Chapter 276: Fuyun Building Reopens
Yue Ning opened his eyes, leaned against the head of the bed, and recalled the details of his dream. He thought that whatever he thought about during the day, he would dream about at night.
Dad is willing to start from a restaurant and build it slowly, which is in line with his down-to-earth personality. But he said he doesn't need to spend money in the future, how can that be possible? It's better to have money than not to have money.
If you have money, you can buy a big house. Recently, someone sold a big house, and Yue Ning bought it. She will temporarily use it as a dormitory for the staff sent from Hong Kong to Guangdong City. When the business in the mainland picks up, she estimates that she will live in the mainland half of the time.
On August 18, when Yue Ning came to Guangdong City again, the Sino-Hong Kong joint venture Fuyunlou reopened.
Hong Kong chef Zhang Junming led the team to take over the kitchen of Fuyunlou.
At the time of the Spring Fair, the people in Fuyun Building had already experienced a state of being crazy busy. At that time, some people were complaining and upset. Yue Ning directly asked the Second Commercial Bureau to transfer all the upset people.
After the Spring Fair, Fuyunlou distributed bonuses for two full months. Now everyone finally understood that work is tiring, but more money is the bottom line.
However, what motivates the employees most is not necessarily the money, but the uniforms that make everyone's eyes light up, and the hard rule: the female waiters at Fu Yun Lou must wear makeup.
The uniforms of the waiters at Fuyunlou are the same ones Yue Ning specially selected for the Baohualou in Hong Kong. The women's uniforms are gray-blue with white piping and long sleeves with slanted collars, paired with dark gray one-step skirts; the men's uniforms are straight gray-blue stand-up collar tops, paired with straight dark gray trousers.
This set of uniforms is really a surprise. Yue Ning originally wanted to take care of the business of the old couple of the He family.
When I got there, I found out that their shop couldn't even deliver the custom-made cheongsams to the ladies in Hong Kong, so they looked for their old unit, the street clothing factory, to cooperate with them.
This clothing factory on the street used to process swimsuits for a Thai clothing company through an import and export company. At that time, swimsuits had to use rubber bands to pull the fabric to shrink it. Now that elastic fabrics have appeared, this process has been eliminated. After this business was gone, the factory was half dead.
The He family had too many cheongsams in stock, so they thought of this clothing factory and they hit it off.
Now, every morning, the He family's grandmother pushes her eldest son to the street factory, where the He family's eldest brother supervises the workers and hems and sews buttons on the cheongsams according to their requirements.
The He family took over the order and made the uniforms according to the requirements of making cheongsams for Hong Kong ladies. The design and pattern making of the uniforms were all done by Zhao Xiru's studio, and the fabrics were also from Hong Kong. The final result was comparable to high-end couture.
Wearing these uniforms that combine Chinese elements with Western tailoring, the girls look elegant and the boys look heroic.
The uniforms are nice-looking, and the accompanying training is more professional. Gangcheng also sent professional makeup artists and etiquette instructors.
Guangdong is close to Hong Kong and is greatly influenced by Hong Kong. But in the past, they were short of money and had no money to dress up. In addition, the social atmosphere was not so open, so girls were always afraid of being called weird if they bought lipstick and rouge. Now, they are proud and say to others: "We are a joint venture between China and Hong Kong, and the cosmetics we use are Japanese products issued by the company!"
In fact, these cosmetics are just sub-brands of major Japanese brands, but for girls in mainland China, they are already high-end enough.
At the reception dinner on the opening day, the waiters lined up to enter the private room. When the "Seven Stars and the Moon" cold dish specially arranged by Zhang Junming was served on the table, the waitress with a neat bun bowed and said, "Please enjoy your meal, everyone."
"It's different, it's really different." Deputy Mayor Zhu said, "The spirit is completely different. Reform and opening up have come, and our Yuecheng is at the forefront of reform and opening up. I remember that foreign businessmen who came to the trade fair told me, 'Our servants live better and eat better than you do here.' We were anxious! But we had no money and there was nothing we could do. At this time, Mr. Ye Yingzhang from Singapore found us and decided to invest in a high-end hotel in Yuecheng. At this time last year, Mr. Qiao Qiming passed by Yuecheng and introduced Mr. Yue and Xiao Yue to me. In a blink of an eye, a year has passed. Our twelve restaurants in Yuecheng have sent more than 60 chefs and more than 40 waiters to study in Hong Kong. In less than a year, Fuyunlou won unanimous praise from foreign guests at the Spring Fair, and Fuyunlou also became the first Sino-Hong Kong joint venture restaurant."
Yue Ning raised his teacup: "Deputy Mayor Zhu, I offer you tea instead of wine. It is you who brought Baohua Building and Fuyun Building, two brothers who have been separated for thirty years, together again."
Everyone clinked glasses together, and after drinking, Director Song asked, "Xiao Yue, I heard that you did some calculations with your employees? If you turn over tables four times a day, you can recover the investment cost in two years. If you turn over tables more than four times, you will get a reward?"
"The socialist distribution method is that the more you work, the more you get. In our Fuyunlou, it is divided into individual more work, more pay, that is, those who cook more dishes, more pay, and those who serve longer, more pay; the other is collective more work, more pay. Our overall turnover rate has increased. I made the calculation formula public and transparent to the employees, which also shows that our employees are also part of the restaurant management, and the success of the restaurant business is closely related to them. We share this profit with the employees, which not only inspires the employees' sense of collective honor, but also allows the employees to obtain real benefits." Yue Ning said while looking at the leaders.
"Xiao Yue, do you actually think like this?" said a leader.
Yue Ning nodded: "Yes! I grew up in the mainland, went to Hong Kong to read a lot of Western business books, and also ran Baohualou. Later, I was kind to the leaders and was given opportunities again and again. When Baohualou encountered a crisis at the beginning, I took a fancy to the chefs of Fuyunlou who had the same roots, and thought of a win-win solution. At that time, I didn't even have confidence that they would come back. I thought that some of them might stay in Hong Kong and develop in other restaurants. But today, the first and second batches of chefs have been trained for more than half of the time. No matter how high the income in Hong Kong is, I am proud to say that they will all come back."
"Xiao Yue arranged for the first two chefs from our Fu Yun Lou who were going to Bao Hua Lou for further training to study in France." Director Song said, "Now both chefs have found a place to go. Luo Guoqiang, the grandson of our late Fu Yun Lou chef Luo Changfa, has been spotted by the State Guest House in Beijing and will go to Beijing after his training. After Chef He Yunbang came back, Xiao Yue and I discussed letting him work as the head chef at Hong An Hotel. There is also Chef Ma Yaoxing, who was the assistant to the third runner-up of last year's Hong Kong and Macau Chef King Competition and a popular chef in Hong Kong. After he came back, he came to Fu Yun Lou as the head chef."
"Axing, go to France in the first half of next year." Yue Ning said.
"These cooks don't know any foreign languages, right?" Mayor Zhu asked. "Recently, various companies want to send people to study abroad, and the conditions have been relaxed. Only a few can pass the English test."
"We hired an old Chinese man in France who can speak Cantonese to act as a translator and arrange their daily lives," said Yue Ning.
How can we arrange translators for those who are sent abroad to study? Deputy Mayor Zhu asked: "Isn't this expensive?"
"Isn't the point to learn something? Without a translator, wouldn't their half a year have been wasted?"
Song Ziqiang said: "Xiao Yue really taught these chefs how to cook, otherwise how could Fuyunlou improve so quickly? How could it receive such praise from foreign guests?"
"Yes!" Deputy Mayor Zhu said, "Fuyunlou and Baohualou have a joint venture. Baohualou can help Fuyunlou, but it can't form a joint venture with all the restaurants in Yuecheng. Our Fuyunlou needs to set an example and find a way to operate without deviating from the socialist distribution method and stimulating the subjective initiative of employees. Recently, I have been talking to several foreign businessmen about introducing production lines and establishing a joint venture. Let's put aside other things. As soon as they opened their mouths, their attitude was condescending, as if they were giving us alms, and they also put forward many harsh conditions. But we have to beg them to come! Even if the conditions are harsh, we have to accept them. It's nothing like Xiaoyue. When I talked to Xiaoyue..."
Song Ziqiang smiled and said, "Mayor, Xiao Yue first thought about how to help Fuyun Building out of its predicament, and then thought about how Fuyun Building could make money. After all, Xiao Yue is our own child, and he is different from those foreigners."
"That's right. The country has only been open for less than two years, and everything is still under exploration. But the current situation does not allow us to think carefully."
There was a knock on the door, and the waiter came in and brought a steamed fish: "Steamed sea bass with chicken oil."
Deputy Mayor Zhu picked up a piece of fish and put it on the plate, then asked, "Xiao Yue, tell me more, how can we get those people who have seen the world to come back and build their own country? That is, those chefs you mentioned are willing to come back."
"I am trying to find suitable positions for them. Those who leave are our outstanding employees, the most talented ones. If there is a huge gap after returning, they will certainly not be willing to do so. For example, the first three chefs of Fuyunlou all have suitable jobs after further training."
"What if there is no such opportunity?" asked Deputy Mayor Zhu.
Yue Ning smiled: "After reform and opening up, food, clothing, housing and transportation will develop first, and 'food' is the easiest to develop. I am not worried about our catering industry. I know what the leaders are worried about. They are worried that the top students sent abroad will not come back and stay abroad, which will further lead to talent loss."
"Yes!" Deputy Mayor Zhu sighed, "We don't look at the colorful world outside. We just build cars behind closed doors. But if we let people go out and don't come back, even the car builders will run away, and we can forget about building cars."
Yue Ning remembered that in his previous life, when talking about the history of China's reform and opening up, his teacher happened to be an overseas student in the 1980s. He had a lot to say about this. He said that at that time, working as a dishwasher for ten days in the United States could equal a year's salary after returning home. Many government-sponsored overseas students would rather stay and do hard labor than come back to be professors.
I even asked the teacher at that time: "Then why did you come back?"
The teacher said: "If you don't go back and I don't go back, then who can bring the advanced knowledge back?"
He took the lead in standing up and bowing to the teacher to express his gratitude.
The teacher also mentioned that at that time, the country’s policy on overseas students was sometimes loose and sometimes tight, and it was very volatile. The country was sad to see the loss of talent, but it couldn’t not send people abroad. It was not until 1997 that the top leaders set a direction, from "returning to serve the country" to "serving the country", believing that overseas students who stayed abroad would make contributions as long as they cooperated with the country, and this was considered to be the direction determined.
Yue Ning poured wine for the leader: "Leader, let's think about it this way. Let them go abroad to study. If they really learn, they can stay there. We can cooperate with their schools, research institutes and enterprises. While they stay abroad to build advanced cars, they can also guide us to build backward cars in China. As long as they are more advanced than ours, it's fine. They don't have to return to serve the country, but they can serve the country. For example, if I stayed in the mainland, I would be restricted by the mainland's own consumption level, policies, etc. It would be impossible for me to have such development in a year, right? I have developed well abroad, and now I can provide some help to this industry in China. I can definitely do more than if I didn't go out."
Deputy Mayor Zhu put down his chopsticks and looked at her: "We don't ask them to return to serve the country, as long as they serve the country, this is another idea."
"Yeah!" Yue Ning nodded. "Logically, I grew up in the Northwest, so I should give back to the Northwest, right? But I know clearly that if I invest in the Northwest, it's like throwing money into a river without hearing any sound. I can only bring the folks from the Northwest out and let them make money. It's also important to have the right opportunities to make people willing to come back."
Deputy Mayor Zhu ate a piece of fish and said to Director Song, "For chefs who go to Baohua Building for further studies, if there is no suitable position for the time being, they can also postpone their return and sign a contract for another six months, one year, or even two years, depending on the situation."
"Leader, that's not what I meant." Yue Ning said quickly.
"But what I mean is that if someone is with you, he will come back. If he doesn't have good conditions and a position when he comes back, he will really run away if he runs away again." Deputy Mayor Zhu looked at Song Ziqiang and said, "Old Song and I did some calculations. You sent more than 20 chefs back to support the Spring Fair this year. Do you know how much the turnover of the four restaurants increased in total?"
"Fuyun Building has grown five times compared to the same period last year," said Yue Ning.
"The average growth is nearly three times, with Fuyunlou being particularly prominent. However, the customer flow at this Spring Fair is no different from previous years. In other words, foreign businessmen are willing to pay for their meals, whereas in previous years they simply refused to eat if they thought the food was not tasty. Excluding the costs of your chefs, these restaurants still make a considerable profit a month!" said Deputy Mayor Zhu.
After the Spring Fair, Yue Ning didn't want to ask the restaurants for money. She thought she had to pay the labor. There were more than 20 chefs. The lowest salary was about 5,000 or 6,000 yuan a month. Chefs like He Yunbang and Zhang Junming were more than 10,000 yuan. The cost was about 200,000 yuan. It was Song Ziqiang who notified her to come and calculate the money. He told her that "brothers should settle accounts clearly". Only after this time, he could ask her to help again in the Fall Fair.
"I knew chefs were important, but I didn't expect them to be that important." Deputy Mayor Zhu looked at Yue Ning with a smile, "Xiao Yue, don't send great chefs to Beijing anymore. Yuecheng is in great need of people, and we still need to build hotels and restaurants."
Yue Ning finally understood what the leader meant and raised his glass: "Thank you for your support."
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