Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

Back in the shop, Zhou Wen started making cold noodles again.

"How about trying the new noodles? The soup base isn't as cold as it was yesterday."

Zhou Wen added all the noodles he had bought that morning, not too many noodles, just enough for about two bites of each type.

The noodles are put in separately, so there's no need to worry about them tasting different flavors when they're put together.

"Okay." Shi Ying gave an "OK" sign and then began to critique the new noodles.

"How is it?"

Shi Ying chuckled and said, "Boss, I think this wheat cold noodles and sweet potato noodles are tastier than the buckwheat noodles."

Zhou Wen nodded. As for whether the changes would be effective, it would depend on sales volume and customer reviews after the opening.

Even after opening at noon, the cold noodles still weren't getting many orders.

Just when Zhou Wen thought it was impossible to sell more than a few bowls of cold noodles all noon, Shi Ying came to the kitchen.

"Boss, five bowls of cold noodles."

"Five bowls?" Zhou Wen, who was in the kitchen, thought he had misheard.

Shi Ying nodded seriously: "The coworkers from yesterday noon came again today, and all five of them ordered cold noodles."

This was somewhat unexpected for Zhou Wen, who decided to finish making the five bowls of cold noodles and then go out to inquire about the situation.

"What about the noodles?"

"They all chose buckwheat noodles."

Upon hearing the answer, Zhou Wen immediately formed a guess.

The five bowls of cold noodles included not only buckwheat noodles, but Zhou Wen also added some wheat noodles, though the original amount of buckwheat noodles was not reduced.

As for sweet potato starch, Zhou Wen did not add any, and the significant difference in taste may lead to a poor experience for diners.

lobby.

"Brother Hua, you'll see when the noodles come up, especially the braised beef, the taste is absolutely amazing."

"I'm telling you, you definitely won't regret eating it."

The other workers found it somewhat amusing to see Xiaogang so enthusiastically recommending the cold noodles, but at the same time, they also began to look forward to it.

"Why are there so many different kinds of noodles here?" Xiao Gang asked, looking at the extra wheat noodles in the cold noodles after they arrived.

With a smile, Shi Ying patiently explained, "Because many customers said they weren't used to the buckwheat noodles yesterday, please rest assured that the original portion size hasn't changed; this is all extra."

……

Seeing that his fellow workers had finished eating and were sitting down to digest and chat, Zhou Wen took this opportunity to leave the kitchen.

"Brother Zhang."

Zhou Wen took out cigarettes and offered one to each of them.

The group accepted the cigarettes, and Brother Zhang said with a smile, "Boss, your business is getting better and better."

Zhou Wen waved his hand modestly and said, "That's all thanks to your support."

After exchanging pleasantries, he asked his question: "Are you all enjoying the cold noodles?"

"For people like us who work under the sun all day, it's really nice to have a bowl of cold noodles after get off work." As he spoke, Brother Zhang picked up his clothes, which were soaked with sweat.

"However, it's unlikely that we can eat it every day. After all, a bowl costs twelve yuan, so we can only eat it once every three to five days."

Most of these construction workers are migrant workers with wives and children to support at home, and their most basic daily expenses are food and drink.

"Brother Zhang, do you like buckwheat noodles?"

"Buckwheat noodles? You mean those dark, mushy noodles?"

Zhou Wen nodded.

"The texture is indeed different from the noodles I've had before, but it's still acceptable. The main thing is that these noodles are quite filling. Xiao Gang said yesterday that they could keep me full for most of the afternoon, but I didn't really believe him." After saying that, Brother Zhang patted his stomach.

"Where are the other guys?"

Xiao Gang rolled his eyes and said, "Boss, I think the soup base is just the right temperature today. When I first ate it yesterday, I thought it was too cold."

Today's is just right; it's cool but not too cold for my stomach, and it makes me feel refreshed after eating it.

Several other workers also offered their own ideas.

Can beef be sold as a separate dish? Can the price of cold noodles be lowered? And so on.

Finally, Zhou Wen offered each of them a cigarette, saying with a smile, "Sorry to bother you guys, take care, come visit again sometime."

Zhou Wen naturally kept in mind the suggestions given by Brother Zhang, Xiao Gang, and the others.

The price difference between buckwheat noodles and cold wheat noodles is almost double. If you replace buckwheat noodles with cold wheat noodles, the price will indeed come down.

We need to see what the situation is like in the next few days before we can make a judgment.

……

Shi Ying continued to enthusiastically introduce the cold noodles in the store.

"The cold noodles at this shop are icy cold, sweet and sour, and a new dish that just came out yesterday. Would you like to try them?"

"Which type of noodles would you like to choose?"

"They have buckwheat noodles, cold wheat noodles, and sweet potato noodles."

"They even have different types of noodles? Do you have any recommendations?" a diner asked.

"Personally, I recommend cold wheat noodles and sweet potato noodles. Most customers aren't used to buckwheat noodles, but they are quite filling. If you have a heavy workload in the afternoon, you can try them first."

"Then let's have cold wheat noodles."

……

At 2 p.m., Shi Ying sat in her seat, feeling weak and listless, and drank cup after cup of hot water.

This morning was probably the most tiring time of the past few days at work. The work was the same as usual, but it was a bit tough on my throat.

After Zhou Wen finished his work in the kitchen and came out, Shi Ying immediately straightened up and asked:

"Boss, how are the cold noodle sales this morning?"

Shi Ying's voice had changed somewhat, but the expectation in her tone was still very obvious.

After calculating, Zhou Wen said, "Compared to yesterday morning, there are about three or four fewer bowls."

Upon hearing the answer, Shi Ying, who had straightened up, immediately wilted again, her lips pursed, and she looked as if she wanted to cry but had no tears.

I worked so hard, even harder than yesterday, hawking my wares for half a day, but I still didn't sell as many cold noodles as I did yesterday.

The cold noodles taste pretty good, but their sales are much lower than other food items in the store.

Seeing Shi Ying's somewhat dejected expression, Zhou Wen thought for a moment and said, "Try to calm down. We'll learn from this failure."

As the boss, Zhou Wen naturally had to offer encouragement and comfort.

I didn't intend to waste any more time on the topic of cold noodles: "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Cold noodles!" Shi Ying said emphatically.

Zhou Wen shook his head and smiled, without saying anything, and turned to go to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the staff.

While Shi Ying was eating, Zhou Wen went to a small shop not far from the restaurant and bought a few boxes of throat lozenges.

After finishing her cold noodles, Shi Ying regained some energy: "Boss, I'll try even harder tonight! I thought of some better things to say while we were eating."