The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 531 Cooperation and Food Tasting

Guidance work…

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Qin Lang and the other two became quite interesting.

From the moment they met until now, Song Pan's eagerness towards the three of them, especially towards Cao Dongdong, has finally found a reasonable explanation.

It turned out that the other party thought the three of them had come to their door to solve the immediate crisis facing Haibawang Restaurant.

It's no wonder, given that Haibawang is currently in a bad situation, and Cao Dongdong's father is the person in charge of the entire Haibawang catering brand.

"I might disappoint you," Cao Dongdong shook his head. "We came here for other reasons..."

Before Song Pan could show any disappointment, Qin Lang suddenly spoke up.

"and many more."

Cao Dongdong paused, looking at Qin Lang with a questioning gaze.

"Actually, these two things can be accomplished together," Qin Lang suddenly smiled. "After all, cooperation is inherently a mutually beneficial endeavor."

The situation at the Hai Ba Wang flagship store is actually much better than that at the Hai Ba Wang restaurant in Xianyu Market. There was only a certain degree of public opinion crisis there, but the issue of substandard products not actually occurred.

Of course, Qin Lang wouldn't believe Song Pan's one-sided story.

He'll only know once he's tasted it himself.

Just then, the first signature dish that Song Pan had arranged was served.

Qin Lang picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, chewed it slightly, and then a satisfied look appeared on his face.

The ingredients are fine; they are exactly as listed on the menu.

In addition, the head chef at the main store is also very skilled.

Since there's nothing wrong with the food, the biggest problem is naturally solved.

"Manager Song, we've come here this time for the 'Enjoy Moments' event at the Guanling City Food Festival..." Qin Lang put down his chopsticks and slowly explained their purpose.

After listening to what had happened, Manager Zhou of Weijixian Restaurant invited the three of them out. However, Haibawang was, after all, a business owned by Cao Dongdong's family.

Song Pan listened patiently, then nodded without hesitation, "No problem."

"I believe that Mr. Cao and the two of you can temporarily put your dishes on the menu on the day of the Indulgence Moment for diners to taste. At that time, I will also arrange for the waiters to negotiate with the diners and ask them to help sign the certification card."

"Manager Song, you've misunderstood."

Qin Lang shook his head, both amused and exasperated. "While I do hope to cooperate with Hai Ba Wang to enjoy the moment, it's not in this way."

"Haibaowang's reputation has already plummeted. Such actions will only destroy the remaining goodwill that customers have for Haibaowang Restaurant, which is unacceptable."

"Our dishes can be offered as complimentary items on the day of the indulgence; they do not need to be included on the menu, nor do we need the waiters to help us negotiate anything."

At this point, Qin Lang's eyes showed more confidence, "All we need to do is tell them that these are dishes for the food festival."

"So that's it."

Song Pan looked enlightened, and at the same time secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had vaguely heard that Chairman Cao's son was completely clueless about cooking and had been studying in cooking classes for several years without any results.

Birds of a feather flock together, and Qin Lang and the other two were probably similar. So although he readily agreed just now, he was secretly groaning in his heart. After all, he knew better than anyone else that such a move would have a significant impact on the current Hai Ba Wang Restaurant. If it weren't for Cao Dongdong's status, he would never have agreed.

The approach proposed by Qin Lang now will have a much smaller impact.

As for whether the dishes prepared by Qin Lang and the other two could possibly reverse Hai Ba Wang's public opinion to some extent, Song Pan had never even considered it.

Having vaguely guessed Song Pan's thoughts, Qin Lang suddenly smiled and said, "Manager Song, you don't need to worry too much."

"This isn't just Haibawang helping us unilaterally; it's a genuine collaboration. The dishes we bring will undoubtedly help Haibawang gain fame on the day of the 'Enjoy Time' event. More importantly..."

"In this way, we will be labeled as Haibawang Restaurant. If we get a good ranking at the food festival, Haibawang will also reverse its reputation."

"This..." Hearing Qin Lang's confident words, Song Pan froze on the spot. After a moment of silence, he slowly asked, "What dishes do you plan to bring out?"

He had no intention of finding out before, but now he couldn't help but be interested.

"You can't explain it clearly just by talking." Qin Lang paused slightly.

"How about I try it once?"
-
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

In the kitchen of Hai Ba Wang restaurant, a middle-aged man with a square face, wearing a chef's robe, waved his hand and said with impatience and irritation, "Manager Song, are you crazy?"

"Our Haibaowang business is already in such a state, and you still want to just let people present the dishes to the customers?"

"Chef Qin, please don't get agitated." Song Pan wiped the sweat from her forehead, a helpless smile on her face. "That was a complimentary item, not on the menu."

"Free gifts are not acceptable either!"

Head chef Qin Zhongguo snorted, his face extremely gloomy. "Hai Ba Wang is currently mired in a public opinion crisis. Our kitchen staff are on edge almost every day, afraid that the slightest mistake in cooking will give other competitors an opportunity to find fault."

Even a single drop of water has its own rules here!

"And you, at this crucial moment, you've only made things worse!" Qin Zhongguo glared at Song Pan, "If Haibawang goes under, headquarters will hold you accountable. Don't try to shift the blame onto me then!"

"Look at what you're saying..." Song Pan chuckled and gestured towards the boy kneading dough at the table, "See that one? His surname is Cao."

"So what if he's surnamed Cao? Even if he is surnamed Cao..." Qin Zhongguo hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly thought of something and blinked, "The Cao of Cao Wang?"

Seeing Song Pan nod slightly, Qin Zhongguo gasped.

"Nonsense, utter nonsense."

For an excellent chef, having control over the entire kitchen is an essential quality, but now he feels that the kitchen has exceeded his control.

Watching the three of them busy at the kitchen table, as if they were in their own home, Qin Zhongguo felt like a thief had broken into his house.

"Even if they are Chairman Cao's son, we can't let them run rampant!"

“But…” Song Pan hesitated, then stopped herself, “They seem quite confident. What if their cooking skills are really good?”

"How good can such a young kid be at cooking?" Qin Zhongguo said irritably. "Just let them try one dish. After they finish cooking, I will absolutely not hold back. I will make them realize that their dishes are not worthy of this place at all!"

“This…” Song Pan opened her mouth, but finally let out a soft sigh.

Chef Qin is straightforward and serious, a well-known perfectionist, and he should have expected this to happen.

But are we really going to just kick them out like this?
After all, he is Chairman Cao's son.

(End of this chapter)