The story of a cook

Chapter 540 Prepare to serve smoked pickles
My current salary is 6000 yuan, and I send back 1000 yuan to Lin Yan every month, leaving 240 yuan for pocket money.I think that when I first started my apprenticeship, I paid 1000 yuan a month, sent [-] to my family, and kept [-] for myself.Now I earn more and spend more, and sometimes [-] yuan is gone if I don’t spend it.

From time to time, the most difficult thing for people to control is desire.When a person's desire for material things is out of control, no amount of money is enough to spend.Fortunately, I don't spend much money, and I have nothing to spend every month except what I have to spend.The phone bill is [-], the cigarettes are [-], the wine is [-], and some daily necessities such as washing powder, toothpaste, and soap are bought, and the rest is spent on drinking and drinking with friends.

After Master Li was transferred to Coarse Grain, he lost a drinking buddy. After the opening of the new store, Accountant Cui went to work in the new store and rarely came back. They both drank a lot less and saved a lot of money.Now the chefs in the kitchen are not very fond of drinking, and there are a lot less wine bureaus. Sometimes it is Wang Haitao and the others who call and go out for a sit-down.

In general, 1000 yuan per month is enough to spend, and I live a good life.

Working outside the home does not ask for anything else, but to be happy and safe is enough.

In November, the business of the old store was flat, ranging from 110 to 3 per day. It seems that the sale of [-] million is certain.At this time last year, the daily business was more than [-], and this year is much better than last year.

After receiving a call from Zheng Jiaqi, she said that the tavern has opened two franchise stores in Jinzhou, and the business is very good, and she plans to open a directly-operated store in the provincial capital after the new year.Hearing this news, I am happy for her and Sister Jiang. The two of them have opened taverns. At the current speed, there will be ten taverns in two years.

I asked her about the situation of Ye Yurong and Xiao Gao. Ye Yurong is now the pastry boss of the tavern, an authentic dumpling chef, with 4000 yuan a month, which is considered a high salary.She has been with the man introduced by Sister Jiang, and her child also goes to school in Fuxin. The family of three is very good and happy.Xiao Gao was cooking in the tavern, very safe.

I'm also happy to hear that they are doing well, after all, I brought them up by myself, and I don't want the ones I brought out to be bad.

Zheng Jiaqi hasn't found a partner yet, saying that her family has introduced one, and she plans to go home to have a look during the Chinese New Year, and if it works, she will go everywhere.She's almost forty this year, and it's time to start a family.

The old man went back to Tieling to do business. When he came back, he stayed in the provincial capital for a day, went to "Hongji" and "Linjiangxuan", and chatted with me after he came back.

"Hongji's business on the 10th line is good, and it can sell [-] yuan a day. I went there at night, it was full, and there were a lot of customers. His seafood is very good, which is different from our Binhai seafood." The old man said.

I said: "The seafood in his family is also made by our Binhai cooks, but they just do as the Romans do, and change the way. People in the provincial city are not used to eating pure Binhai way."

"His house is not as big as the new store, but the business is better than the new store." The old man said.

"The location of a restaurant is very important. His house is in a good location, at an intersection, and the parking lot in front of the door is also large, which can park [-] cars." I said.

"Yes, the location is good, it looks spacious and bright, our new store has a small parking lot."

"His family is a nearly 20-year-old shop with a solid foundation and a good reputation. It should be the leader in dumplings in the provincial capital."

"I went to Linjiangxuan." The old man said.

The Linjiangxuan he was talking about was opened by Mr. Huo and Mr. Mu.

I asked, "How is business?"

"The business is also very good. The area is similar to that of the old store. The daily sales should be between 4 yuan." The old man said.

"That's okay, pretty good."

When mentioning Linjiangxuan, I can't help but think of those old people, Du Dapeng, Wang Chunhai, Wang Dashan and others.

"Hongji and Linjiangxuan both have smoked pickles. I saw that almost every table ordered them, and they sold very well. Especially Linjiangxuan, their cooking is better than Hongji's, and the variety is also complete. I ate Barbecued pork, Arhat belly, pork tenderloin, and pine flower chicken drumsticks are all delicious," said the old man.

I laughed and said, "I didn't eat less, how many of you?"

"There are not many people, the main thing is to taste the dishes and order everything." The old man said: "I think the smoked pickles are very good, suitable for ordinary people to eat, and we can also serve them at home."

I said: "Old man, the tea-roasted pork, luohan belly, and pine flower chicken legs you mentioned are not smoked pickles, they belong to handwork in cold dishes. Linjiangxuan's cooking is good, and it is a must in the provincial capital. They are all made by old masters. Hong I remember the smoked spine, smoked pig's trotters, smoked chicken wings, smoked chicken neck, and beef sauce."

The old man said: "Yes, I think these are very good. Our cold dishes are too simple. We should enrich them."

"You mean ready to go?" I asked.

"Our family should also go."

"It's fine at our house." I said, "But I feel that Binhai people don't like to eat smoked pickles. Most of the smoked pickles are meat. Binhai people like to eat seafood and vegetables. The lighter the better."

"It's not that I don't like food, it's that they don't cook well. I like to eat them even when they're cooked well." The old man continued, "I've seen both of them. They mainly serve home-cooked dishes with seafood, and the cold dishes are mainly smoked pickles. Bring side dishes, smoked pickles are special features, and it is a profit point. Waiting for our cold dishes to be small side dishes, which have no special features. When you order at our home, when I ask what are the characteristics of your cold dishes? The waiter can’t tell, nothing No. Our family should also have something special, I think smoked pickles are very suitable."

Now that he said so, it was decided to go, I asked: "On the new store or on the old store?"

"In the old store first." He said.

I said: "Smoking pickles must have an independent operation room, and there must be a fire source. The main thing is that someone can do it, and it has to be done like that, or it will be useless."

"Don't we have room in the kitchen?" he asked.

I said, "Now there is no place, everything is full."

The old man didn't speak, and became thoughtful.

I said: "Smoked pickles are an additional item, and I have a suggestion."

"You said."

"You were right just now. As long as it is cooked well, people will eat it. If it is authentic, it is a must and can become a feature. Since we have decided to serve smoked pickles, let's make it authentic. Now we have three restaurants, and we can Choose a store with a sufficient kitchen, open up a separate operation room, and find two masters to be responsible for it. Every day, the delivery is done to the other two stores, which can ensure the quality and save manpower.” I said.

"What you said is fine. Can't you fix these things? I'll leave it to you." The old man said.

Can think of this result, the purpose of chatting with me is this.

I scratched my head and said, "There is no room in the kitchen in the old store, and now I can't leave the kitchen, it's a bit difficult."

"This matter is easy to handle. Let's go to the new store tomorrow to see if there is any space. We will fix it from there. Two people will be assigned to you. You will be in charge of the church. After the teaching, you will come back to manage the kitchen." The old man said.

I said, "That's fine." Then I said, "Choose two good people, the steady ones, and the young ones who don't like to work. It's better to be around [-] years old, and they can grow up."

"Do you think Wang Yaxin can do it?" the old man asked.

"He's fine, so what else is missing?"

"That person will be chosen again. Let's settle the matter first and go to the new store tomorrow."

I have no objection to serving smoked pickles. My understanding is that Binhai people don’t like to eat them, but the old man is right, people will eat them when they are cooked.Looking at the company's three stores as a whole, the cold dishes are really not special, and I don't have much confidence in the smoked flavor. The handmade ones in Linjiangxuan should be able to do it, and it will be a feature when it is done well.

Now that I agreed to the old man, I have to do my homework in advance, take out the pickles arranged in Linjiangxuan, and take a look, and think about what I can get here by the way. "Char Siu Pork" is definitely on the list. People in Binhai love sweet food, so this will work. Choose one of "Luohan belly" and "pine nut belly", and make "luohan belly" first, and then replace it with "pine nut belly" if it can't be sold. "Songhua chicken legs" can be served, but "fat intestine tenderloin" is not necessary. Binhai people don't like fatty intestines. "Crystal Elbow" is fine, and then there is a "Pig Head Stew" and "Lao Huo Sauce Beef".Do these six crafts first.

These six dishes are a little less, plus the smoked pig's trotters and smoked spine, it is estimated that these two smoked flavors can sell well.Pig trotters are loved by all ages, regardless of gender, and the backbone is also good. The common people love it. They all stew it at home and eat it. It can be sold.In fact, it doesn’t matter if the spine is not smoked, just make a pot of better old soup and cook it directly, and the guests can also like it.

On the second day, I went to the new store with the old man. Instead of going upstairs, I first took a look at the stalls on the first floor.

The entire first floor is the dish display area, cold dish stalls and stew stalls.The dish display area is in the front, and the cold dish and stew stalls are in the back.The two stalls are connected together and are as long as the dish display area.

There are four big pots in the stew stall, and a man in his 40s is in charge.The cold dish area is very large, 15 meters long, which is equivalent to a small kitchen, not including the thermal processing room inside.

Meng Hongwei led me to visit the thermal processing room inside. After the visit, I decided to serve smoked pickles on cold dishes, because the thermal processing room inside is very large, with complete equipment and facilities, and it seems to be prepared for smoked pickles. Same.He led the old man in to have a look, and he also thought it was appropriate, so he decided to make it here.

There is a place, and the rest is the question of candidates. Wang Yaxin counts as one, and the old man is a brother-in-law. He guarantees that he can work here and teach him.The remaining man, the old man, arranged for the man who stewed vegetables. He said that he was a relative of the old lady's natal family, so he could be safe.

There is a place, there are people, the old man called the chief chef Li Shuangliang over, talked about the preparation of smoked pickles on the cold dishes, and asked him to actively cooperate, prepare whatever is needed, and arrange a new stew at the same time.Li Shuangliang expressed doubts about the smoked pickles, saying that it might not be sold, so it is better not to.If the old man says he can't try it, he can't, is it okay or not?The whole Li Shuangliang lost face, so he stopped talking.

Come back from the new store and ask the old man Wang Yaxin who will be transferred to take over?He said that Jiang Yajun's husband was coming.I said that the cooking competition will start in two days, and the smoked pickles will be made after the competition is over.He said yes, don't worry, now that there are places and people, just take your time.

"Old Tan, you didn't tell Wang Yaxin to smoke the pickles, did you?" the old man asked.

"No, we haven't confirmed yet, so we didn't tell him." I said.

"Don't tell him yet, I'll think about it later." The old man said: "He's weird, smart, and has an idea. Let him go and make smoked pickles. His wife is also there. The two of you are like ordinary people together. Can't handle it."

I said, "He's pretty good at the old shop."

"That's because you can restrain him, and he obeys you. If someone who refuses to obey him, try to control him? I don't know him yet."

"The choice is up to you. I will be responsible for selling smoked pickles. I will complete this task. As for who will be the one, you have to choose a good person. I still have the same point of view. You have to be able to work for a long time. Don't learn the craft and go out and do it yourself. We don't have Those hours of training."

"Do you have a suitable candidate?" The old man asked me.

"No." I replied.

"I'll think about it again."

"I wait for your news."

After a while, the old man asked, "Old Tan, what do you think of the current situation of our family?"

I was taken aback and asked back, "Which aspect are you referring to?"

"Overall."

"That's hard to say." I smiled, "Let's talk about the kitchen. Take the smoked pickles we order now as an example. We make them in one place and then deliver them. This not only ensures the uniform taste of the products, but also It saves manpower and material resources. To put it bluntly, it means increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, and reducing labor costs. This model in the catering industry with multiple stores is guaranteed to be a trend in the future, otherwise the labor cost will not be able to drop.”

"You mean kitchen products need unified management?"

"That's what it means. Our family should now manage it in a unified manner with clear goals. Otherwise, we will fight on our own. In the end, we will not be able to form our own characteristics and have no competitive advantage." I said.

"You're talking about brand strategy," the old man said.

"Yes, that's what it means. I can understand it, but I can't say it."

"Our family has to build its own brand, and brand is very important."

"Before building a brand, lay the foundation, first grasp the management team, and improve management capabilities. I think this is very important."

"Old Tan, you're on the right track. The ability of our managers needs to be improved." The old man said: "A company without management is useless, and it's nothing. Management is important——"

I didn't go on, since he mentioned this, it proved that a decision had been made.

(End of this chapter)