Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

"How is it? Any suggestions?"

Jiang Zhiyu rested her chin on her hands as she looked at Zhou Wendao.

Zhou Wen didn't know what advice to give.

After thinking for a while, he said, "It's too early to talk about these things now. Who knows, we might be driven out of business by others as soon as we open the shop."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu covered her mouth and laughed.

"Can't you be serious for once?"

Zhou Wen shrugged and smiled, then straightened his expression and said, "We'll have to wait until the opening to discuss the specifics. Right now, we just need to get everything ready. We can deal with any problems that arise after the opening."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded, agreeing.

After finishing their noodles, Zhou Wen still escorted Jiang Zhiyu to the roadside.

This time they used a different car; it wasn't the Crown from last time.

Jiang Zhiyu rolled down the car window after getting in: "See you in Guangzhou."

"Okay, see you in Guangzhou."

……

The following afternoon, Zhou Wen also received a text message from Jiang Zhiyu, in which she said that she had returned to Guangdong Province.

Zhou Wen also replied with a short message.

Nothing much happened after that, and the delivery business continued as usual.

In the days that followed, Zhou Wen made a point of choosing a free time to go to an internet cafe near the restaurant.

After negotiating with the network administrators, the restaurant's information was also placed on the bar counter.

It's quite simple; all you need to do is offer a pack of cigarettes and negotiate a little, and the problem will be solved.

It must be said that the effect is quite good.

The number of delivery orders has increased significantly over the past few days, mostly from internet cafes.

And because most of them come from the same place, they are easy to operate.

July passed just like that, and August arrived.

The events of July can be summarized as follows.

The restaurant launched three dishes in the first half of the month: crayfish, cold-cooked rabbit, and rolled cold noodles; in the second half of the month, it temporarily shifted its focus to delivery.

Although the focus has shifted to delivery, in 07 the main business was still dine-in, and this will continue to be the case in the future.

It's possible that work pressure and a fast-paced lifestyle have led to a significant increase in the proportion of food delivery, but dining in is still the mainstream.

There were no new products for half a month, which was indeed because some other things took up some of the time. Zhou Wen was also thinking of making a big one like the crayfish.

Zhou Wen had considered starting a barbecue business, but after careful consideration, he gave up on the idea.

The equipment and ingredients that should be prepared for a barbecue were not prepared, but in fact, preparing these things does not require much effort or time.

You can contact the two stall owners at the market, Mingjie and Ke Jingsong, directly for the ingredients; you can buy the equipment directly from the vendors.

The main problem is a lack of manpower. I can't possibly do both the cooking and grilling myself; after all, I only have two hands.

Finding the right people isn't easy either; barbecuing requires skill and a certain level of expertise.

It's obviously not feasible to just pick anyone and then go for a barbecue.

Zhou Wen didn't know how much time it would take to find a barbecue chef, and some of his energy had been diverted to outsourcing.

So I can only postpone my barbecue plans, and I guess I'll have to wait until next year.

Once the restaurant has taken another step forward and has more staff, the barbecue can be opened.

Fortunately, during these days, Zhou Wen also thought of many other delicious foods, which, although perhaps not as good as barbecue, might be enough.

That's a field frog, which many people also call a bullfrog.

However, there are still significant differences between the two.

The former is a native frog, while the latter is an introduced species.

The frogs that Zhou Wen bought were also the latter, but they were commonly called frogs locally.

There are actually more ways to cook frogs than crayfish. Generally speaking, crayfish is essentially the same thing with different flavors, but the cooking methods are not much different.

However, there are different ways to cook frogs; they can be stir-fried, boiled, grilled, etc.

Zhou Wen plans to first prepare two different ways to eat frog, which are two popular methods.

One type is stir-fried frog, and the other is pickled frog.

These past few days, Shi Ying has been constantly nagging about when the restaurant will introduce new dishes.

After much anticipation, the new dishes have finally arrived.

"Boss, boss. What's the new menu item?"

Shi Ying has always maintained such vitality.

It's worth mentioning that during her time at the restaurant, Shi Ling's overall demeanor underwent a significant change.

Previously, I was always short of energy and blood, but now I have more vitality and I no longer give off a cold and aloof feeling.

Because it's summer, frog prices are higher.

The price is around eleven yuan per kilogram.

Frogs are quite common in Fujian Province, and many people eat them.

"Eh." Shi Ying couldn't hold back anymore. The new dish she had been looking forward to was actually a frog?

There were crayfish and rabbits before, and now a frog?

However, Shi Ying soon stopped worrying about the frog problem.

I can just focus on eating.

As always, Zhou Wen will wait until evening to make this frog dish.

Dry-pot frog and pickled pepper frog are both dishes that go well with rice, so Zhou Wen planned to make them for everyone to try at noon.

After closing the shop at noon, Zhou Wen began preparations.

First, you need to cut the prepared bullfrog into pieces and remove the toes, as this part is quite dirty.

Add more high-proof liquor to sterilize, add a spoonful of salt and mix well to remove the fishy smell, then rinse with clean water and squeeze out the water.

Then marinate it with salt, pepper, and starch for about ten minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated bullfrogs and fry until they are slightly golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Next, fry the potato strips until crispy, then remove them and set them aside.

Add ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, and dry pot sauce, and stir-fry over low heat until fragrant and the oil turns red.

Return the previously cooked frog legs and potato strips to the pot and stir-fry over high heat until flavorful.

Add green and red bell peppers and onions and stir-fry until just cooked through. Then sprinkle with white sesame seeds and cumin powder and stir well.

"Shi Ying, you can take this dry-pot frog out first."

Upon hearing Zhou Wen's shout, Shi Ying quickly came to the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw the dry-pot frog.

My mouth was practically watering; the food my boss makes never disappoints.

After restraining myself for a moment, I prepared to take the dry-pot frog dish away.

"You can get your food first, or you can wait for the pickled pepper frog before we start serving."

"Okay." Shi Ying nodded; it was obviously impossible to start eating first.

The boss is still preparing food inside; how can the employees eat first?