Yuan Huiniang's cooperation with Jinshengge has already begun, and Yan Qingqing is thinking of finalizing the braised offal business as soon as possible.
The wheat harvest season is approaching, and we need to free up some manpower at home.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing sighed. She was indeed destined to worry.
That evening, after Li Xiangping and the others returned, Yan Qingqing convened another family meeting.
Yan Qingqing got straight to the point: "Hui Niang and the others have finalized their cooperation with Jinsheng Pavilion. I'm thinking of getting the braised offal business settled as soon as possible."
Of the three brothers, Erlang is the most talented in business. He will come with me to discuss the cooperation with the restaurant this time.
"Da Lang and San Lang, you two continue selling food at your stall tomorrow. We can't lose business at the docks until we reach a cooperation agreement with the restaurant."
Li Xiangping and Li Xiangjian both expressed no objection, because they themselves had realized that even combined, they couldn't compare to Li Xiang'an in terms of business acumen.
Li Xiang'an was also very excited. His mother was finally willing to take him to see the world. Last time, he heard Li Xin's mother talk about Yan Qingqing's cooperation with Manager Wu. He had been itching to do the same, thinking that one day his mother could take him to do business so that he could broaden his horizons.
However, thinking about the business at the dock, Li Xiang'an hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mother, my eldest brother and third brother are probably too busy. How about I go over to help in the morning and then accompany you to the restaurants in the afternoon?"
Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "No need for that. Since we're too busy, we can just hire another person to help."
Li Xiang'an's eyes lit up when he heard this. How come he hadn't thought of that? His family had already started hiring people to make bows, so why couldn't they hire someone else to help set up a stall?
Yan Qingqing originally wanted Li Sanniu to help her, after all, he was Li Erniu's younger brother and the uncle of the children. However, Yan Qingqing was afraid that Old Madam Li would cause trouble, so she finally chose Wu Gang from Aunt Wang's family.
When Aunt Wang learned that Yan Qingqing wanted Wang Wugang to help set up a stall, she agreed without hesitation and didn't even ask about the wages.
Yan Qingqing kept the Wang family's trust in mind and thought that she could help them out if she had the chance in the future.
The next day, Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping set off from home together, but they parted ways when they reached the entrance of the county town.
Yan Qingqing led Li Xiang'an to "Yuelaiju", the second largest restaurant in Chengyang County.
Li Xiang'an asked, somewhat puzzled, "Mother, why are we going to Yuelaiju, the second largest restaurant in the county, instead of Juxiange, the number one restaurant?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "Juxian Pavilion's signature dish is the whole donkey feast. They have their own positioning, and even if they reluctantly accept our braised offal, they won't make it their main dish. So why should we bother?"
Yuelaiju focuses on affordability and doesn't currently have any signature dishes, but the food is generally quite good and has a good reputation in the market. If our braised offal sells well, it might even become their signature dish.
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Yan Qingqing did her homework before going to discuss business.
Li Xiang'an agreed with Yan Qingqing's words and admired her even more.
The two walked confidently into Yuelaiju.
Seeing that guests had arrived so early, the waiter quickly stepped forward to greet them, "Esteemed guests, are you here for a stay or a meal?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Young man, we're here to discuss business. Is your manager here?"
After saying that, he secretly slipped a handful of copper coins to the waiter. Money makes the world go round, and at that moment, money was more effective than any words.
The waiter, having accepted the bribe, smiled and said, "Yes, please wait a moment while I go and call our manager."
Soon a young man in his twenties came out. He was tall and slender, and his neat attire gave him a scholarly air.
The quick-witted waiter said, "Madam, this is our Manager Xue."
When Manager Xue saw Yan Qingqing and her son, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I heard you two are here to discuss business with me. May I ask what it is about?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "Manager Xue runs a restaurant, so naturally it's about food. Although Yuelaiju is very good, it has never had its own signature dishes. Manager Xue must be quite troubled by that."
Manager Xue's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. Everything at Yuelaiju was excellent, but it lacked a unique feature, which had always been a source of frustration for him.
After introducing themselves, Yan Qingqing and Li Xiang'an were led to a guest room. Manager Xue asked earnestly, "May I ask if Madam has any signature dishes that could become the signature dishes of our Yue Lai Ju? As long as they are good, I am willing to pay any price."
Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "Doesn't Yuelaiju already have its own unique features?"
Manager Xue looked at Yan Qingqing with some confusion.
Li Xiang'an, who was standing to the side, explained: "The biggest feature of Yuelaiju is that it has no special features. No matter what the dish is, it can be made to the best of its ability."
Manager Xue was taken aback. Can something without any unique features be considered unique?
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Manager Xue, I think you don't need to deliberately compare yourself with Juxian Pavilion. Each restaurant has a different positioning and targets a different consumer group."
How many truly wealthy people are there? I think your positioning here is excellent; it targets the upper-middle class, because even the most comprehensive restaurant can't cater to all customers.
Yan Qingqing was telling the truth. Every industry has its own consumer base. No single store can monopolize all customers.
Manager Xue felt as if he had suddenly seen the light. It turned out that what he had been pursuing all along was completely unnecessary. He then asked, "So, Madam, you mean that I don't need to make any changes here?"
Yan Qingqing shook her head and replied, "Of course not, you can do even better than what you have now."
Yan Qingqing had not forgotten the purpose of her trip.
Before Manager Xue could ask any further questions, Yan Qingqing continued, "You should have heard about the braised offal that's been so popular at the docks lately, right? That's what my family makes."
I dare say there's no other company on the market that can replicate that taste.
Shopkeeper Xue perked up at the mention of braised offal. He had secretly sent someone to buy some and try to recreate the flavor, but he couldn't quite get it right. He never expected the perfect ingredient to come to him today.
Shopkeeper Xue originally wanted to buy Yan Qingqing's secret recipe, but he knew Yan Qingqing would definitely refuse. So from the beginning, Shopkeeper Xue gave up on the idea.
The subsequent negotiations went smoothly. Yan Qingqing agreed that she would supply no more than three restaurants in Chengyang County, giving priority to Yuelaiju. However, Yuelaiju's daily order volume would not be less than fifty catties, and Yan Qingqing would sell to Yuelaiju at a price of thirty wen per catty.
Yan Qingqing also gave Manager Xue some practical advice, such as that he could make these pig offal into platters or sell them separately, or mix them with other cold dishes. In addition, Yan Qingqing also gave these pig offal a nice-sounding name, called "Turning Red" or "Nine-Turned Fatty Intestines".
As the weather was getting hotter, Yan Qingqing also gave Manager Xue a secret recipe for sour plum drink. It was the best way to cool down and quench thirst.
Manager Xue thanked Yan Qingqing profusely and did not ask them to immediately stop their business at the dock. He simply asked them to send the first batch of goods in three days.
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