The Game of Life

Chapter 558: Chapter 556: Star Dishes

The first day of business since the reopening wasn’t busy, perhaps because many diners were not aware that Taifeng Building had resumed operations, and the occupancy rate was far from what it used to be.

Mrs. Wang Xiulian was slightly anxious about this until Manager Fan analyzed the reasons from a professional perspective, which reassured her and she began calculating the day’s revenue with joy.

Since the restaurant was reopening, the administrative staff in the lobby were definitely busier than the kitchen staff, and with an eager new neighbor next door poised to make a fierce move soon, Manager Fan’s workload on the first day was particularly heavy.

Even after Jiang Feng and the others had cleaned up the kitchen and were ready to pack up and go home, Manager Fan was still sitting in the lobby, studying a pile of documents and reports.

The dim light made Manager Fan’s face look even more haggard.

“Manager Fan, you’re still not leaving this late?” Jiang Feng asked with concern.

“Just looking at the customer reviews. I’ll leave once I’m done,” Manager Fan replied with a smile to Jiang Feng. “By the way, young boss, I have a question for you. Can Master Jiang’s Chicken Tofu Flower be supplied in large quantities?”

“I mean, apart from him, can any of you make it?”

“Ah?” Jiang Feng was taken aback.

“I’ve just looked at the reviews from the customers who ordered the Chicken Tofu Flower, and they’re all very positive. Mr. Xu Cheng has also given his critique, and if I remember correctly, he’s a very authoritative and renowned gourmet critic in the industry. So, I was thinking if Chicken Tofu Flower could be supplied in large quantities, maybe have him do a little promotion for us, it should quickly become one of our restaurant’s star dishes,” said Manager Fan.

“Manager Fan, I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Jiang Feng replied with a wry smile. “Chicken Tofu Flower has high culinary skill requirements for chefs, and probably only my Granduncle Weiming can make it. You know how his health is, being able to make a few portions every now and then is already the limit.”

Manager Fan nodded thoughtfully, murmuring to herself, “It could still work as a limited supply star product.”

“Young boss, I heard about the situation our restaurant will be facing soon, and my thought is that we need to create one or two star dishes that can attract customers, dishes that make customers want to come to our restaurant specifically for them,” Manager Fan explained.

“Star dishes? Don’t Sweet and Sour Yam and Wontons count?” Jiang Feng blurted out.

“And the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon and Pot Chicken With Hua Diao Wine, these two dishes are also quite popular and should count as star dishes,” Wu Minqi, who was standing next to Jiang Feng, interjected.

Manager Fan explained to them, “Of course those are star dishes, but Sweet and Sour Yam and Wontons are limited in supply, and many diners don’t like to rush to purchase limited dishes. For the majority of customers, the attraction is not great enough to be the sole reason for them to dine in our restaurant. The Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon and Pot Chicken With Hua Diao Wine are aimed at VIP customers, and don’t have much appeal to customers with middle to upper economic conditions.”

“Before working in Magic City, I worked for a while in high-end hotels abroad, so I have some understanding of Western high-end restaurants. If the newly opened French restaurant can produce French cuisine that suits the taste of the locals, even if it’s expensive, its location and decor will definitely attract a large number of diners.”

“Our restaurant also takes a high-end route, with prices much higher than ordinary restaurants, so our customer bases actually overlap to a large extent. In a situation where we cannot completely outshine with taste, I think we should seek new ways to attract customers, such as creating one or two star dishes for our entire customer base.”

“Firstly, these dishes must taste good, and while the price can be high, it should not be exorbitant. Ideally, the presentation should be exquisite too, providing opportunities for constant sharing and showing off, so that it can be widely spread and attract new customers to dine in,” said Manager Fan.

Upon hearing this from Manager Fan, the name of a dish suddenly popped into Jiang Feng’s head.

“Manager Fan, what do you think about Li Hongzhang Hodgepodge?”

“The dish has to be ordinary, not the kind that makes people cry when they eat it,” Manager Fan almost blurted out.

Jiang Feng: …

“It’s not the kind that makes you cry as soon as you eat it. What I mean is we could make a low-end version of the Li Hongzhang hodgepodge. You’ve seen this dish before, it looks impressive with a large quantity, and the bowl it comes in is big too. We can serve it in a slightly smaller vessel but keep the appearance the same. Since we’re reducing the portion size, we can appropriately lower the price. I can guarantee that the taste will be virtually the same, it definitely won’t make people cry when they eat it.”

“The most critical point is, we can produce this dish on an assembly line, so we don’t have to worry about it being slow to serve.”

Fan Mei was tempted. She had seen the Li Hongzhang hodgepodge before, and she had witnessed how bitterly the customers who ate it cried.

Before eating, who could have thought that such a beautiful and delicious dish could make people uncontrollably shed tears?

“I’ll discuss this with the others tomorrow, and ask for Master Jiang and their opinions as well,” Fan Mei said with some hesitation before asking again, “Can you really guarantee that customers won’t cry after eating it?”

Jiang Feng: …

Basically, you still don’t trust me.

“Absolutely guaranteed!” Jiang Feng said with a very serious face, almost to the point where he was about to say, “I’m willing to stake my reputation on it.”

“Then why did the customers cry after eating the dish you made before?” Fan Mei asked skeptically.

Jiang Feng: …

“Cough cough, that, actually, Manager Fan, don’t you think a dish that makes people cry is more attractive to customers? If I remember correctly, our restaurant has many customers who specifically come to eat the Li Hongzhang hodgepodge.”

Fan Mei shook her head.

Jiang Feng: …

“We should head back now. You should also go home early, Manager Fan.” Jiang Feng gave a radiant smile and whisked Wu Minqi away with him.

On the way back, Wu Minqi pondered the last question Fan Mei had asked.

“Fengfeng, I think Manager Fan is right to ask. If you can make the normal one, why didn’t you always do it before?” Wu Minqi inquired.

Jiang Feng was at a loss for words, falling silent for a long time. He walked half the street holding Wu Minqi’s hand before he said, “It’s for the… uniqueness.”

“Don’t you think… dishes like this are actually more distinctive?” By the end of his sentence, Jiang Feng himself felt uncertain.

Wu Minqi nodded, “I also think it’s quite distinctive. My grandfather always said that as a chef, you should create dishes with your own personal style. Fengfeng, it’s quite right for you to think this way.”

“By the way, Fengfeng, Master Huang should be coming tomorrow to confirm the issue about your granduncle, right? Have you figured out how to confirm something like this? Today, I asked Dong Shi, and he said your granduncle passed away quite a while ago and didn’t leave any photos. Moreover, Master Huang’s master doesn’t share the Jiang surname, and it’s likely that you don’t have any photos of your granduncle. Now that he has passed on and even changed his name, how can this be confirmed? I also don’t know if he left anything that could identify relatives,” Wu Minqi said.

“There will be a way,” Jiang Feng felt it was not a difficult problem, “If it comes down to it, we can just have Master Huang make two dishes, and grandpa and Granduncle Weiming make two dishes. By tasting them we’ll know if they all come from the same school. That’s easy.”

“True that.”