"I still want to hire a few more chefs, and then divide them into two groups. One group will be responsible for cooking for the restaurant's dine-in customers, while the other group will only be responsible for the delivery meals."
After hearing Tang Liang's idea, Li Junsheng felt that he was still too conservative.
"That's normal, that's the more conservative approach. But I have a bolder idea: maybe we could make pre-made food and open a food processing plant. Imagine how many delivery orders we wouldn't be able to keep up with!"
The term "pre-prepared food" was something Tang Liang and Li Guohua had never heard before, and they even found it somewhat incomprehensible.
"Dad, what's the deal with these pre-prepared foods?"
Tang Liang also stared at Li Junsheng expectantly, wondering where his father-in-law had learned all this!
Li Junsheng also explained to his son and son-in-law: "Pre-made food is similar to canned food in syrup. Ordinary fruit cannot be stored for long, but canned fruit can be preserved for more than a year."
"Pre-made meals work the same way. We prepare them first, then store them properly. As long as we can ensure that the food doesn't spoil for several months, we can sell them directly to customers. They can just reheat them at home and eat them."
"This way, we can be much more efficient than if we do it right now!"
After hearing Li Junsheng's explanation, Tang Liang and Li Guohua suddenly understood.
Tang Liang frowned, unsure whether he should say something or not.
Seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak, Li Junsheng took the initiative to ask with a smile, "Xiao Liang, is there a problem? You can speak frankly, I won't blame you."
Tang Liang chuckled and said honestly, "Dad, I just think we're making a mountain out of a molehill. It's a problem that can be solved by hiring a few chefs. Opening a food processing plant would require a huge investment. Even if we have money, we shouldn't spend it like this."
"Yes, Dad, isn't this going to be too much trouble?"
Li Junsheng smiled helplessly. His son and son-in-law's perspectives were still somewhat limited!
In Li Xiaoyu's bedroom, A Ping hid by the door, also curious about why Li Junsheng wanted to go to such lengths to open a food processing plant.
Could it be that making some money has made him arrogant?
Li Junsheng explained to his son and son-in-law in the living room, "Silly children, as long as we open a processing plant, we can mass-produce this kind of pre-made food."
“We can supply other restaurants so they can also start offering delivery services. We can even register a brand for our pre-made food!”
"Even if the guests are eating food delivered from other restaurants, it will still taste like our Li family home-style cooking. Isn't that how we make the restaurant's flavor bigger and stronger?"
Li Guohua and Tang Liang suddenly realized that Li Junsheng could think so far ahead!
"Dad, if that's the case, then opening a food processing plant wouldn't be bad."
Li Guohua was very excited. After all, if his family owned a factory, their status would be extraordinary!
In this city, one's own name probably carries considerable weight.
Hiding behind the door, A-Ping was also amazed by Li Junsheng's business acumen!
Believe it or not, if Li Junsheng can first establish a reputation for Li's Home-Style Dishes delivery, and then take advantage of that to open a food processing plant and expand the business, he really could succeed.
There's just one problem that Ah Ping feels he can't solve!
That's the problem of food spoilage. How can he ensure that the taste of food doesn't deteriorate after being stored for a long time?
Even in cold weather, a meal prepared in this way will not be edible for more than half a month, let alone in the hot summer.
A-Ping smiled silently, feeling that Li Junsheng was still too idealistic!
In the living room, Tang Liang wasn't as excited as Li Guohua.
As a chef, he knows better than anyone that food doesn't have a long shelf life!
Therefore, I am also worried about whether my father-in-law's food processing plant will be successful.
"Dad, how do you plan to seal and preserve these pre-cooked foods? If this food is left out in the hot summer, it will be infested with maggots in just a few days."
"To preserve food well, sterilization and antibacterial properties are essential. I can use high-proof liquor for sterilization and use a lot of spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns, which have certain antibacterial properties, when cooking."
"Lemon juice and vinegar are also used to adjust the acidity, which can also inhibit bacteria. With proper sealing, it can be stored for quite a while!"
Li Junsheng knew that in the future, these pre-cooked dishes would use some natural extracts, such as tea polyphenols, nisin, and natamycin, to better preserve them.
However, in those days, the above-mentioned extracts were almost non-existent, and the extraction cost was extremely high.
This forced Li Junsheng to use traditional, acceptable methods to preserve the food!
If possible, I would be the first in the country to operate such a processing plant, and the profits would be immeasurable.
The first person to eat the cake always gets to eat their fill!
Li Junsheng spoke with great confidence and reason, and Tang Liang was completely in awe of him.
"Dad, how can you be so knowledgeable? I'm a cook, I deal with star anise and cinnamon every day, and I didn't even know these things had antibacterial properties!"
Li Junsheng smiled and explained to Tang Liang, "That's normal. Strictly speaking, the antibacterial properties of star anise and cinnamon are no longer considered part of cooking. How could you have learned that?"
"Sichuan pepper is also used. It is said that in ancient times, wealthy families would use Sichuan pepper to ward off evil spirits. These evil spirits are not the kind of demons and monsters, but rather refer to illnesses like the common cold caused by wind. So the antibacterial properties of Sichuan pepper were discovered as early as ancient times. These are all things left by our ancestors!"
Ah Ping finally understood why someone as arrogant and conceited as He Guang would be willing to invest in Li Junsheng.
There's no other reason than that he knows a lot and has a good business sense.
"Dad, when should we start setting up our food processing plant? Opening a factory is not the same as opening a shop; there must be many more challenges involved, right?"
Tang Liang asked Li Junsheng a question with great interest, and Li Junsheng, who had been talking eloquently just now, suddenly sighed softly.
"That's true. Opening a factory is no easier than opening a shop. I don't have enough funds right now to open a food processing plant, so I'll have to do some more research."
The situation is still not good. Neither the government nor ordinary people have a high acceptance of self-employed individuals and private enterprises.
There are quite a few challenges ahead if you really want to open a food processing plant.
No matter how well I speak now, it's all just empty talk.
The situation in Hong Kong is much better, but there are many local bullies there, so it's not easy to get by.
Just then, Li Xiaoyu and Li Chunya, who had been watching a movie, returned.
The three of them looked very interested, as if they still wanted more of the movie tonight!
"Dad, what are you talking about in the living room? Is Ping asleep?"
"I think she's asleep. I didn't pay much attention. The three of us just chatted casually."
"It's getting late, I'm going home to sleep. I have to take care of things at the shop tomorrow."
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