On the evening of November 5, Zheng Dayong organized another meeting.
"First, let me talk about the performance over the past few days. I checked and we are still at the bottom, 38 yuan behind the third place. But don't be discouraged, this is just the beginning.
Our main topic of discussion today is Chef Zhang's competition on the 20th. Yesterday, I went to the next city and had a meal at a state-owned restaurant. The chef there won the Red Case competition three years ago. I tried his signature dish, and while it was delicious, Chef Zhang's skills were undoubtedly superior. As the saying goes, "Three heads are better than one." Let's help Chef Zhang analyze the situation. He's clearly the better cook, so why didn't he win? If we don't figure this out, I'm afraid this year will be a slog. In previous years, it didn't matter whether we won or not, but this year, we absolutely have to win. So many of my plans depend on it.
Zhang Yao complained, "What's there to analyze? Those judges from three years ago must have been clueless."
Han Xingwang: "Look at your bad temper. Why can't you say something nicely? Why are you so angry? Think about it, did you offend those three judges three years ago?" With your bad mouth, maybe those three people didn't like you.
Zhang Yao was anxious. "Am I such an unreliable person? This is a competition! How could I possibly offend the judges? I'm not crazy. I've never met them before. This was my first meeting during the competition, and we didn't have any conflicts."
Han Ri: "Are those three judges related to the champion?"
Zhang Zhian: "No, my father came back and was not convinced. I was afraid he would be wronged, so I asked a friend to investigate, but there was no connection at all."
…
Jiang Shushu listened quietly, thinking that there was nothing wrong with the person or the food, it was just a matter of taste.
"Could it be related to the judges' physical condition and preferences that day? Everyone has different preferences. Perhaps the judges preferred the champion's dish, or perhaps they were feeling unwell that day, like with a mouth ulcer or internal heat, which affected their taste and appetite. The champion just happened to be lucky and the dish he cooked suited the judges' tastes at the time."
Zheng Dayong nodded: "What Xiao Jiang said makes sense. It's very possible."
Zhang Yao's eyes widened. "How could this be possible? Are you kidding me?"
"I'm just a cook. I only cook. Besides, how would I know what they like, or whether they're sick? I'm not a god. I'm a chef. I shouldn't cook according to their tastes. I should cook what they eat. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a mess?"
Zheng Dayong ignored Zhang Yao and said, "Xiao Jiang, your idea is good. Go on."
"Chef Zhang is right. Every chef has his or her own unique techniques and flavors, and they shouldn't be easily changed. But this is a competition, and what's being competed for is your culinary skills and creativity. As the saying goes, a good chef not only has excellent skills, but can also create delicious dishes with his or her own unique characteristics based on the tastes of others. Therefore, the judges' tastes and preferences are very important. This is also a test of the chef's creativity and innovation."
Zhang Yao looked at Han Xingwang and said, "Is there such a saying? How come I haven't heard of it? My father died early, so he taught me knife skills and how to prepare ingredients. Forget about all these big principles, he didn't even teach me a single dish. I learned everything on my own."
Han Xingwang: "..." I haven't heard of it either. Although my father is still alive, he never told me. Could it be that the old man is still holding back on me? Doesn't he even trust his own son? There's no love anymore.
In order to get Zhang Yao to take this competition seriously and compete properly, Han Xingwang could only nod his head against his conscience, "I know! Most chefs with some fame know this, it goes without saying."
Zhang Yao regretted it so much! It felt like he had missed out on thousands of dollars. "Old Han, why didn't you tell me before? If I had known earlier, I would have been a special first-class chef long ago."
This is such an important thing, I'll definitely write it down in the family recipe when I get home. My damn dad is such a jerk! Why didn't he write down such an important principle in the recipe? Why did he keep it hidden? If I hadn't heard it today, it would have been lost.
Han Xingwang looked innocent and said, "I thought you knew!" I don't even know myself, what can I tell you?
Zheng Dayong concluded, "Then we'll go to the competition two days earlier than usual and spend those two days getting to know the judges' tastes and physical conditions. Xiao Han will go with Chef Zhang and help out with any errands, while Xiao Zhang will stay behind to take Chef Zhang's place."
Zheng Dayong glanced at Jiang Shushu, lowered his head and thought for a while, "Xiao Jiang, this time you will also go to the provincial capital with Chef Zhang and the others."
Jiang Shushu pointed at himself and said, "Me? But I'm not very familiar with kitchen work. I'm afraid I can't help much if I go."
"You don't need to be busy with kitchen work. Your main job is to help gather information. I'm afraid that when gathering information, there may be places and topics that are inconvenient for men to discuss. That's when we need to rely on women. You and Xiao Han must cooperate with each other and help Chef Zhang win the championship this time."
"Okay, Manager, I'll make sure I complete the task." He hadn't even been to the provincial capital yet. Traveling after work was a great idea, so why wouldn't he be happy?
"The rest of you will just have to work hard for a few days during this period. This competition is very important. I hope you won't get emotional."
The competition was of paramount importance, a crucial factor in determining the survival of their state-owned restaurant. How could they possibly have any emotions? Forget about a few days of hard work; if they could win, they would be happy to work hard for half a year. How could half a year compare to the rest of their lives?
The others said in unison: "It's not hard, we all understand."
"By the way, have you been thinking about this for a few days? Has anyone come up with a good way to increase sales?"
Then there was a silence, and no one spoke. Apart from doing their jobs better, they didn't know what else to do.
Jiang Shushu thought about it and said, "Manager, if customers don't come to us, we will go find them. If we have customers, we will have sales."
Qian Xiaoni's face was full of resistance, "You won't let us pee on the street, will you? That would be so embarrassing." I don't want to go even if you kill me. If I really go, I will bring shame to my grandma's house, and how can I face people?
Zheng Dayong coughed twice: "This has a bad influence and is not suitable." If I really do this, those four people will laugh to death.
"We're not going to go out and recruit people on the street. I'm thinking of finding someone to work with and have them bring people to us. We can work with matchmakers. Blind dates in this city basically require dinner anyway. If everyone on a blind date comes to our restaurant for dinner, our business will definitely increase. But I don't know any matchmakers in this city. Do you know any? Anybody we can work with?"
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