Lu Qingyang thought that since he had this recipe, if he opened a restaurant in Suicheng, it would also suit the local people's eating habits and the ingredients would be cheap.
After dinner, he and Shen Mo returned to the guesthouse.
Shen Mo was still savoring the Cantonese dishes that Lu Qingyang personally cooked for her that night.
Lu Qingyang poured her a glass of water and took a sip himself, his expression becoming serious: "Xiao Mo, there is something I want to discuss with you in detail."
Seeing his serious expression, Shen Mo also sat up straight: "Well, go ahead."
Lu Qingyang looked at her with burning eyes, "I have an idea. Let's open a restaurant in Suicheng."
"Here?" Shen Mo was slightly surprised, but did not respond immediately. Instead, she motioned for him to continue.
Lu Qingyang nodded affirmatively and began to elaborate on his idea: "Look, let's analyze the advantages: First, the food advantage. The seafood, river fish, poultry, and vegetables here are not only fresh, but also much cheaper than in the north, and the cost is easy to control.
First, we have recipes and techniques. Sister Zhang’s recipes are the stepping stone. We can delve into recreating these authentic Cantonese home-cooked flavors and even invite one or two local chefs to oversee them.
Third, the market demand is clear. Guangzhou residents love to eat and know how to eat, but restaurants are expensive. We can definitely position ourselves as a 'neighborhood canteen' or 'quality home cooking' restaurant, focusing on taste, reputation, and affordability."
He paused and continued, "Moreover, this store and the 'Xinweiju' in Beijing can form a north-south echo. 'Xinweiju' introduces northern cuisine to the south, relying on the characteristics of the mountains and the northern flavors. In this new store in Guangzhou, we will do 'fine southern cuisine', focusing on exploring the traditional home-style flavors of the local area."
In the future, we can even try to use our own channels to ship some of the southern specialty ingredients and condiments to the northern 'Xinweiju', or introduce northern specialties to southern stores for seasonal promotions, forming a linkage!
Shen Mo listened attentively, her eyes growing brighter. She quickly filtered every argument of Lu Qingyang in her mind and found that this plan was indeed not an impulse, but a well-thought-out plan that fully utilized the various advantages of the country and perfectly avoided the most important bottleneck of ingredients in making Cantonese cuisine in the north.
The most important thing is that I feel that the current policy direction is becoming more and more relaxed, encouraging the revitalization of the economy.
In a southern frontier city like Guangzhou, the atmosphere is more lively and there are more opportunities. We should take advantage of the present to gain a firm foothold and realize that there may be great things to do in the future.”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Shen Mo expectantly: "What do you think? This is just my initial idea, I want to hear your opinion."
Shen Mo did not answer immediately, but pondered for a moment.
She is hesitating about what to do and is thinking about how to do it better.
After a while, she raised her head and expressed her support: "I think this is a very good idea, Qingyang, your analysis is very correct. Opening a restaurant here is indeed more advantageous than serving Cantonese cuisine in the north. It can also better utilize the resources we have now. I fully support it!"
But she also offered some rational advice: "But opening a restaurant is a long-term undertaking after all. Site selection, land management, long-term staffing, as well as specific dish positioning and pricing all require detailed planning, especially the taste. Although we have a recipe, to create an authentic flavor that local residents will recognize, we still need to put in a lot of effort to learn and adjust."
Seeing that she was not only supportive but also able to think about these specific issues, Lu Qingyang was even more pleased: "You are right! These problems will be solved step by step in the future, so I plan to take action tomorrow and go to the market first to feel the situation and understand the market situation."
"I'll go with you!" Shen Mo said immediately, "I still have time during my vacation, so I can take a closer look and learn more about the situation here."
Early the next morning, Lu Qingyang and Shen Mo took action and began to walk around the blocks around the textile factory carefully, inspecting the situation of restaurants and shops.
Sure enough, not long after they walked, near a crossroads about a minute's walk from the factory, they discovered two targets worthy of attention.
The first one was the Red Flag Restaurant, a typical state-owned restaurant with a small storefront and a faded red sign. A simple menu was posted on the glass window, but the prices were affordable.
But at this moment, there was a striking notice in black and white on the door of the restaurant: "Internal rectification, business suspended."
Looking through the glass door, the tables and chairs inside were placed in a somewhat messy manner, and there seemed to be stains on the floor that had not been cleaned up.
"It looks like this place is closing down."
The two looked at it for a while and then left.
A little further ahead, another smaller Weimin restaurant caught their attention.
This store is also open, but there are too many customers and the store seems a bit deserted.
However, there was a brand new red notice neatly written with a brush on its door.
The sign read: "In response to the call to revitalize the economy, our store is actively exploring new models and is now openly recruiting interested and capable individuals or groups to participate in public-private partnerships and joint operations. Please visit the store for details."
"Public-private partnership!" Shen Mo whispered in surprise, "This store is really keeping up with the current situation!"
They pushed open the glass door and walked in.
The store is relatively clean, but the tables and chairs are very old, and the menu is very simple, with only basic rice rolls, porridge, noodles and rice dishes, which lack characteristics.
A man in his twenties, wearing glasses and looking like a cadre, was sitting behind the counter reading a newspaper. When he saw them come in, he quickly stood up and greeted them.
"Comrades, what would you like to eat?" he asked habitually.
Lu Qingyang smiled and waved his hand, pointing to the notice at the door: "Hello, comrade, we are here to eat. We saw the notice posted at the door and are very interested in our restaurant's 'public-private partnership' cooperation. We wanted to come over to learn more about the details."
When the man heard this, his eyes lit up immediately and he walked around the counter enthusiastically: "Hey, welcome, welcome, please take a seat. I'm the manager of this store, my last name is Liu."
While asking the two to sit down, he told the only waiter to pour water.
"Hello, Manager Liu." After Lu Qingyang and Shen Mo sat down, they got straight to the point. "We are indeed interested in developing in the catering industry. Seeing that your restaurant is willing to cooperate, we would like to learn more."
Manager Liu sighed, pushed his glasses, and spoke frankly, "Comrades, our restaurant is a long-established state-owned one. We've always had a good reputation, but over the years, we've stuck with the same old flavors, lacking innovation, and our management system is too flexible. Business is getting harder and harder, and we're barely keeping afloat. The higher-ups are encouraging us to find ways to save ourselves and revitalize our operations. So, we're hoping to bring in some fresh blood, like new dishes, new management methods, or even new funding."
He looked at Lu Qingyang and Shen Mo and felt that they had extraordinary temperaments and looked like ordinary self-employed people, so he continued, "The form of cooperation can be discussed. You can invest in technology, dishes, or part of the capital. Our restaurant will provide the venue, equipment, and existing license qualifications, and the profits will be divided according to the agreement.
Of course, specific details, such as staffing arrangements, business direction, and investment ratios, need to be discussed in detail. What we hope most is that the partner can bring new things that can truly attract customers and revive the store's business."
Lu Qingyang nodded, but didn't express his opinion immediately. Instead, he said calmly, "Manager Liu, we understand what you mean. We need to seriously consider this matter and go back to discuss it. Today, we are mainly here to give you a preliminary understanding of the situation. If there are further intentions later, we will bother you to discuss it in detail. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, yes, of course." Manager Liu responded quickly and took a pen and paper to write down a phone number.
"This is my office phone number. Comrades, please feel free to contact me anytime after you've considered it."
After leaving the "Weimin Restaurant"
Shen Mo asked, "Qingyang, what do you think of this place?"
"It's OK. I'll have to check it out again."
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