1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Chapter 130 A Day That Started with an American Burger

For several days in a row, Lu Yuan and Wei Yinghong made baked pancakes for breakfast at Baiyang Elementary School every morning.

Scallion pancakes, sugar shortbread, brown sugar pancakes, and the like are made in a different form every day.

Zhao Yan knew that Lu Yuan and the others needed to get up early to work, so she also got up early every day to help.

However, after helping for a while, Lu Yuan chased her away, saying she was just causing trouble.

I could only sit on a small stool and help out.

As for lunch, ever since the instant noodles from the first day became a hot topic, more and more children have stayed for lunch.

However, all they were served during the first week was instant noodles.

It's clear they haven't developed an aversion to instant noodles yet, and they enjoy eating them every day.

On Friday, my uncle brought good news: Yang Ermazi couldn't pay his rent and had gotten into a fight with the landlord.

The landlord told him to get out if he couldn't pay the rent, but Yang Ermazi insisted on defaulting, saying that the landlord was heartless and that he couldn't work there because the rent was so high.

Lu Yuan immediately instructed his uncle to make a tentative contact with the landlord, subtly expressing his intention to buy the property, but without being too obvious.

If Yang Ermazi stays a few more days, there will be two empty beds. For the landlord, empty beds mean losing money, and he will start to worry.

Saturday arrived, and Lu Yuan, Wei Yinghong, and Zhao Yan all slept in.

Making hundreds of pancakes every morning is really tiring.

As a seasoned restaurateur, Lu Yuan has always held his fellow breakfast shop owners in high esteem.

How do they manage to get up in the middle of the night every single day?

Fortunately, when Lu Yuan got up and rushed to the kitchen, everyone had already prepared almost all the dishes.

Lu Yuan checked and found that everyone had done a good job even without his full supervision.

From the time individual businesses were first liberalized in 90 until a certain regulation was introduced in 11, the catering industry experienced explosive growth.

As a restaurant located by the national highway, this is also the golden age for the development of Xiaolu Farmhouse Cuisine.

At least from the initial stage, the results are satisfactory.

Zhao Yan wore her hair in a bun today, and her long, swan-like neck was also a bit tanned; the effects of the Gobi Desert were still too strong.

She was wearing a light pink casual sportswear outfit, which accentuated her slender figure even more perfectly.

. .

Although it was a day off, Zhao Yan didn't rest completely. Instead, she helped Wei Yinghong with some auxiliary work at the fried dough workshop.

Zhao Yan originally had no cooking skills at all, but after following Wei Yinghong to make breakfast this week, she has still mastered some basic knowledge.

She sincerely admired Wei Yinghong's skills.

Especially when she saw the perfect American hamburger bun in front of her, golden with a hint of brown, it was almost exactly the same as the one she had eaten when she went to America.

Most importantly, Lu Yuan was in a great mood when he came out of the kitchen in the morning. He leisurely made beef patties, which became the core component of the hamburger.

There's not much to say about the beef patty; it's much simpler to make than the hamburger bun.

Simply season and shape the ground beef, then pan-fry it in butter.

However, the soul of an American burger is definitely the secret sauce based on mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise, in later generations, is usually sold as a ready-made mayonnaise salad dressing in supermarkets.

The principle behind mayonnaise is simple: the lecithin in egg yolks stabilizes the water and oil, forming a smooth, creamy structure.

Therefore, the core ingredients of mayonnaise are egg yolks, vegetable oil, acidic liquid, and salt, with a touch of mustard added for extra flavor.

The preparation method is also very simple: just mix these ingredients together and stir until it becomes yogurt-like.

The common practice in later generations was to use raw egg yolks, but these days there are no sterile eggs, so there are certain safety risks involved.

Lu Yuan used soft-boiled eggs, which can also be made into a smooth mayonnaise.

With mayonnaise, you only need to add ketchup, sautéed garlic, and lemon juice to make a great all-purpose sauce.

This sauce is delicious with fries, fried chicken, and burgers.

However, cheese is really hard to find these days, otherwise we could make a 100% replica of an American burger.

Lu Yuan took the prepared beef patties and all-purpose sauce to the fried dough workshop, where they were combined with the hamburger buns that Wei Yinghong had baked to make a hamburger.

When Lu Yuan pushed the hamburger in front of Zhao Yan, she exclaimed in surprise.

This morning, the three of us had this American-style burger for breakfast.

Zhao Yan picked up the hamburger, opened her mouth wide and took a bite, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"Lu Yuan, you really haven't been to America?" Zhao Yan asked incredulously as she savored the delicious food from across the ocean.

Lu Yuan laughed and replied, "I've never even left the northern border region, how am I supposed to go to America? Teleport?"

"But the burgers you made are so authentic! There are several shops in the capital, but none of them can make them taste like this!" Zhao Yan still couldn't believe it.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and made up an excuse: "When I was learning to cook in the provincial capital, I met an American who was traveling on a shoestring budget. He was so hungry he was almost fainting. I treated him to a bowl of ramen, and he said his family ran an authentic old Chicago-style burger joint, so as a way of repaying me, he taught me how to make it."

As Zhao Yan ate her hamburger, she pondered, "It sounds so outrageous, it must be true!"

Lu Yuan ate quickly, and after finishing his hamburger, he seemed a little unsatisfied: "Zhao Yan, don't you think something's missing?"

""

"What's missing?" Zhao Yan asked, puffing out her cheeks.

"Fries, please!" Lu Yuan slammed his hand on the table. "You call yourself a native of Beijing? You've been eating McDonald's for so many years, just you wait!"

Lu Yuan turned around and went back to the kitchen, found two large potatoes, peeled them, and cut them into potato strips about the thickness of a thumb.

Next, Lu Yuan put the potato strips into hot water and boiled them for 2 minutes, then took them out and let them cool.

Before frying the fries, Lu Yuan also added some flour and starch to make them crispier.

Making French fries is relatively simple. Keep the oil at 7% temperature throughout the process, and fry them once to remove excess moisture.

The second step involves raising the oil temperature to make the crust crispy.

When the bubbles in the oil become smaller, it's ready to be taken out of the pan.

After the fries were served, they were placed on a plate, making a sizzling sound as they hit the plate.

Before long, Lu Yuan brought the fries to the fried dough workshop, and Zhao Yan's eyes turned into little stars.

She eagerly picked up a thick-cut fries, dipped them in some sauce, and popped them into her mouth.

The crispy texture of the fries, combined with the aroma of the sauce, instantly fills your mouth.

"Lu Yuan, you're amazing! If you opened a shop in Beijing, it would be a huge hit!"

Lu Yuan calmly shrugged, thinking to himself that this was all basic stuff, nothing to worry about.

After enjoying a delicious American fast food meal, Zhao Yan sat in the fried dough workshop, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at the distant blue sky and mountains, feeling as if time had stood still.

However, she was feeling a bit dizzy and lightheaded, so she simply closed her eyes and let the occasional breeze brush against her face.

Lu Yuan leaned against the window and couldn't help but look at Zhao Yan's profile. He instantly felt a little dizzy.

Lu Yuan's consciousness was only brought back when he heard Lu Jie's voice from outside the door.

As lunchtime arrived, Lu Yuan tiptoed out of the fried dough workshop and returned to the busy kitchen.

The Lu Family Cuisine Street has established a preliminary brand effect, and with the addition of the Optimus Prime GG on the national highway, people are gradually becoming aware that there are high-quality catering businesses here.

Over the past week, the business revenue of Xiao Lu's Farmhouse Cuisine, Uncle Lu's Restaurant, and Uncle Lu's Restaurant has all increased to some extent.

Lu Dajie Malatang's sales have been limited by its low unit price, resulting in little breakthrough in revenue, but they have remained stable at 1500-2000 yuan.

bucks.

After lunch, Lu Yuan came out of the kitchen and saw Zhang Yuwen and the round-faced girl Jingjing sitting at the table closest to the front desk, smiling at him.

Lu Yuan remembered the task their master had given him, so he greeted them with a smile, "Long time no see. Has your master already gone to America?"

"Hello, Mr. Lu. My master went to America last month." Zhang Yuwen's voice was a little sad. Over the years, her master had been like a mother to her.

The United States is not in China; if we want to meet again, who knows when?

After calming down for a few seconds, Zhang Yuwen said, "We're here today to fulfill our previous agreement. School has already started, so Mr. Lu can arrange the time as he sees fit. We will definitely be here on time to teach the children."

"Please wait a moment." Lu Yuan didn't answer, but got up and went to the drawer at the front desk, taking out the 30 yuan they had paid.

00 yuan.

Lu Yuan placed the 3000 yuan on the table and pushed it in front of Zhang Yuwen, saying, "Actually, your master already paid for the meal that day. She specifically asked me to return this 3000 yuan to you, so you don't need to come to class anymore."

After hearing Lu Yuan explain what had happened that day, Zhang Yuwen and Jingjing looked at each other, somewhat taken aback.

Then tears welled up in their eyes, and their lips trembled slightly.

Even before she passed away, our master still took such good care of everyone.

Zhang Yuwen felt terrible at the thought of her elderly mother going to America all alone to serve others.

Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and began to sob softly.

In this situation, Lu Yuan didn't know how to comfort her, nor could he simply leave.

He could only place the tissues in front of her and wait for her to calm down.

After a while, Zhang Yuwen gradually calmed down and said apologetically, "Boss Lu, I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing."

Lu Yuan waved his hand and smiled faintly, "It's only human nature, I understand."

Zhang Yuwen raised her head, her gaze resolute, and said, "Boss Lu, I'll accept the money, but I'll still attend the classes as usual. After all, that's the condition for you agreeing to help us with that banquet. Besides, if Master knew, he would definitely support me teaching these children."

Looking into the other person's eyes, Lu Yuan seemed to see a desire for inheritance and a need for spiritual sustenance, so he didn't refuse and agreed directly.

Lu Yuan needs to communicate with his second uncle before he can confirm the start date with Zhang Yuwen.

So they agreed to communicate by phone later, and Zhang Yuwen took Jingjing and left first.

However, after she went out, she suddenly caught a glimpse of an extremely beautiful girl in the fried dough workshop, and she couldn't help but be surprised.

As the principal dancer of the troupe, she usually only receives compliments from others; she has never seen a girl more beautiful than herself.

But today, in this restaurant on the edge of the countryside, she felt a sense of crisis, like that of a flock of birds in flight.

However, she didn't take it to heart, since they were complete strangers and most of the diners here were from out of town.

Maybe they're just passing diners, but in any case, the dance troupe's lead dancer position will never be shaken.

The private banquet business has now entered a stable phase, and the customer base, mainly comprised of Mr. Wang, Mr. Xu, and Mr. Ding, is also quite stable.

Although the price of 5000 yuan per table is expensive, the ingredients used by Lu Yuan account for half of the price.

Dried mountain delicacies and frozen seafood, often costing several hundred yuan per kilogram, made up half of the banquet.

At least for the current needs of customers, these dishes are premium items that money can't buy in other parts of northern China.

Moreover, Lu Yuan would change the dishes according to the frequency of their visits and the different banquets each time, so that they could keep things fresh.

Currently, the banquet dishes are mainly traditional famous dishes and dishes that Lu Yuan used to be good at.

In later stages, we will need to gradually add some fusion dishes.

In fact, the high-end Chinese cuisine that is eventually developed, those so-called star-rated hotels, are still fusion dishes based on traditional flavors.

Even the dish names mimic those of French restaurants, such as "Handmade Tiger Prawn Paste in Creamy Soup with Vegetable Sprouts" and "Stir-fried Grouper with Ham, Black Truffle, and Egg White."

. .

Lu Yuan disliked this naming method, finding it lacking in the restraint of traditional culture.

For example, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, if named in this way, can only be called Stewed Mountain and Sea Delicacies in Yellow Wine in a Ceramic Jar.

This is practically a way of removing the essence and only keeping the dross.

Now that Lu Yuan has been reborn to this stage, he wants to break this unfavorable development trend when the restaurant reaches the next stage of development.

Let Chinese cuisine rediscover the beauty of its rich cultural heritage!

o

After a busy day, Lu Yuan and his family sat in the backyard to enjoy the cool evening air.

Wei Yinghong took out a calendar and flipped through it, then suddenly exclaimed, "There are only 20 days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival! Time flies!"

Zhao Yan looked up at the starry sky and sighed, "In previous years, I would eat Daoxiangcun's 'Fanmao' mooncakes, which were so crumbly and delicious. It's a pity I can't have them this year!"

Then Zhao Yan looked at Lu Yuan mysteriously and said, "Chef Lu, you can even make hamburgers, so making mooncakes must be a piece of cake for you, right?"

Lu Yuan, with his legs crossed, retorted, "Have you read 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'? Do you know about Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword?"

"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't?" Zhao Yan replied.

"Smart!" Lu Yuan shifted his leg and said, "My mooncakes are sometimes effective and sometimes not."

Zhao Yan asked, "Then when will it be effective?"

Lu Yuandao said, "It only works when you're making money, and it doesn't work when you're not!"

"Tch!" Zhao Yan said with a look of disdain, "You're obsessed with money!"

Lu Yuan laughed and then said to Wei Yinghong, "Mom, let's stop making fried dough sticks starting tomorrow."

"No way!" Wei Yinghong said reluctantly, "Son, leave your mother something to do. If you don't fry the dough cakes anymore, I'll be bored to death."

"Mom, what are you thinking? You're at the age where you should be working hard. I have other things to do for you."

Hearing that there was still work to do, Wei Yinghong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What kind of work?"

Lu Yuan smiled mysteriously and said, "Mooncakes!"

Upon hearing "mooncakes," Zhao Yan's eyes lit up: "Lu Yuan, you're selling mooncakes?"

"To be precise, it's a mooncake gift box!" Lu Yuan corrected.

Lu Yuan will make two versions of this batch of mooncake gift boxes.

One version is that Lu Hua had a high-end gift box custom-made by the Zhou family's master craftsman, which would first be given to the guests who booked the private banquet.

The timeless aesthetic will surely captivate these business owners at first sight with Lu Yuan's mooncake gift boxes.

In traditional culture, the time for gift-giving is mainly concentrated in the so-called "three festivals".

The three festivals refer to the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Once the bosses have seen the quality of Lu Yuan's mooncake gift boxes, they will definitely order them to give as gifts.

After all, their demand is the strongest, and there are very few gift boxes in this era that can meet their needs.

Lu Family Cuisine can also leverage these bosses' gift-giving behavior to expand its reach to a wider group of bosses.

Moreover, the higher the quality of the mooncake gift box, the more it represents the high-end quality of Lu Family Cuisine; these two aspects complement each other.

At the same time, Lu Yuan will also launch a gift box with a more affordable price, superior taste, and cutting-edge packaging design.

The diners passing by on the national highway, though not as wealthy as the big bosses, are still middle-class people who can afford to drive cars these days, and they have a certain amount of spending power.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional day for family reunion. Carrying a beautifully crafted gift box brought from out of town, I would also tell a story about how hard it is to get a table at Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant.

At that family reunion dinner, she'll definitely steal the spotlight!

As the reputation of Lu Family Cuisine restaurants grows, people even come specifically to buy Lu Family Cuisine gift boxes to give as gifts.

Mooncake gift boxes, including pastry gift boxes and cooked food gift boxes, have always been something Lu Yuan wanted to do.

These gift boxes represent a significant source of additional revenue for the restaurant.

Relying solely on the empty seats in the restaurant will eventually fill up, and there's a limit to how much revenue can be generated.

But once these gift boxes have built a good reputation, they can take advantage of the internet boom and might even sell more than in restaurants.

"Xiao Yuan, I've never made mooncakes before." Wei Yinghong was really unsure of what to do when her son mentioned both mooncakes and gift boxes.

Lu Yuan took the calendar and glanced at it. Time was running out; today was already September 6th, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was just 20 days away.

These gift boxes must be available for sale a week in advance, so there are only two weeks left.

After calculating the time, Lu Yuan said, "Mom, I'll teach you how to make mooncakes tomorrow morning. It'll be even easier than making bread."

The good news is that Lu Yuan can be completely free in the morning, and can go to the kitchen during lunchtime.

It only takes a few days to teach my mom how to make mooncakes, and then we can find a few aunties to help with mass production.

Actually, the focus of a mooncake gift box is on the box itself, not the mooncakes.

Mooncakes are quite sweet and rich, so there's no need to pack too many in a gift box.

The affordable gift boxes are made of color-printed cardboard boxes, and Lu Yuan had already arranged for Lu Hua to find a factory to make them.

The demand for high-end gift boxes from Master Zhou's shop isn't large. Lu Hua inquired about the progress yesterday, and it's expected that all of them can be delivered within a week.