Chapter 229: Mr. Deng, You're a Master of Business (4000 Words)

Chapter 229: Mr. Deng, You’re a Master of Business (4000 Words)



On the sixteenth day of the sixth lunar month, when Wang Yong brought his guests to the Sui Feng Restaurant, he immediately noticed a banner hanging at the entrance:

"Congratulations to Restaurant Owner Wang Yong on the full moon celebration of his grandson, Wang Xiaobao. May he grow to be a pillar of society."

Seeing the congratulatory message, Wang Yong couldn’t help but beam with pride, feeling immensely honored.

Leading his relatives and friends into the restaurant, the servers were exceptionally friendly, guiding them to the left side of the restaurant where sixteen large round tables were already draped in red cloth and marked with signs indicating that this was the designated area for Wang Xiaobao’s full moon celebration.

Apart from Wang Yong, the other guests were visiting the Sui Feng Restaurant for the first time. As they took their seats, they began to admire the restaurant’s interior.

"Truly, this is the largest restaurant in the county. With all of us here, we only occupy about a quarter of the place. If the entire restaurant were filled, it could easily accommodate several hundred people, right?"

"Indeed, this place is massive. Even the state-owned restaurants can’t compare. The owner of this restaurant is really something!"

"Opening such a large restaurant as a private individual is no small feat."

"Building this restaurant must have cost a fortune, right?"

"I’ve been in the construction business for many years, and I can confidently tell you that the investment to build this place wouldn’t be less than 300,000 yuan."

"Whoa, 300,000 yuan? That’s a lot of money! How did the restaurant owner get so rich?"

"I remember reading about a millionaire in the newspaper three years ago. Back then, everyone was amazed by that person’s ability to make money. But compared to this restaurant owner, the difference is huge!"

"Given how impressive this restaurant owner is, he should have made it to the newspaper, right?"

"True, the restaurant owner is indeed impressive, but it’s possible he took a loan from the bank to build this place!"

"That makes sense. Without a bank loan, I can’t imagine anyone having that much money."

"Even if the restaurant was built with a loan, the owner is still an extraordinary person, far beyond what someone like us, who earn less than 30 yuan a month, can achieve."

"..."

After the guests arrived, the servers hurried to serve tea, and the kitchen began to bustle.

Fortunately, the more time-consuming dishes had been prepared in advance. Master Chef Zhang Guofu and his assistant, Bu Dashi, had been busy since before dawn, along with the help of Chen Bangli and Chen Bangfeng. All the dishes that could be kept warm were ready, and the ones that couldn’t were prepared as semi-finished products, requiring only final touches.

Thus, when the guests arrived, the kitchen was in full swing, and the efficiency was quite high. It didn’t take long before they could start serving the dishes.

Serving the guests was a task that two servers alone couldn’t handle. Therefore, Deng Yuntao, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunheng, Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunsong, and Chen Bangguo all joined in to help, with the exception of the younger ones, Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng, who were too small to assist.

Even Deng Yunhua wasn’t idle; he had to help take care of Little Dong.

Deng Yunzhen also went into the kitchen to lend a hand.

As for Deng Shirong, he didn’t join in the physical work. Instead, he observed the proceedings, looking for areas where the restaurant could improve during such events.

When Wang Yong initially reserved the banquet, he specified that the meal should be served between 10:30 and 11:00 AM. The Sui Feng Restaurant managed to serve all eighteen dishes and three soups by 11:00 AM.

At the moment the last dish was served, both the master chef and the servers let out a long sigh of relief.

Due to the shortage of staff and a lack of experience, handling sixteen tables was quite a challenge.

Fortunately, there were no unexpected issues, and the task was successfully completed.

Although everyone breathed a sigh of relief, it wasn’t time to relax yet. After 11:00 AM, it was lunchtime, and more customers started arriving, forcing everyone to get back to work.

The individual customers who came for lunch that day were surprised to see the sixteen tables on the left side of the restaurant fully occupied.

Their surprise was mixed with admiration. After all, hosting a banquet at a restaurant was indeed more prestigious than doing so at home. Some well-off customers began to consider the Sui Feng Restaurant as a great option for future family celebrations.

After the dishes were served, Deng Shirong asked his daughter-in-law to bring two bottles of Maotai. He then walked over to Wang Yong’s table, raised his glass with a smile, and said, “Mr. Wang, I offer my congratulations on the birth of your grandson and thank you for choosing our restaurant to celebrate his first month. Here’s to you.”

Wang Yong stood up, raised his glass, and smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Deng!”

After they finished their drinks, Deng Shirong took the two bottles of Maotai from his daughter-in-law and said with a beaming smile, “Mr. Wang, you were our first customer to host a banquet at our restaurant after we opened. These two bottles of Maotai are a gift from us. I hope you and all your guests enjoy your meal and drinks. Thank you again for your support!”

Wang Yong’s eyes lit up with surprise.

In those days, Maotai wasn’t too expensive, retailing for around seven to eight yuan per bottle, so two bottles would cost about fifteen to sixteen yuan. For ordinary people, this was a high price, possibly more than they could earn in a month. However, for a successful businessman like Wang Yong, it was nothing.

Spending over six hundred yuan to celebrate his eldest grandson’s first month was no big deal, let alone fifteen to sixteen yuan!

But there was a significant difference between buying the bottles himself and having the restaurant owner gift them to him.

Wang Yong felt incredibly honored. His face glowing, he said, “Thank you, Mr. Deng. Your restaurant is indeed the largest in the county, and not only is the food delicious, but the service is exceptional. Choosing your restaurant for this banquet was the right decision.”

“Mr. Wang, I’m glad you’re satisfied!”

Deng Shirong smiled and set the two bottles of Maotai down. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he and his daughter-in-law left the area.

Seeing his father return, Deng Yuntao asked, “Dad, did you have any special reason for giving those two bottles of Maotai?”

Deng Shirong, hoping his eldest son would grow and mature, explained, “This is to enhance customer satisfaction. Mr. Wang’s family is well-off, and giving him two bottles of good wine in front of all his relatives and friends will make him feel very honored. If he’s satisfied, he’ll think of our restaurant first for any future celebrations.

“Moreover, today’s gesture will spread through his relatives and friends.

“As they say, golden cups and silver cups are not as valuable as the good word of the people. If our restaurant has a good reputation among our customers, our business will naturally thrive.”

Deng Yuntao was enlightened and said admiringly, “Dad, you really think long-term.”

Zhang Xiuping, listening attentively, felt even more admiration for her father-in-law’s business acumen.

…

At 12:30 PM,

Wang Yong’s relatives and friends, having eaten and drunk their fill, began to leave. Wang Yong, his face flushed with pleasure, came to the cash register to pay.

38 yuan per table, 16 tables totaling 608 yuan, plus 25 yuan for drinks, the total came to 633 yuan.

Deng Shirong smiled and instructed, “Sis Ping, round down the total to 630 yuan for Mr. Wang.”

After giving him two bottles of Maotai, now rounding down a few yuan, this generous gesture made Wang Yong give a thumbs-up and sincerely praise, “Mr. Deng, you’re truly a savvy businessman. With your approach, it’s hard not to succeed!”

Deng Shirong laughed heartily, “Mr. Wang, I appreciate your kind words!”

Wang Yong paid the bill promptly and left the restaurant with his family, thoroughly satisfied.

Watching Wang Yong leave, Deng Shirong didn’t rush to speak. After the other diners had also finished their meals and left, he gathered the exhausted staff.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work today!”

“It’s no trouble, it’s our job.”

Deng Shirong smiled, “I see your hard work. Uncle Zhang, Chef Zhang, and Ajun, Aying, if you’re not too proud, you can take some of the leftover food home after your shift. Even if you don’t eat it, you can give it to someone.”

The leftover food he referred to was, of course, what Wang Yong and his guests had left behind.

In the future, it was common to take leftovers home, whether from a friend’s house or a restaurant. The concept of taking leftovers had been deeply ingrained, and no one felt embarrassed about it.

Of course, young men were an exception. If someone else packed the leftovers for them, they didn’t mind taking them home, but they wouldn’t compete with the older women to pack the food themselves.

But in those days, it was rare to take leftovers home from a relative’s or friend’s banquet. At most, the host might give some to the closest relatives, but most guests wouldn’t take leftovers.

When it came to dining at a restaurant, it was a different story. Not only did the guests never ask for leftovers to be packed, but even the hosts who paid for the meal wouldn't think of doing so.

This was because, in the eyes of people back then, taking leftover food from a restaurant was considered shameful.

In the Bo Bai region, this mindset persisted until the 1990s. In the 1980s, it was rare for anyone to take leftovers home after dining out.

Zhang Guangzong and Zhang Guofu remained calm when the boss mentioned this.

Zhang Guangzong, having seen many big occasions, now lived alone after his children had all grown up and started their own families. For him, it was a matter of one person being well-fed and the whole family being content. With his current lifestyle of enjoying fine meals at the restaurant every day, he didn't mind the leftovers at all.

As for Zhang Guofu, he had worked as a head chef at a state-owned restaurant for several years. During that time, in addition to his fixed salary, he enjoyed some extra perks, one of which was taking home the leftovers from the restaurant.

Thus, he was quite used to the idea of packing leftovers and didn't get overly excited about it.

However, Zhang Wenjuan and Zhang Wenying, the cousins, were different. This was their first time experiencing such a perk. If they took the hearty dishes home, their parents would be overjoyed.

After all, both families were not well-off, and they rarely ate meat more than twice a month. Taking a few hearty dishes home would be like a mini-celebration for their families.

Therefore, the two cousins were thrilled and thanked the boss profusely, their tired bodies suddenly filled with energy.

Deng Shirong had initially planned to discuss the shortcomings of the banquet with everyone, but seeing that they were all exhausted and had to serve customers in the afternoon, he decided against it. Instead, he urged everyone to rest and regain their strength and energy.

At the restaurant, the employees usually rested by pushing a few chairs together and lying down to sleep. Even in later times, this practice continued, as it was impractical for the restaurant to provide a separate resting area for the staff.

...

While the employees were resting, Deng Shirong had his eldest daughter and daughter-in-law pack the leftovers from two tables (all meat dishes, with vegetables and soups excluded). He then carried them to the court entrance and handed them to Zhang Guoan with a smile. "Brother Zhang, we had a banquet at the restaurant today, and there were quite a few leftovers. I've packed some for you to take home. I hope you don't mind."

Zhang Guoan was a bit surprised but quickly took the large packs of leftovers with a happy smile. "These are all good things, why would I mind!"

He then asked about the banquet at the restaurant.

Deng Shirong gave a brief summary and concluded, "Although the banquet went smoothly, my children had to help out to manage it. If we get another banquet, I'll need to trouble you, Brother Zhang, to find a few helpers.

For example, the young women who helped hold the banners on the opening day could be hired temporarily as waitresses."

Zhang Guoan put the packed leftovers away and said, "That's no problem at all. Just let me know in advance when you need help."

Deng Shirong replied, "Also, Master Zhang is a bit overwhelmed, even with my nephew's help and my eldest daughter pitching in. It would be great if we could hire one or two skilled chefs to help out temporarily."

Zhang Guoan nodded. "That's easy to arrange. Just let me know when you need them."

"I might be back in the countryside for a couple of days. If I'm not in the county and the restaurant needs help, have my eldest son come to you."

"No problem."

...

In the afternoon, the restaurant resumed its operations.

By seven o'clock, most of the customers had left.

Deng Shirong then gathered the employees to discuss the shortcomings of the banquet. He then had them take the packed leftovers home.

Zhang Guangzong initially didn't want to take any, but Deng Shirong insisted and gave him two tables' worth of leftovers. Zhang Guofu, Zhang Wenjuan, and Zhang Wenying each took three tables' worth, and the remaining three tables' worth were saved for the next day's staff meal.

Today's second and third chapters have been combined, completing a 6,000-word update.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end