Food Intelligence King

Chapter 161 New Business Officially Launched; Foodies' Worries Were Unnecessary

Chen Zhou was in charge of promoting to existing clients. He answered some questions from neighbors in the group chat.

Such as when to start the trial operation, the pricing of the dishes, etc.

Despite her calm and unassuming demeanor, she still posted the text and images on her video account.

The couple are busy with their own things.

With the new business about to be launched, Ms. Lin also stayed up late with her husband for a while.

Watching the two of them busy themselves, Chen Taotao practiced a couple of games of Go on her tablet. Not wanting to fall behind, she wanted to join in the fun with her parents.

"Dad, I'll tell my classmates at kindergarten tomorrow too."

"Thank you, Dad," Chen Zhou said with a smile.

"Oh, don't be so polite with me." Chen Taotao had a very good relationship with her father. She didn't treat Chen Zhou like an outsider at all.

However, considering that children are among the few who use cash, their spending power is indeed limited.

I can't help much.
Therefore, Chen Zhou was quite gratified that he had this intention.

He invited his daughter:

"If you get along well with someone, you can invite her over for dinner, and Dad will cook for you."

"Aww!" Chen Taotao agreed with a smile.

She actually has a few close friends among the kids.

That evening, during a late-night conversation with his wife, Chen Zhou also mentioned the situation at the rental and sales center next door.

They went there together to inquire about renting a shop.

"That's great," Ms. Lin said, still somewhat remembering the layout of the apartment next door.
"No wonder I thought this layout was symmetrical to the shop we're renting now, almost exactly the same. Turns out the middle part can be connected."

Ms. Lin is more attentive to the unpredictable aspects of life than Chen Zhou.

This is a balanced beauty that is unique to her.

Chen Zhou expressed his appreciation for his wife's aesthetic sense, and he chimed in, "I like symmetry."

After several days of preparation, the community canteen's smaller portion sizes have officially entered the trial operation phase.

Chen Zhou also updated the intelligence at 7:30 a.m. that day.

He provided targeted intelligence to the diners' dynamics.

"During this period, 22% of breakfast customers returned for lunch to try the smaller portions. 77% expressed a willingness to make a purchase."

To successfully convert all consumer intent into sales, the store's current size is insufficient.

But if about 20% of people come to try the small portions at lunchtime, that's enough to make the business successful.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy regarding food supplies and market news.

My cousin back home has resolved the issue of unsold chestnuts.

He had already transferred 3500 yuan to Chen Zhou, but the intelligence mentioned that he was helping other farmers get out of the same predicament.

There's also a piece of information about Sister Huang Yaoshi, who sells spices.

This woman is helping Yongjia Fresh Food find a suitable new location.

Chen Zhou's involvement is not needed for the time being.

Chen Zhou focused his energy on preparing smaller portions of dishes. Based on the intelligence he received, he didn't do much else.

Around 11 o'clock, customers were already waiting in the store.

Since we're not making pre-cooked dishes, we have to cook each one individually.

A group member named "I'm not a foodie" was waiting for the last serving of braised eggplant.

I'm not a foodie, so even in October I was still wearing a tank top with a double-strand bra on, of course, with a jacket over it.

His life was relatively simple.

Whether it's clothes, everyday shopping, haircuts, or meals.

Once you've chosen a good one...

They'll keep looking back.

Including this two-strand vest of his, it's not just one he bought, he's bought it several times in a row.

Unfortunately, that shop later went out of business, which he regretted for a long time.

The same applies to community canteens; I'm not a foodie.

He was initially attracted by the steamed buns sold on the roadside, and then followed the shop owner from the street stall to the shop.

His favorite food is indeed the pork bun.

Even though I'm not a foodie, I'm worried that the current community canteens will go out of business—if the owner makes a bad business decision, that would be terrible.

So whether it's the response in the group chat or the people coming to the store today to wait for their meal.

They all seemed to be supporting Mr. Chen.

Huo Zibo felt that he was really not a foodie.

But the small portions of food today really surprised him.

It tastes very good.

Just like he said in the group yesterday, he ordered braised pork and roasted eggplant.

Huo Zibo has eaten both braised pork and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) at the store.

So after getting his food, he first tried the braised eggplant.

The eggplant dish served at the community canteen is made by first coating it with cornstarch and then deep-frying it, with soy sauce being the main seasoning.

Therefore, the first impression of braised eggplant is that it is glossy, dark, and has an enticing rich sauce color.

He observed carefully when ordering the food:

The eggplant pieces in the bowl were all coated with a rich sauce.

You can feel the eggplant's sticky consistency just by stirring it with a spoon, without even having to use your hands.

When serving the food, it's inevitable that a few drops of braised eggplant sauce will drip onto the edge of the plate.

The amber-colored oil, glistening with light, slowly rolled towards the bottom of the small compartment as Huo Zibo carried the plate to the table.

It left a faint mark.

The braised eggplant was also garnished with a little minced garlic and cilantro.

To make the dish less visually monotonous.

Huo Zibo felt that this braised eggplant didn't photograph well. The one he saw in person was much better than the one he saw in the group chat yesterday.

The aroma is something photos can't capture. It's incredibly enticing, with the scents of caramelized fat and oil, as well as the garlicky aroma released when the minced garlic is heated.

The three elements are cleverly combined, making one eager to see them.

I'm not a foodie, so I found a place to sit down and quickly started eating.

Upon tasting, the sauce on the surface of the grilled eggplant provides a solid, savory base flavor.

The eggplant, besides having a slightly crispy outer shell with a hint of charred aroma,
In terms of texture, you can also feel the tiger-skin wrinkles on the surface of the eggplant. Gently rubbing it against the skin of your mouth.

Biting into it, your teeth immediately sink into the soft, tender eggplant flesh.

The rich sauce flavor and the natural flavor of the eggplant burst forth in your mouth.

Finally, the minced garlic, which served as a garnish, helped to cut through the greasiness.

It's so delicious that you can't help but want to take a bite of rice.

Huo Zibo believes that with this skill of cooking eggplant, the community canteen's small-portion dishes can stay open for a long time.

"What am I worried about?" he thought to himself.

After eating a few bites of rice, even though I'm not a foodie, I remembered to post this in the group chat:
"Neighbors, you can enjoy the smaller portions now! The food is fantastic. If you've tried the steamed buns at our restaurant before, you can come here with confidence. Those who know, know."

As for those things he didn't understand, Huo Zibo didn't want to explain them either.

Rice is preferred.

In addition to smaller portions of dishes, the community canteen also continues to sell steamed buns.

The store hasn't increased its seating capacity, so even at lunchtime, there aren't enough seats.

Many people have to take them with them.

The lunch boxes purchased by the community canteen are of consistently high quality and cost a considerable amount.

Chen Zhou's idea is that, in addition to ensuring the quality of the food, the dining experience should also be guaranteed as much as possible.

Eating is not an isolated event.

Who you eat with, where you eat, and what you eat are all very important.

Of course, how to ensure quality while reducing procurement costs is something we'll have to work out with later intelligence.

As lunchtime was drawing to a close, another regular customer arrived at the shop.

Chen Zhou's old friend, Yu Shaochun.

The autumn sunlight was dazzling, and the old man was even wearing a pair of small sunglasses.

She was dressed very fashionably.

After entering the store, he stuffed his sunglasses into his shirt pocket and began to examine the newly served small-portion dishes.

"Wow, it looks pretty good."

Yu Shaochun's evaluation.

Chen Zhou greeted him, "You're here, Uncle Yu. It's been a while since I've seen you. Did you try the mooncakes I sent you before the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"It still has to be the classic five-nut flavor! Authentic!"

Grandpa Yu first responded to the mooncakes Chen Zhou had sent him. Then he talked about recent events, mentioning that he had been collecting old things again.

The life of a wealthy old man is somewhat simple and monotonous.

Chen Zhou couldn't get a word in edgewise about antiques, so he asked about the other party's purpose for coming:

"Sir, would you like steamed buns today, or would you like to try a small portion of the dishes?"

Besides old things, Yu Shaochun also likes to explore new things.

"Then I won't have steamed buns today, just get me a meal instead."

Chen Zhou had finished cooking and served the dishes to him personally.

The main reason is that Grandpa Yu loves pickled cucumbers, which aren't in the small portion ordering area. They need to be placed in a separate small compartment.

Yu Shaochun nodded with satisfaction.

"That's my favorite."

Chen Zhou laughed and said, "I know, just let me know if you need more pickled cucumbers."

Yu Shaochun arrived at the store relatively late today, and finished his meal at a leisurely pace, by which time Chen Zhou was almost closing up shop.

The old man was somewhat sentimental:
"This small portion of your dish reminds me of a friend from back in the day."

The old man is quite interesting.

At this moment, he has an expression that says, "Ask me and I'll tell you, but even if you don't ask, I'll tell you myself."

Chen Zhou and the other shop assistants still showed an attitude of listening attentively.

There's no need to tease someone so old.

“Please speak,” Chen Zhou said.

Grandpa Yu recalled:
"You know Guangfulou, right? It used to be a long-established restaurant in Haibin City. Of course, it's closed down now. But 30 years ago, it was featured in a foreign documentary. Foreigners came here specifically to film it."

Grandpa Yu started talking about thirty years ago. Chen Zhou smiled and said:

"Please tell me about what happened after I was born."

Yu Shaochun glanced at the child and continued:

"Their head chef also started out selling boxed lunches, and he makes exceptionally delicious meals."

Judging from Grandpa Yu's description, his old friend was famous decades ago, not only in the local area but also as a representative of Chinese cuisine, appearing in foreign documentaries.

Chen Zhou estimated that this senior was definitely a master-level figure.

"I won't let Grandpa Yu's trip be in vain," Chen Zhou said with a smile.

Where is this teacher now? Could you introduce me to him?

Grandpa Yu has many friends and has introduced many of them to Chen Zhou.

As the old saying goes, someone who has helped you once will help you a second and a third time.

Chen Zhou felt that he still needed more experience and knowledge on his path to becoming a master chef, and that the improvement in his cooking skills might be found in the guidance of Grandpa Yu in front of him.

However, this time, Yu Shaochun expressed some difficulty.

“This is difficult, Xiao Chen, this is difficult,” Grandpa Yu explained, “Everything else is manageable, but the main problem is that he is already dead.”

Yu Shaochun spoke of the passing of people from the past with a calm and detached expression.

Perhaps as you get older and experience more similar things, you stop thinking of them as big of a deal.

While feeling regretful, Chen Zhou thought to himself that it was indeed a bit difficult for Grandpa Yu.

(End of this chapter)