'll probably all be retired by then.

However, considering that his wife lived so far away from home, Chen Zhou also promised Ms. Lin that they would go back to Guanzhong together during the New Year's Day or Chinese New Year holidays.

Ms. Lin hummed in agreement.

In winter, when she's wearing thick clothes, it takes a while for the warmth of the hand on her leg to reach her.

Growing up is actually a process of gradually moving away from one's parents.

Chen Taotao still looked forward to this day.

But Chen Zhou and his wife were clearly not prepared for this.

The couple would spend a long time together. Chen Zhou noticed that his hand, which was on his wife's lap, was not driven away this time, but instead was held tightly.

Ms. Lin's palms weren't very warm, but they weren't ice-cold either.

The temperature feels just right, warm enough.

Although children grow up and leave home, their parents' care and concern will likely last a long time.

There was indeed a very faint, almost undetectable fishy smell in the car.

That's because the elderly couple went to the market that morning and bought some fish for their granddaughter to take to the car.

Chen Taotao, sitting in the back row, felt this more acutely than her parents in the front.

So another sentence popped out of his mouth:
"Why do fish have to have bones? They're not well-behaved at all."

"It's okay, Dad will make you some fish balls later. They'll only have fish meat in them, so you won't be able to tell the difference."

Chen Taotao ate the flatbread her father had made and then began to think about how to make fish balls.

It was made from fish.

She had never even connected the two things.

Chen Zhou and his wife discussed bringing their parents over in a few years.

The future is both long and short.

Ms. Lin thanked her husband in advance for his hard work.

Chen Zhou laughed and said, "Who are you being so polite with?"

Ms. Lin urged him cooperatively, "Then, Mr. Chen, you should work hard from now on and not slack off."

However, there are actually many problems when you bring your parents to live with you.

Family trifles, trivial matters.

Take Old Mei for example. Even though Grandma Tao Tao keeps the house so tidy and cleans the oil basins that have been used for thirty years, she has a bit of a cleanliness obsession that Chen Zhou, as her son, can't accept.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhou also asked his daughter:

"How would you rate us as your parents, Tao Tao?"

Ms. Lin also turned her head very seriously.

Chen Taotao expressed satisfaction with the solution.

"pretty good."

I just want to watch cartoons a little longer, preferably like I do at my grandparents' house.

Of course, it wasn't approved.

The little girl was in high spirits just now, but she was suddenly silenced.

She said defiantly, "Then just regular is good!"

The elderly mother was more willing to accept this kind of evaluation.

He enthusiastically began explaining to the father and son the benefits and harms of children watching cartoons.

She's not usually very talkative, but today she kept nagging the whole way.

The next day, Sunday, the community canteen reopened after a short break.

Regarding steamed buns, we recently tried a new product: tomato soup dumplings. Customers who tried it gave it a good response and showed a willingness to repurchase.

They officially joined the ordering queue.

For the smaller portions, Chen Zhou was planning to try adding fried fish as well.

However, he didn't plan to make too much fried fish, because if it sat for too long, the fish wouldn't be crispy.

Small-portion dishes, as a category to meet daily dining needs, still face certain limitations.

The original idea was to serve a regular lunch, and some dishes were not suitable for it.

The main dishes will still be simple, home-style cooking.

At 7:30,

Chen Zhou also updated a new set of intelligence.

Food news and market updates provide information on winter vegetable supplies and distribution channels.

There is indeed a shortage of seasonal vegetables, and prices have generally increased.

The slight increase in operating costs was partially offset by improvements in procurement channels.

[Diner's Response] To Chen Zhou's surprise—

The former chef of Aqi's Home-Style Cuisine now helps out at a head massage parlor. Tomorrow, he will get into a dispute with the parlor owner over who gets the last serving of crispy fried fish.

It contains plenty of flaws and information, making it a rare find.

Chen Zhou still vaguely remembered the chef at Aqi's Home-Style Restaurant; this guy had helped carry the tables and chairs when they bought secondhand ones before.

It makes a good impression.

His cooking skills are actually quite good.

Back then, Chen Zhou had to give a fair thumbs up to the stir-fried shredded pork with vinegar.

I don't know why, but he changed careers and went into facial treatments and beauty.

Perhaps the atmosphere in the commercial area I'm in is a bit off.

Chen Zhou glanced at Zhang Jing, the young girl who was in charge of taking orders and handling cashier duties at the store.

Is it now fashionable to rent out a shop and keep the employees?

Chen Zhou was no stranger to head massage and beauty salons.

Ms. Lin also has a trial card given to her by her neighbor, Sister Meng.

That store was under renovation a while ago, and it looks like it's about to open.

The two of them seemed to really enjoy the small fried fish.

However, after seeing the information about this fellow chef, Chen Zhou also had the idea of ​​hiring more employees.

In the kitchen, where small portions of dishes are prepared, both Auntie and Xiao Hou are pastry chefs. Although they can help, their help is limited.

They weren't even that professional when it came to chopping and preparing vegetables.

Adding another person would make things easier.

And they weren't open at all during the evening hours.

The catering industry is a tough job with a high turnover rate.

Working day and night is unbearable for most people; the only way to keep people going is through wages and benefits.

However, there are limits to work intensity, and working overtime will definitely affect the quality of work.

Even Chen Zhou, as the boss, couldn't make it work.

Not to mention the employees.

So, we need to open for business in the evenings, but we don't have enough staff right now. In addition to hiring for the kitchen and front of house, we also need to make arrangements. We can schedule shifts so that staff can be replaced easily.

If a neighbor runs a business and directly steals someone's business, their reputation will be terrible.

I could try contacting this guy and ask him to recommend someone reliable.

The same applies to front desk positions.

Chen Zhou plans to hire people first, train them to work in the store for a while, and then arrange evening business after things have settled down.

There's even more potential for development in the evening product categories.

Noodles, various stir-fries, hot pot, and spicy hot pot
After reviewing today's intelligence, Chen Zhou briefly considered the future development of community canteens.

Then he continued to work on meal preparation.

However, before Chen Zhou could even visit the head massage parlor at noon, the proprietress came over to buy lunch first.

(End of this chapter)