The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 11 How to make a living by wrapping my stomach
The working conditions and work discipline in the kitchen are unsatisfactory, the quality of the products is mediocre, and no one takes themselves seriously. This is the status quo that Lao Tan is facing.I have the intention of not doing it, but I have already taken over, and I don’t want to just give up. I said to challenge myself and see what I can do to make this mess.

There is also a practical problem, having to support the family.I am the head of the family, so I have to make money.

What the kitchen used to be had nothing to do with me, but now that I am the head chef, it will have something to do with me in the future.

At the same time, I know that if I want to continue working here, I must first establish a good relationship with Wang Gang. If I get along with him, I will be able to do my job well. Otherwise, I will be laid off.

He feels that Wang Gang is a person who does things. Although he is lacking in management, there is no shortage of staff in the entire kitchen, and the establishment is normal. This is his ability.And the stewed dishes and miscellaneous products are very stable and have standards, which shows that he has the ability to work, but the method is not right.

He was going to talk to Wang Gang and exchange opinions with each other.

After finishing the work at [-] o'clock in the evening, in the office, I chatted with Wang Gang for a while, and then gradually led to work, and talked about the problem of stealing food in the kitchen and slow serving.

Wang Gang said: "Master Tan, the phenomenon of children stealing their mouths does exist. I am like this. I speak very loudly. When it comes to the real chapter, I don't have the heart to issue a ticket. After thinking about it, these children are all found by themselves. I don’t earn much, and it’s a bit unreasonable to be punished. It’s all about talking and it’s over, so tell them to pay attention.”

Old Tan said: "I don't advocate fines either. It's not a good way to use fines as entrustment. But sometimes it's useless to reason. Those who understand the matter don't need to speak up, and those who don't understand the matter speak for nothing. Fines are still effective in special cases."

Wang Gang said: "It's up to you. You are the head chef and you have the final say. Now that these boys are familiar with me, they are not afraid of me. I really have to take care of them. Don't think about me. I think they are my apprentices, relatives, etc. I'm sorry, I will punish you if you deserve it, and I support this."

Old Tan smiled and said, "I'm the head chef, but you still have the final say in the kitchen. We both do this, so there are some things that don't need to be elaborated."

"Our kitchen gave me three things I didn't expect. The first is that the ingredients are very good. The Gaba pot, steamed pig's blood, and egg stew have become the standard, and they are special, very farm-style; the second is our family's The little stupid chickens are slaughtered on the spot and the iron pan cakes are well done, which is a must in the provincial capital."

Old Tan gave Wang Gang a thumbs up, and then said: "The third one is stewed fish in an iron pot. It is very good. The taste of kung fu fish and the cooking method of fish are admirable!"

"To be honest, Lao Wang, I admire you. You put a lot of effort into it. It can be said that this kitchen was built by you. Most people can't do this."

Wang Gang didn't expect Lao Tan to praise him in front of him.Originally, Niu Hongtai was a little angry after hearing about stealing meatballs and returning vegetables. He thought that Lao Tan was pretending to be a showman, and he took his apprentice as a knife when he first came up. He didn't want to save face, and he was going to order Lao Tan, but now he feels embarrassed.

"That's all I can do. Steamed pig's blood and stewed eggs have been made in restaurants before, and it's easy. I won't talk about the little stupid chicken. Anyone who kills it now is delicious, and there is no technical content. Stewed fish in an iron pot is the same as They learned it, you can try it someday. These dishes are suitable for our family, and we will serve them together with President Xu." Wang Gang said.

"Well done, this is our family's specialty." Lao Tan affirmed: "Our kitchen staff is also in place. It is good to maintain such a large kitchen without shortage of people. I admire you."

"Master Tan is humble, you have your own people after you have been working all these years."

Old Tan smiled noncommittally, handed Wang Gang a cigarette, and stretched out his hand to light the lighter. Wang Gang leaned over to light the cigarette, and Old Tan lit one for himself, took a puff and said, "Brother, what do I say?" What, you are a person who does things, and you are willing to cooperate with people like you, you can talk and work together, and in common people's terms, you can pee in a pot."

Wang Gang smiled kindly.

Lao Tan went on to say: "You have laid a good foundation in our kitchen. I am standing on your shoulders and continuing to work. It is a mistake."

"Master Tan is polite." Wang Gang smiled, a little embarrassed, but it is still very fulfilling to be affirmed by others.

"You're welcome, that's true." Old Tan said seriously: "You have been working with the boss for all these years, a senior figure, a chef in our profession can work with a boss for ten years, I know you are No.1 .”

"I get along well with the boss. He treats me very well. Besides, we are all affordable people. We are from the countryside. There is no evil intention. The boss treats us well, so we will work for others wholeheartedly, treating the restaurant as our own. , To put it bluntly, I’m working hard.” Wang Gang said honestly.

"I can see that Mr. Xu trusts you very much."

"Master Tan has won the award. We can't compare with others. He is the boss, and we are just part-time workers. We have nothing to do."

Lao Tan said: "I'm also affordable, and I don't know how to talk about it. Let's talk about it. I like this job, I am willing to do it, and I am especially willing to work with people like you. You are in charge of our kitchen. Well, there are no major problems, they are all small and small, just standardize them. To be honest, it is absolutely impossible to carry out work in our kitchen without you."

"Since we two brothers cooperate, there is nothing to talk about. It's actually just a communication. It's easy to work. Brother, don't look at me here, you are still the head chef. From now on, we two brothers will cooperate. We are tied together It’s definitely not possible to build a plane and a cannon together. If you don’t have that ability, give a kitchen to ensure that it can be done clearly. Not to mention being the first in the provincial capital, you have to make those chefs admire us. You have to do it in your life. Do something, or your life will be in vain, right?"

Wang Gang felt hot in his heart.

He has always wanted to manage the kitchen well and increase the sales volume.Looking at the turnover of less than 30,000 yuan per day, I am more anxious than the boss, and when customers are urging dishes, they are more anxious than the waiters.But it is true that my ability is limited, and I am anxious to solve the problem, which is quite disturbing, and sometimes I am discouraged.

Lao Tan raised his spirits now, and couldn't help saying: "Master Tan, you will direct the work, and I will cooperate with you."

Lao Tan struck while the iron was hot and said: "Now Mr. Xu has handed over the kitchen to us, and we have to walk on two legs. On the one hand, start with discipline, which is the foundation and guarantee of normal work. On the other hand, it is the most important thing. The most important thing is the dishes, not only to solve the problem of slow serving, but also to pay attention to the quality, and the unqualified dishes must not be served.”

"We have a division of labor, one red face and the other bad face. I will take care of things that offend people, and you are familiar with everyone, and sing red face. Before we do something, we have discussed it, agreed, and then we will implement it. I don't believe that the whole kitchen I don't understand, but I can't deal with those cooks who know how to brag every day."

"Okay! Master Tan, let's do it like this." Wang Gang said a little excitedly.

It is Lao Tan's goal to be able to communicate effectively with Wang Gang and reach a consensus.He remembered what his master said when he first became a chef: If not an enemy, then be a friend.

Over the years, I have realized a truth from management. The so-called enemies are cultivated by myself, because only when the other party is regarded as an enemy, the other party will regard itself as an enemy.

Everything is mutual.

After the two reached a consensus, the grievances in their hearts disappeared. Then Lao Tan talked about the modern kitchen management model and some new management methods. Wang Gang was very inspired and began to admire Lao Tan.

Finally, when it comes to the dishes.

Lao Tan was going to chop off four dessert dishes, Wang Gang said that the dishes were ordered by Mr. Xu, and he had to talk to Mr. Xu first if he wanted to chop them off.

Old Tan said: "The boss looks at the result, not the process. We operate the process, and let the boss make up his mind on everything. We can at most be the leaders of the work. It is more appropriate to be the leader of the shift."

Wang Gang was a little embarrassed.

He had long wanted to chop off a few dessert dishes, but Mr. Xu refused to approve each time.Now it seems that I am timid, what can I do if I just cut it off, it is impossible for Mr. Xu to go to the food stall to look at it every day.

I can't help but feel that Lao Tan is courageous, daring to speak and act.

That was indeed the case, the next day Lao Tan withdrew the shredded yam, turned sand taro, shredded jujube, and shredded taro, and notified Zhang Li and Li Shuang to stop selling these four dishes.

After removing the four dessert dishes, I saw the effect on the same day. I bought [-] at noon, and there was no reminder or return of the dishes.

During the break, Lao Tan found Zhang Juan and asked her to print a copy of the hotel's rules and regulations for himself. At the same time, he asked for a reward ticket, a kitchen staff entry form, several folders and ten notepads.After Zhang Juan gave him everything, she curiously asked what she wanted the employee entry form for, and he said to take a look.

Old Tan read the rules and regulations.The rules and regulations are very comprehensive, and all aspects are taken care of.At first glance, it was picked up from the computer, because many places are different from the actual situation.

Putting the rules and regulations aside, I picked up the employee entry form and looked at it carefully, took out a few of them, called them according to the emergency contact number left on it, and had a simple communication with their parents.

Then I drew three sketches.One is the floor plan of the kitchen staff, the other is the sketch of the warehouse and vegetable room, and the other is the hanger diagram of the cold vegetable room and pastry room.

I plan to talk to Mr. Xu about my work plan for this month in two days. Of course, I have to meet Wang Gang before talking to Mr. Xu.Wang Gang expressed support for Lao Tan's plan and put forward his own opinions, and the two of them improved it again.

After entering the working state, Lao Tan is dedicated.

Every day, I ask the bar counter for a list of dish sales rankings for research.After the market closes in the evening, I will meet with Zhang Li to learn about the dishes of the day.Sometimes I take off my work clothes and put on casual clothes, and go around the table in person to collect first-hand information.Compared with the report from the front desk, he believed more in what he saw with his own eyes.

Wang Gang was quite impressed when he saw Lao Tan patrolling the stage in plain clothes, and thought to himself why he hadn't thought of it.

In the regular meeting in the morning, after Li Xu took the roll call, Wang Gang talked about the situation of the dishes, and then asked Lao Tan to say a few words.Better than on day one, with a third of the crowd applauding.

Old Tan inspected first, and saw that a young man who played lotus had not buttoned his collar, so he walked over to button it up, and the young man was taken aback for a moment.When buttoning the little brother, the others subconsciously lowered their heads to see if they hadn't buttoned it yet, and if they didn't button it, they quickly buttoned it up.Of course, there are also a few who disagree, thinking that Lao Tan is putting on a show.

Lao Tan stood in front of everyone and said loudly: "Good morning everyone! I have been here for five days, and everyone has given me a very good impression. It is a great honor to cooperate with Lao Tan with my brothers."

"I would like to report to you about the work of the past five days. Our stewed eggs and steamed pig's blood are authentic, and have been well received by customers many times. The stewed fish in an iron pot is also good. Yesterday, a customer said that our stewed fish is the best. Eat, I have been here three times. Also, a customer from Dadong specially took a taxi to come to our house to eat iron pan pancakes. The evaluation given was that it is authentic and excellent. This is our achievement, to ourselves Big applause!"

"Wow—"

"Wow—"

The mood of the employees is up.

Old Tan suddenly changed the subject and asked loudly, "Who knows who our chef's ancestor is?"

Everyone was taken aback, you look at me and I look at you, I really don't know who the old ancestor is.

They began to whisper and ask each other, and those who were asked shook their heads.

"Is it Yi Yin?" Li Zhongqing said uncertainly.

Old Tan nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, it's Yi Yin."

"Yi Yin is our patriarch. The old man cooked sea and salt, which made the dishes salty and tasteful. He pioneered the taste and created the ancestor of cooking. He deserves to be called the patriarch. The old man is famous for cooking. Those who It is an honor for princes and ministers to eat dishes cooked by him."

"The old man is not only good at cooking, but also has good cooking ethics. When people asked him to cook for those princes and ministers, why didn't he take a bite himself? No one saw it anyway. Besides, who would dare to say anything after seeing it? You know what our ancestors said. Is it?" Old Tan asked loudly.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Food wraps my belly, how can I live?"

(End of this chapter)