The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Yao Shi nodded, though his face remained expressionless, he understood everything clearly inside.

Dong Jun Tian was coaxed into investing a large sum in the kitchen renovation this time, resulting in nothing gained.

This inevitably brought skepticism.

Skepticism aimed at Yao Shi.

As the chief steward of the kitchen, he must coordinate and organize the kitchen staff and work assignments.

Moreover, the kitchen is crucial in the entire restaurant operation.

Therefore, it’s also necessary to reasonably control the pace of serving dishes and ensure the flavor and quality of the dishes.

The direction of the restaurant’s development still depends on Dong Jun Tian.

But the cooperation of several departments below is also very critical.

At the very least, as long as Yao Shi manages the kitchen well, there won’t be any major issues in the overall operation of the restaurant.

Yao Shi nodded and said to Dong Jun Tian, "As long as I’m working here, I’ll definitely fulfill my responsibilities. You can rest assured of that."

Dong Jun Tian was relieved, softening his tone, "Old Yao, I’m quite confident in your work. The barbecue seafood area might look simple, but to systematically get it running, it’s actually quite challenging."

"After all, we’ve never dealt with this before. Now that the kitchen staff’s training has ended, we are at the stage of learning by doing, continuously improving. I believe it won’t take long before the barbecue section starts thriving, especially since our restaurant’s foundation is strong."

Yao Shi nodded again.

Dong Jun Tian continued, "The most important point is that the barbecue seafood project is very suitable for our restaurant. It requires a large amount of ingredients, serves quickly, and one person can handle several dishes at the same time, plus the profit is not low."

"It seems like the formal banquet side brings in hundreds to thousands per table, but the waste on ingredients and labor is high. Yet with barbecue, there’s a savings in labor. Although the order volume seems small and each dish is priced lower than others, the time saved in the kitchen and the quick serving reduces customers’ waiting time, and the profit is quite considerable."

"Old Yao, I’ve almost exhausted my resources here, and I’ve put a lot of effort into supporting the kitchen. You must work hard to get the barbecue area up and running!"

What does it mean to get this area up and running?

Essentially, it boils down to one core idea.

For all the money spent, you must find a way to earn it back.

Merely breaking even isn’t enough!

When the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial profits are tallied, everything is reflected in the accounts.

More money means the project is truly up and running, and as the kitchen manager, you truly deserve credit.

Less money, well...

That afternoon.

Just after lunch, before the customers arrived, Yao Shi gathered the kitchen staff for a meeting.

After the National Day holiday, if we are to have another event, it’ll be on New Year’s.

After all, Qianlima is an old establishment; unlike trendy fast-food chains, we can’t follow the crowd during Christmas or Christmas Eve.

At this time, if we want to do promotions, we must come up with our own ideas.

Yao Shi used the entire morning to plan a three-day "New-style Barbecue Promotion" event.

Customers can purchase a 100-yuan barbecue voucher for 50 yuan, limited to one per table, to be used like cash.

Vouchers will be invoiced at the time of sale, no replacements after the expiration, and no invoicing again after customer consumption.

These vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash or change.

The discount is applied after using the vouchers, and they must be used in full amount.

Yao Shi has already contacted the print shop to pick up the materials within two days.

The event is scheduled from Friday to Sunday this week, perfectly covering the weekend two days.

Front desk service staff and order takers will cooperate with kitchen staff to set up tables at the restaurant’s entrance every morning for promotion.

Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu are to contact the regular customers and inform them of the promotions.

In order to create a buzz for the event, Yao Shi even contacted a promotion company, renting an inflatable rainbow arch for a week.

The specific arrangements and plans fall under Yao Shi’s coordination, while the remaining details will be prepared by Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu.

Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu are the ones in charge.

Zhao Meng will definitely cooperate actively with Yao Shi’s arrangement.

Gu Yunwu is now fully motivated, brimming with ambition, and looks radiant and full of vigor.

The kitchen staff are all supportive of the leader’s arrangements; no one has expressed dissatisfaction or complained.

After all, if the restaurant profits improve, everyone’s income can gradually increase.

Being able to add a barbecue section is a good thing for the kitchen.

For this promotional event, the chief chefs were not assigned tasks but were instead entrusted with welcoming new kitchen employees.

Since the candidates are already decided, the kitchen’s task is to assign work and accommodation for the newcomers.

It is tentatively planned that Zhao Meng and Gu Yunwu will each manage three newcomers.

Since they are new junior workers, they must begin with the basics.

Besides four newly graduated students, two semi-skilled workers will also start formal work.

The few junior workers who haven’t been made permanent are quite anxious.

They hope for new hires to help share the heavy workload.

Yet they also worry that the new talents are too exceptional, snuffing out their future prospects.

These issues are something Fu Yu need not involve himself in; staffing arrangements are managed by Zhao Meng.

Fu Yu was on the early shift today, originally planning to have a meal with Lin Minghao. But as soon as he finished work, he received a call from Li Linfeng.

"Fu Yu! Didn’t we say our classmates were planning a gathering? Today, we finally got everyone together. Are you free? Come join us for a meal?"

Fu Yu was a bit surprised.

Ever since graduation, they hadn’t organized any reunions among classmates.

However, that evening, he also wanted to visit Lin Minghao.

As Fu Yu hesitated, Li Linfeng added, "If you’re available, try to come. Everyone attending tonight is local to Bei’an. Let’s have a good gathering!"

Beside him, Zhao Bingbing’s voice chimed in, "Yeah! Fu Yu, you must come! Two classmates came from out of town specifically because they heard about the reunion. It wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t show up!"

Fu Yu chuckled, teasingly, "Wait a minute, this is our class reunion. Miss Zhao, are you joining tonight too?"

Zhao Bingbing laughed, "Of course, I’m a family member!"

Li Linfeng’s cheerful laugh echoed through the phone.

Fu Yu also laughed and said, "Alright, I’ll head over now."