Chapter 462 Common People’s Wisdom
“Okay, let’s talk about some useless gossip, let’s continue talking about the serious stuff...”
Kang Shude had teased his apprentice enough, and again He took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and then pulled it down.
“Having said so much before, you should understand the operating characteristics of a restaurant, right? The key is that it is cheap and saves time. This kind of restaurant offers hassle-free food, almost all of which are ready-made. It can be processed simply and it won't take long to fill up the hunger pangs. But eating at a restaurant is just a matter of filling the stomach. "
"Normally, half a pound of shredded pork is fried. Pancakes and a bowl of hot and sour soup are enough for one person. For two or three people, you may want to order dumplings, noodles, and some snacks. Only a few people in the family will want home-cooked rice. The profit of the restaurant lies in its diversified operations, convenience, small profits and quick turnover. On the premise of meeting the needs of customers with various tastes, it must also be easy, cheap and affordable. ”
Ning Weimin nodded frequently as he listened.
Xin said, isn't this the Chinese fast food in the future?
Such as Chengdu snacks, Shaxian snacks, hometown meat pie, Nancheng Xiang, Zhen Kung Fu, Yonghe Bean, almost all of them are here.
However, Kang Shude looked at his apprentice and didn’t think Ning Weimin could understand everything.
“Don’t nod in a hurry, do you really understand?”
So Ning Weimin showed off his common sense about modern fast food.
“I understand, what’s not clear about this? In a small shop like this, it’s a small profit but quick turnover business. How to increase the number of customers and speed up the cooking speed in the kitchen is very important. Like products The wide variety and low prices are nothing more than a means to attract customers. The cooking in the kitchen must also be simple and fast, so that one group of customers can leave quickly after eating, and another group of people can eat. In the West, this is called turnover rate. Meal time is limited. Within a limited time, if a table can accommodate three groups of guests, it is certainly more cost-effective than catering to just one group.”
“However, I do have a different opinion. . I can understand the idea of these shops, which is nothing more than "increasing revenue and reducing expenditure". But I think that saving money cannot save rent. Let's talk about the location of this shop. From what you said, the restaurant is a Lianjia store. The store should be a private house where people live. This is not in a business district and not in a busy city. How can there be many customers? "
"I think it is better to save money by doing business with neighbors instead of being confined in an alley. For such a small amount of rent, it is better to open a store in a downtown area. Even if a large store becomes a small stall, it is still cost-effective to take advantage of the customer flow because there are too many things to sell. , the greater the profit, the larger the purchase volume, and the lower the price of raw materials. This is a legitimate way to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.”
“In addition, I don’t think the more comprehensive the products of this restaurant, the better. If there are many kinds of things for sale, more kitchen utensils will be purchased and more labor will be consumed, which will increase unnecessary costs. In addition, if you only try to do everything, you will not have your own characteristics. It is difficult for the chef to be proficient in making, but it is easy to make one or two things. Eating smoothly and quickly ”
"So I think we should only sell one or two of the most popular products, and at most add a few extra varieties according to the main business varieties. This is also a cost-saving. We should even prepare a large number of semi-finished products. Customers order It can be sold simply by heating it, which is of course the best.”
As expected, his remarks were well received by Kang Shude.
"Well, you are quite smart. You have never done anything in the business before, and you can instantly identify the key points of profit, such as turnover rate, and you can also come up with half-finished ideas. Not bad, not bad, you are born with it. It's like a piece of business material..."
However, Ning Weimin was just proud for a moment, and Kang Shude's next words made him ashamed.
"But, what you don't agree with is a bit of a waste of time. In the past, the rent in the downtown area was not as cheap as it is now. What's more, it's the big front door where buyers and sellers are willing to come. Big businesses are crowded Here, not only is there a lot of money, but many people buy land and build their own houses. How can a store with no strength squeeze in? If a restaurant can get in, it will no longer be a restaurant, right?" >
"Another point is that the market is not peaceful. You, a small restaurant, have to force your way into the busy market and keep pace with the big business. You are not asking for death. If nothing else, you can't predict the years of famine and famine. If the price of food rises or falls, it will change. It can make you lose customers and close down at a loss. The ability of small businesses to withstand risks is so bad.” Zhuangguan, that is, street food. The so-called convenience restaurants were only found after liberation, and they were all found in small alleys in busy cities."
"Another thing is that ordinary people in the past. , but people are not as wealthy as today. Who can eat out all the time? In the past, labor was not worth it. The apprentices only had to work for food and drink, so for restaurants, they could only be used by the neighbors. In business, you must not be afraid of trouble. Is it okay if you don’t have everything? You have to have everything. People may only want to have a meal at your place occasionally, so you must have what they want to eat in order to attract customers and have a good reputation. Go down. Otherwise, if people come to eat pot stickers, you won’t be able to eat them. If you go back and tell them, they won’t come to you if they want to eat pot stickers.”
“Speaking of this, there will be fewer and fewer guests in Beijing. The big rice shop is also called Ershipu. Do you know what it means? The two meats actually refer to the ingredients prepared by the shop and the ingredients brought by the guests. , let the chef do it. This is called "stir-fried food", and you can only earn money for processing. If you are afraid of trouble, you will not have customers. "
" Let’s not talk about ordinary restaurants, let’s talk about small chicken and duck shops like Bianyifang and Judequan, chicken and duck stalls. In the past, there were not only roast ducks, but also bucket chicken, clear sauce meat, box vegetables, and raw chicken. You can make whatever money you can from selling duck embryos, and you have to find ways to deliver to big customers and other businesses. Only then can you grow. Guang saw that Judequan is now in a good location. It was a house built on land after the business became big. It was originally located in a small alley in the corner. "
"And the sheep-headed horse. They only sell twenty white-water sheep heads every day. They don't sell more. They can cook them in the morning. In the afternoon, they push a small cart with a wheel and go out. They have a horn on their waist and their white hats and coats are spotless. Don't shout. , the regular patrons are sure to wait for him at his old place at the right time. He lives on Nanheng Street, and there are three roads from Nanheng Street to Langfang. He can definitely sell out twenty sheep heads before four o'clock. This snack lives in a courtyard, has three wives, and supports a large family. You think he makes so much money, why doesn't he open a shop? "
"He is not stupid at all. I know that this sheep head meat is delicious and people won’t want to eat it every day. If you make too much of it, it won’t be worth it. Opening a store? The price of the sheep head has gone up and no one else will buy it, and he can’t support it with just one hand. . So people just sell their crafts on the streets at certain times and in limited quantities, and they are willing to stay at the same level as snacks. So there is a difference between the past and today. Some of your ideas are quite good. It may work today, but it didn’t work in the past. This is determined by social conditions.”
If we say that Ning Weimin originally believed that the modern management method was derived from the Western fast food industry, it was very scientific and could adapt to any situation. .
But because of Kang Shude's few words, he suddenly realized that it might be unrealistic, which made him feel a little frustrated that he had hit a wall.
Then Kang Shude gave a few examples casually, which opened his eyes even more, and all the sense of superiority he had gained from time-traveling disappeared without a trace.
Because he really had to obey the business wisdom and methods of his predecessors.
“There is another thing, although it is true that there is a specialization in the industry. But restaurants are not blindly general and have no own characteristics. In other words, restaurants without characteristics can only be because the restaurant owner is lazy. , no brainer. In fact, although the restaurant is just a home-cooked meal, it cannot be too demanding, but after all, it is food, and it is impossible to care about the taste. In fact, in order to survive, all restaurants are trying to improve the quality of the food. , create your own flavor, and at the same time keep the price low, and think of ways to do it.”
“For example, there was a Hutchison Restaurant in Xidan Rongxian Hutong, which was his own two-story building. , rent out a mutton bed downstairs, and sell noodles upstairs. The shopkeeper knows how to do business, and has negotiated with the mutton bed downstairs. The meat and tendons that cannot be sold every day will be used to offset part of it. He used the rent to make beef noodles and mutton noodles with large bowls of clear soup. As a result, Hutchison's business was very good that year, and it was always full at every meal."
"There is also the Longsheng Restaurant in Longfu Temple. The owner of the small restaurant is surnamed Wen, and he is from Shanxi. Shanxi people are famous for their refined noodles. The noodles made by the Wen family can stretch a noodle into a bowl of filaments, commonly known as 'Yi Wo' Silky. This kind of stretch noodles is smooth and chewy, not sticky or soft, and refreshing in the mouth. Because it is next to Bai Kui, the owner Wen took the initiative to discuss with Bai Kui and get some roast mutton and soup every day when selling roast mutton. The noodles are specially mixed with juice and sold to customers. As a result, this not only made the two families become friends and benefited from each other, but also gave the people of Beijing a delicious meal - 'roasted mutton noodles'. There is a row of stoves built on the east wall of the store, which are specially used to heat and cook food for customers. Even at night, the waiters are not allowed to close the fire to make it easier for the beggars who gather here to avoid the wind and cold, so they get the "stove temperature" No one remembers such an elegant name. His real name is ‘Long Sheng’.”
"As for the restaurant near our home, do you like to eat Ruibin Lou? It was originally a restaurant opened by a couple. Due to their livelihood, the couple had to use the skills they acquired from the door. Although The rule of not opening a restaurant was broken, but the Huoshao restaurant was unique, affordable and satisfying, so the business quickly expanded."
"There are also fried dumplings from Guangfu Restaurant in Hufangqiao. Cat's ears, it was the fried dumplings that the widow Mrs. Mu and her daughter made by changing the shape of ordinary noodles from cooking to frying due to the lack of customers. Later, they worked hard on changing the non-staple meat and vegetables. It can be used as both a meal and a dish. It is delicious, inexpensive, and has a unique flavor. Because of this specialty, Guangfu Restaurant has become famous. Since then, it has been full of seats and is nicknamed "Mujiazhai" by the people in the capital. . ”
“However, the most common method is that many meat shops use scraps for cooking. For example, the fat of pig skin can be scraped off and stewed. Smashed with chili paste and garlic sauce to make a marinade. This is called rotten pork noodles. The marinade is made from pork skin and has a light and unique flavor. It can be added alone. Eat the meat from the bones. It’s the cheapest, it’s quick to cook, and it sells best among poor customers, so it’s often in short supply.” When you go to a restaurant and want to eat rotten pork noodles, the waiter has to ask you whether you want it to be marinated or braised, or whether you want it to be braised or braised. The marinade requires rotten meat (meat with bones removed) and a small bowl of fried sauce. The marinade is usually made before turning off the heat and closing the shop. If the marinade in the large pot is sold out and there is not enough money to thicken the noodles, use it. Soy sauce is used instead, which is called clear brine. Customers don’t want the marinade to be too heavy.”
“As for the remaining pork skin, Ershipu can be fried and used for stir-frying. , you can also make pork skin jelly and spicy pork skin jelly, so if you want to eat the most authentic rotten pork noodles and pork skin jelly, you have to go to Ershipu. Other places are not as good as Tongquanyong in Liubukou and Fengwa in Gangwa City. Yuan Chang is particularly good at this. Both the meat jelly and the marinade are cooked in large pots every day. Cook in one pot. At the end of the day, the pot will be empty. ”
"Anyway, let's put it this way, the specialty of a restaurant lies in how to find a balance between taste and price, and how to innovate from the homely meals. This ability is very similar to the skills of a Kouzi chef. Therefore, the restaurant can be successful and outstanding. The food they eat is either staple food or cooked food, which is quite affordable and a bit rough. Because of this, they are not afraid of a bad location, as long as there are houses nearby, then the wine is not afraid of the deep alleys. . ”
Kang Shude stopped talking here and took the teacup to moisten his throat.
Ning Weimin was so engrossed in listening that he was so focused on getting things done that he even forgot to refill the old man’s cup with tea.
For no other reason, the harvest is far more than expected.
After listening to this paragraph, although Ning Weimin has not solved his doubts, he already thinks that the wine given to the old man today is worth it.
He was completely shocked by the business history of those ordinary people in the past!
Although it is just a small restaurant, no matter how small, even though it is just an ordinary common people.
But those tricks are not only amazing to listen to, but even a little touching.
Because from the past events the old man told, he not only saw the efforts and progress of ordinary people, but also the wisdom and benevolence.
Only then did he realize that the fried dumplings and fried cat ears that he had taken for granted had always been invented and created in this way. It was actually a matter of life and death for a restaurant and the survival of the mother and daughter. A grand initiative.
Only then did he realize that a bowl of roasted mutton noodles was imbued with the friendship between the two shop owners, which was the result of businessmen helping each other.
Especially these restaurants have a downward-looking business philosophy.
Even if you bring a piece of pancake into the store and ask for it to be processed, the store will not look down upon it, but will make it to the customer and charge a processing fee.
This is similar to what he remembers. Twenty years from now, restaurants will have to post "No Bringing Your Own Drinks." It became a sharp contrast.
Not to mention eating a bowl of offal thirty years from now will actually be more expensive than eating serious stir-fries...
What a pity!
Our country’s modern history has been too bumpy, and the country’s destiny has been plagued by disasters.
Otherwise, if these small traders survive normally, who can say that there won’t be a few more time-honored brands?
A store that can survive and develop even in such a harsh social environment as in the past.
Who can say that if they operate normally to this day, they will definitely not be able to compete with foreign fast food?
cut! It can be said that Saria is a great initiative of the Japanese, breaking the restriction that the business place must be a prosperous place.
Thirty years later, those economists will be quite ignorant. This is called ignorance.
Our small restaurant had been doing this before liberation.
Isn’t it just a matter of changing the method to carry out the bargain to the end?
And it also has the concept of serving the community...
(End of this chapter)