Chapter 165 The Lost Spice Bag
"Manager Du, two small restaurants and a [Spicy Chicken] shop have opened near us. These people are really crazy. They have to gather near us. Isn't it obvious that they are here to steal our business?"
Sometimes things just happen by chance. Before Du Shaojie took out the third-generation formula, the business environment of the snack bar changed.
In just a few days, four small restaurants and two [Spicy Chicken] shops opened one after another. Even Dong Jun, who has always been full of confidence, panicked.
"Brother Dong, if you are afraid of competition in doing business, then don't open a shop. Don't worry, I will go to a few shops later to see if they have the ability to compete with us."
Du Shaojie smiled and waved his hand, signaling the other party to stay calm.
More restaurants and small shops will objectively play a role in diverting customers. But in the end, it depends on the skill level, price level, environmental hygiene, etc. of each store. There is really nothing to be afraid of.
However, based on the principle of knowing yourself and knowing the enemy, Du Shaojie took Huang Tingting to visit one of the restaurants.
This restaurant specializes in stir-fry dishes. The price of the dishes is not expensive, but the quality of the dishes is very average.
"What the hell, it's really unpalatable!"
The two had lunch in this restaurant. After lunch, Huang Tingting started to complain.
"It's not unpalatable. The chef of this restaurant is okay in seasoning. The problem lies in the ingredients. Their ingredients are not good. In order to save costs, they sacrificed the quality of the ingredients. It's unwise!"
Du Shaojie's evaluation is more objective. Generally speaking, this restaurant does not pose a threat to the snack bar.
There are two other small restaurants that mainly sell snacks. One of them specializes in Sichuan snacks, and the other specializes in chicken soup. This is not easy to compare. What you like depends mainly on your personal taste.
There is also a breakfast shop. There are many overlaps in varieties with the snack shop. I will go to try it tomorrow morning.
Afternoon.
Du Shaojie asked people to go to two [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] shops to buy half a chicken each. Everyone tasted it and found that the taste was really unique.
Although it is not as good as the [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] in the snack bar, the price of the other party is lower, which is still a certain threat.
"Manager Du, how about we also lower the price?"
Huang Tingting had never experienced anything like this before, and seemed a little impatient.
Du Shaojie shook his head slightly and said, "Lowering the price is not a good idea. The catering industry is different from other industries. There are more factors to consider. We should still adhere to the principle of quality first."
He decided to upgrade the formula of [Spicy Chicken] from the second generation formula to the third generation formula from now on.
At the same time, he also firmly opposed the practice of price wars. At present, the profit of snack bars is within a reasonable range. On this basis, efforts should be made to improve the quality of dishes instead of considering other things.
The next day.
Du Shaojie came to the snack bar early and asked someone to buy a few breakfasts.
He, Dong Jun, Xiao Jianjun and others each had one. After eating, they commented that it was okay, with no complaints or highlights. It was a standard breakfast.
Xiao Jianjun put aside his worries and planned to add a few new varieties.
Du Shaojie then began to prepare the spices. After preparing them, he fried and ground them, and finally divided them into several spice bags.
"Tingting, we will use the new formula from today. You should pay attention to the heat and try to be careful in every detail."
He asked Huang Tingting to change the spice bag immediately. Upgrading the formula is actually to improve the quality.
Huang Tingting responded, and then the whole team began to get busy.
At lunch time, Du Shaojie silently observed the situation in the store. Obviously, the emergence of competitors still had some impact on the business.
According to his calculations, the customer flow of the snack bar today was 10% to 15% less than usual.
The sales volume of [Spicy Chicken] was basically the same as in the past, and there was no impact for the time being.
After work in the evening, Du Shaojie asked the finance department to do a statistics. Today's full-day turnover was 18% lower than the average level of the previous 30 days.
Dong Jun and Huang Tingting were very anxious, but they couldn't find a solution to the problem for a while.
"There is nothing to worry about. Several restaurants have suddenly appeared on this street. Even if customers want to try something new, they will try it. We do business in the long run instead of in the short term."
Du Shaojie felt that this data was not unexpected and that there should be a rebound in a few days.
The secret to success in the catering industry is to maintain consistent quality. This is true for decades or even hundreds of years of old stores.
"Everyone, this is not a short-distance race but a long-distance race. It tests our patience and perseverance. Don't think too much. Just do what you should do and do your own thing."
Du Shaojie poured a bowl of chicken soup for several people, and then closed the store with them and left.
Of course, that's what he said, but deep down he didn't dare to relax at all.
At five o'clock the next morning, he came to the snack bar to check the status of each breakfast variety. If there were any poorly done things, he pointed them out on the spot and asked Xiao Jianjun to arrange for someone to improve them immediately.
At the same time, he also personally went down to demonstrate, such as [bone soup], he restarted the pot and made a separate portion.
"Please pay attention to my production process and seasoning. Bone soup needs to be stewed for a long time, so you must not be lazy. I will give you a week. If you have any questions, just ask me. If you still can't do it well after a week, all your bonuses will be deducted."
Du Shaojie made it clear that the main breakfast items in the future will be [tofu pudding] and [bone soup], and the others will be auxiliary varieties.
So next, he personally made a big pot of marinade. Whether the tofu pudding is delicious or not, the key lies in the marinade.
It's not easy for him to be a contractor. Sometimes he even teaches them step by step.
Xiao Jianjun and others were not angry after being scolded. Instead, they were full of gratitude to Du Shaojie. If it were someone else, who would teach the skills like her without reservation?
To put it bluntly, after they learned it, they would definitely be able to open a small shop by themselves.
After a few days, more customers came to the snack bar to buy [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] than before. It seems that the taste made with the third-generation formula has been recognized by many customers.
The owner of the [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] shop closest to the snack bar is Tan Xiaoshan, who is in his early thirties.
He was standing at the door of his shop at this time, looking towards the snack bar.
These days, the business in the shop is very good, and he is full of confidence in the [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] he made. Before opening the shop, he specially learned from others for a period of time, and the things he made were up to standard.
But the dishes are afraid of comparison. The [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] made by Tan Xiaoshan is not as good as the "second generation" [Pepper and Spicy Chicken] in the snack bar, not to mention that they have evolved to the third generation.
The business was booming for only a few days, and then it fell sharply.
"I don't believe it!"
Tan Xiaoshan didn't believe in evil, so he asked someone to go to the snack bar to buy a [Spicy Chicken] and brought it back.
After eating it, he had to admit that their food was well made! The aroma was strong, spicy but not dry, and the spicy flavor was perfectly integrated together. The taste was simply amazing.
The key is that the chicken they made tasted just right, and the more you eat, the more addictive it is.
Tan Xiaoshan pondered for a while and felt that he might not be able to come up with a recipe with the same taste. He wondered, I heard that the snack bar is a collective enterprise, can you find a way to get the other party's recipe?
After a short shock, the snack bar's business gradually stabilized.
Du Shaojie took Xiaoya to the train station in the morning. Xiaomei will arrive by train today. Xiaomei and Xiaoya are both on winter vacation.
"Brother, sister are back, when will sister Yanzi come back?"
The brother and sister arrived early, and there were still about forty minutes before the train arrived.
The two bought platform tickets and found a place to chat in the waiting room. The main reason was that it was cold outside and the platform was not allowed to go so early.
"According to what she said in her last letter, she should be home in the next two days. What's wrong? Do you miss your sister Yan Zi?"
"Yes, I miss her. I want Sister Yan Zi to take me ice skating."
"You can go ice skating by yourself. I'll take you and your sister to People's Park later. There is an ice rink there and you can rent ice skates."
The time spent chatting passed quickly. Ten minutes ahead of schedule, the two entered the station and got on the platform.
Not long after, the train slowly drove into the platform and stopped.
Du Shaojie took Xiao Ya to find the No. 6 carriage. The door opened and a lot of passengers came down.
"Brother! Xiao Ya!"
Xiao Mei and her classmates raised the window together, stuck their heads out and waved vigorously.
"Xiao Mei, hand down your luggage first."
Du Shaojie and Xiao Ya walked over and took a lot of luggage from the window.
There were Du Xiaomei's and his classmates' luggage, which was quite a lot.
"Hello, Brother Du! We're leaving first. See you later."
A group of male and female classmates walked towards the station entrance. Du Shaojie then left the platform carrying a large travel bag and two bags.
Xiaoya grabbed her sister's arm and wouldn't let go, chattering non-stop.
Afterwards, the three siblings took the bus back to Chunfeng Lane. Because of Wang Yuxiu, they would also stay in the old house to accompany their mother during this holiday, and Du Shaojie would live in the new house most of the time.
"Mom, brother, Xiaoya, look what I brought you?"
After entering the house, Xiaomei took out a bunch of things like offering treasures. There were sausages, snacks from Yangcheng Restaurant, and two grapefruits.
"You kid, you came a long way and had to change cars halfway. It's so troublesome to bring so many things."
Wang Yuxiu said to her daughter, but her face was full of joy.
Du Shaojie was also very happy. It didn't matter how much stuff he brought. The key was that his sister remembered the family, which was more important than anything else.
He didn't plan to go to the snack bar in the morning. He would cook two dishes at noon to welcome Xiaomei. He planned to make [Big Plate Chicken] and [Beef Stew] for lunch, and add two vegetarian dishes.
Du Xiaomei had long wanted to eat the dishes made by her brother, and she almost drooled when she smelled the fragrance.
"Okay, bring the dishes over, and let's get ready to eat."
Du Shaojie quickly prepared four dishes, and the family of four sat down to eat.
At this moment, Huang Tingting hurried over and said nervously, "Manager Du, I may have made a big mistake. The spice packs you gave me earlier are missing two packs for unknown reasons."
(End of this chapter)
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