These days, luxurious decoration is all the rage. Unlike later generations, when many people prefer minimalist decoration, these days, extreme maximalism is all the rage. No matter how much money you spend, you have to make sure others see it.
The European-style bold lines, crystal chandeliers, and the entrance that resembles a sculpted temple—it's as extravagant as it gets.
Extravagance signifies that you've spent money; the more extravagant you are, the more customers will buy into it, feeling that the price is justified.
"Mom, how about we go with a European style? Arched doorways, a luxurious entrance, a few imported crystal chandeliers, and marble floors. The dining table should also be high-end and classy, and the kitchen should ideally be visible. Customers can order here and see the food being prepared through the glass window. Oh, and... a teppanyaki area would be nice too. You can order, grill, and eat all at the same time—it'll have a lively, upscale feel. 18 yuan isn't cheap, but it'll be a great deal if you can grab a quick and easy meal."
Shen Jun nodded. She had also thought about making a meal for 5 yuan, but no matter what business she did, the high-end market was always the most profitable.
Relying on low profit margins and high sales volume is not a viable strategy.
"With you making the decisions, Mom feels much more at ease."
"Then I'll just draw up the interior design plans for you?"
Shen Jun would certainly not refuse. Chu Yu has a good aesthetic sense and has experience in decorating clothing stores. The designs for the dozens of stores under her management were all drawn by her personally.
Buffet restaurants are different from clothing stores, but they are not far apart; good decor is common to all of them.
Chu Yu thought to herself, if you're going to do something, do it the best.
Shen Jun's business was recognized by the whole family. Chu Chu helped Chu Yu come up with ideas, and Chu Xiang helped Shen Jun think of some opening slogans and wrote an article so that the opening advertisement could be placed in the newspaper.
Shu Hui is now considered a semi-career woman. In the process of managing Yorkham, she has also summarized the secrets of running a restaurant. While Shen Jun is still living at home, Shu Hui has given her a lot of advice.
For example, she suggested where to source goods cheaply, what items could be prepared in advance, and even recommended that she outsource the dessert portion to Xu Xiaohong.
Xu Xiaohong has always been making the hamburger shells in Yorkham.
Xu Xiaohong's shop has doubled in size this year. If Shen Jun orders desserts from her, the price will definitely be cheaper. The main thing is that she is professional, which is more cost-effective than Shen Jun hiring another pastry chef.
Let's not even talk about how it's hard to find decent pastry chefs in China these days.
Even if you could find it, the price would definitely be high. To control costs, outsourcing is much more cost-effective than doing it yourself.
"Snacks, desserts, drinks, and marinated meats can all be prepared in advance. Seafood rice and braised pork rice can also be steamed in advance. As for the other Western dishes and meats that Chu Yu mentioned, they should also be prepared in advance."
Shen Jun nodded repeatedly, while Shu Hui took notes in her notebook as she spoke.
"Should the restaurant provide barbecue grills? Or hot pot or something?" In later generations, buffets were all about barbecue and hot pot, and Shen Jun felt that these were essential.
Chu Yu didn't refuse. These days, 18 yuan is no small amount of money, and the customer must be satisfied with the meal.
Chu Yu pondered that the shop could provide hot pot or barbecue grills, but whether or not customers used them was up to them.
Customers who don't want to barbecue can also order ready-made teppanyaki or similar dishes.
As for drinks, you'll need to prepare some homemade teas, and you can drink any of the well-known commercial drinks you like.
The family wrote down all the ingredients needed for hot pot and barbecue. Opening a buffet restaurant is no easy task. They are the first buffet restaurant in Beijing and even the whole country. Because of this, they will set the standard for the buffet industry.
"Godmother, what are your thoughts on the drinks?"
In her past life, Shen Jun often bought milk tea for Chu Yu. Every time she finished drinking it, she would marvel at how low the cost of milk tea was and how much profit it made. She tried making several drinks herself using fruits such as grapes, peaches, and raisins, and they all tasted quite good.
"I want to make some freshly squeezed juices, such as watermelon juice, peach juice, grape juice, orange juice, etc. After summer, I will mainly make my own drinks. I'm just worried that there will be a shortage of fruits in winter and that the raw materials will not be available."
Chu Yu nodded. "So we need to prepare contingency plans. If the fruit supply is insufficient, what kind of tea should we make to make up for it? Not many people in our country drink iced beverages, so in winter we can prepare hot drinks, such as milk and red date tea, milk tea, white fungus soup, bird's nest, steamed pear soup, ginger black tea, etc. It would be best to also prepare some coffee and cocktails."
Chu Yu's terminology was too advanced; Shu Hui felt as if she were listening to gibberish.
"Mom has never had coffee in her life."
Chu Yu laughed and said, "That's perfect. Why bother preparing drinks and desserts later? You guys can help with the taste testing. The renovation will take at least two or three months. During this time, let's hire a good culinary team and refine the dishes. Everyone, please put in the effort and help with the taste testing."
No one would refuse free food and drinks. Besides, Shen Jun wouldn't have given up her roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop to open a buffet restaurant if she wasn't trying to avoid suspicion.
Shu Hui wasn't stupid; she saw all the sacrifices Shen Jun had made.
It's nothing to help each other out; we're all divorced women, we're in the same boat, and women should help each other.
Shu Hui took out a bankbook from the cabinet and placed it on Shen Jun's desk. Shen Jun was taken aback. "Little sister, what are you doing?"
"Sister Jun, don't be so polite with me. You're Chu Yu's godmother, which means you're family to us. Opening a buffet restaurant requires a lot of money, so this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't stand on ceremony with me."
Shen Jun didn't know what to say. She knew Shu Hui was a good person, but she didn't expect her to be this good.
There was 50,000 yuan in this savings account. In those days, 50,000 yuan was not a small amount of money. She had only known Shu Hui for a short time, and in the end, the two were no different from strangers.
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