The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 534 The Plan of Weijixian
Upon hearing Qin Zhongguo's words, Qin Lang smiled slightly.

Although he had been focused on cooking, he had vaguely overheard Qin Zhongguo and Song Pan's conversation. Chef Qin was initially not welcoming of their arrival.

But this is also human nature.

Now, after tasting their dishes, the other party's attitude has completely changed.

"Since there are no other questions, let's talk about how to better capitalize on the popularity of this food festival." Qin Lang smiled. "Hai Ba Wang should also seize the opportunity to make a comeback and reverse its current reputation."

“You should talk to Song Pan about this.” Qin Zhongguo shook his head, turned around and walked back to the kitchen. “I’m only responsible for the dishes.”

Watching Qin Zhongguo's departing figure, Song Pan shook her head helplessly, "Please forgive me, Chef Qin is just like that."

"However, he is a capable person. Haibawang Restaurant has been in business for so long, and there has never been a customer who was dissatisfied with the food."

"I can see that." Qin Lang nodded slightly. "The kitchen manager should be someone like Chef Qin."

"I'm glad you understand." Song Pan smiled, then rubbed her hands together excitedly. "Mr. Qin Lang, you just said you'd turn the tide..."

"Can you tell me more specifically?"
-
"Manager Zhou!"

Inside the Wei Ji Xian restaurant, a lean young man walked in from outside and quickly found Zhou Hui in the manager's office. "Hai Ba Wang restaurant, something's up!"

"Hmm?" Zhou Hui, who was writing something with her head down, couldn't help but look up at the person who came in. "When did this happen?"

"Just now."

The young man couldn't help but say, "Hai Ba Wang Restaurant claims that on the day of the food festival's 'Enjoy the Moment,' they will give every customer who dines in the restaurant three brand-new dishes for free, and these three dishes are all from the chefs participating in the food festival!"

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Hui, who had been sitting up straight, slowly sat back down.

“Hai Ba Wang Restaurant is grasping at straws in desperation.” She calmly shook her head and commented, “Free meals can certainly attract customers, and the gimmick of a food festival can help it gain some customers in a short period of time.”

"But such behavior is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst."

"After all, Hai Ba Wang is positioned as a top-quality seafood restaurant, not an ordinary restaurant. If the free food doesn't taste good, it will lower diners' opinion of the restaurant and even make them feel that the restaurant is low-end."

"This discrepancy between reputation and positioning is fatal."

"What if the free meals they give out taste really good?" the young man couldn't help but ask.

"It tastes good?" Zhou Hui chuckled and shook her head. "Is that possible?"

“If the food tastes almost the same as what’s on the menu, then why offer it for free? It’s a losing proposition,” Zhou Hui paused slightly. “You must have heard about the shortage of top-quality seafood.”

"In a while, all restaurants in Guanling City will go through a major upheaval, and even our Weijixian restaurant will not be able to stay out of it."

"At this critical juncture, is Haibawang still going to make a losing deal?"

"What's the difference between that and sending someone to their death?"

"Besides... those were dishes from food festival contestants."

At this point, a hint of disdain appeared in Zhou Hui's eyes. "Let me ask you, what were the choices of the vast majority of participants in previous years' 'Enjoy the Moment' events?"

"Uh...setting up a stall?" the young man asked instinctively.

“That’s right.” Zhou Hui nodded. “Setting up a stall, a cooking method that appeals to the general public, is the most common way to showcase one’s skills.”

"So, looking at it from another angle, what about contestants who choose to collaborate with restaurants instead of setting up stalls, using the restaurants' customer base to advance in the next round..."

"They're all pretty weak!" the young man blurted out. "That's right." Zhou Hui nodded, then changed the subject.

"in addition…"

"I roughly know who those three contestants are." As she said this, Zhou Hui recalled the three people she had met earlier, including Qin Lang.

The number of people is the same; there's no such coincidence in this world.

As expected, after being rejected by her, Qin Lang and his two companions chose to cooperate with Hai Ba Wang Restaurant, and the man surnamed Song agreed.

Thinking of this, Zhou Hui also felt a bit more contempt for Song Pan.

I originally thought that the entry of the Tianzhou Group, a big player in the catering industry, would cause a huge stir in Guanling City, but it seems that they sent an incompetent person instead.

“We don’t need to keep an eye on Haibawang Restaurant anymore.” Zhou Hui lowered her head again and looked at the documents on the table. “Once the food festival is over, Haibawang will no longer be worthy of being our competitor.”

"Hmm?" Seemingly sensing Zhou Hui's implied meaning, the young man showed a curious expression. "Manager Zhou, what are our plans for this year's food festival?"

Zhou Hui slowly began, "Chef Liu has signed up for this food festival."

"It's actually Chef Liu?!" The young man looked astonished.

As the most popular restaurant in Guanling City, Weijixian Restaurant sends its kitchen staff to participate in food festivals every year.

However, they have never sent a head chef.

The reason is also very simple.

The head chef represents the face of a restaurant and cannot afford to fail easily.

If the person sent is not the head chef, then even if they don't get a good ranking at the food festival, it won't have too much of a negative impact.

Conversely, if the kitchen staff achieves a good ranking, it can give Weijixian Restaurant a good opportunity to gain exposure in front of the public.

This arrangement is both offensive and defensive.

But now, Wei Ji Xian Restaurant has actually sent out its head chef.

“It was Chef Liu who wanted to sign up himself,” Zhou Hui explained. “Chef Liu has been studying his culinary skills behind closed doors for years, and his skills have improved significantly recently.”

"This food festival incorporates a Level 2 assessment. Chef Liu had previously participated in the Level 2 assessment but failed, which has always been his regret."

"So this time, he chose to participate in the food festival."

"He is very confident in his cooking skills."

"I see." The young man looked enlightened. "But that makes sense. Last year, our sous chef Zhang participated in the food festival and won second place. Chef Liu's cooking skills are much better than everyone else in the kitchen, so he will definitely do better."

"This time, we've almost certainly got first place."

At this point, the young man's face lit up with anticipation. "We're already the number one restaurant in Guanling City. If we could win first place at the food festival..."

"Then Weijixian's reputation will truly break through the limitations of Guanling City and spread to other cities in Mingjing Prefecture through the food festival." Zhou Hui spoke slowly, her tone carrying a hint of fervor. "Guanling City's number one restaurant will become a thing of the past."

"Our goal is to become the number one restaurant in Mingjing State."

"Even... the number one restaurant in the Shinonome area!"

(End of this chapter)