Chapter 350: Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles

Chapter 350: Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles

Half a month later.

Deng Shirong and his daughter returned to Nanning with eight Sichuan cuisine master chefs.

At this point, the Wuyue Square had undergone a significant transformation. Led by Peng Zhanping, 40 veterans were conducting military training on the square. On the ground floor, veteran employees from the Yongjia Supermarket in the county were guiding newly hired staff in labeling and stocking goods.

The veteran employees were also teaching the new hires how to use the OMRON 528 electronic cash register. The Yongjia Supermarket in the county had long been using these electronic cash registers, which automatically calculated prices and printed the total amount due, greatly improving the checkout efficiency of the supermarket.

Seeing Deng Shirong return, Zhang Xiuping, who was overseeing the entire operation, greeted him, "Dad!"

Deng Shirong looked at the well-organized supermarket and praised, "Well done. It looks like the supermarket can open in a few days."

Zhang Xiuping smiled and said, "There are only a few days left until National Day. I've discussed it with Brother Tai, and we plan to open on National Day. We'll invite people to perform dragon and lion dances. What do you think, Dad?"

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "That's fine. Go ahead with your plans."

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Deng Yunzhu had already led the eight master chefs to the second floor of the hot pot restaurant.

The eight chefs had seen many things before, but they were still amazed when they saw the spacious and beautifully decorated hot pot restaurant.

"Wow, what a huge hot pot restaurant!"

"My goodness, this place is at least ten times larger than the hot pot restaurant I used to work at."

"Embedding the gas stoves into the tables, who came up with this design? It's brilliant!"

"..."

Seeing the chefs' constant praise, Deng Yunzhu smiled and said, "Master chefs, this is where you will be working from now on. Please go in and check the kitchen facilities. Let me know if there's anything you need to change."

The eight chefs enthusiastically headed towards the kitchen of the hot pot restaurant.

Soon, the eight chefs entered the kitchen and were immediately delighted by the spacious, bright, and well-equipped kitchen with a very reasonable layout.

For chefs, the kitchen is like a sword to a swordsman; it is incredibly important.

"Boss, the kitchen design is fantastic. I'm very satisfied."

"Working in such a kitchen is so comfortable. The person who designed this kitchen truly understands us!"

"I can't wait to start working here..."

"..."

Hearing the chefs' praise, Deng Yunzhu smiled and said, "Master chefs, I'm glad you're satisfied. I'll take you to settle in now. Once the hot pot restaurant has hired enough staff, it will be time for you to show your skills."

"Boss, we will do our best."

...

Before they knew it, it was National Day.

At 8:00 AM, the Yongjia Supermarket, which was fully prepared, officially opened for business.

In front of Wuyue Square, the heart-stirring drums were beating rhythmically. As the dragon and lion dances began, passersby were drawn over.

As they approached to watch the performances, they also saw red banners hanging from the fifth floor, each inscribed with blessings for the opening of the Yongjia Supermarket.

It was now 1987, and self-service stores had already begun to appear in many places across the country. However, Nanning had not yet seen such a self-service supermarket, making the Yongjia Supermarket undoubtedly the first of its kind in Nanning.

When the performers took a break, curious passersby, guided by supermarket employees, entered the supermarket for a look.

Upon entering, all the customers were greatly surprised.

"My goodness, the space here is so large!"

"So this is what a supermarket looks like. It feels similar to the supply and sales cooperatives and department stores, but the way they collect money is different."

"You can pick out items yourself, which is quite interesting. It's much better than shopping at the supply and sales cooperatives or department stores!"

"..."

It must be said that the new shopping model, where customers could choose items themselves, instantly turned these curious passersby into actual customers.

Wuyue Square was already located in the heart of Nanning, and even in this era, the foot traffic was very high. The passersby attracted by the dragon and lion dances mostly took a tour of the supermarket.

Of those who toured the supermarket, the only ones who could remain rational and buy nothing were those who had no money in their pockets.

Deng Shirong, Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, and Deng Yunzhu were all on the scene, watching as customers continuously entered the supermarket. They knew that the supermarket would definitely have a successful opening day.

These customers, after experiencing the convenience of shopping at the supermarket, would surely recommend it to their neighbors, colleagues, relatives, and friends, just like when the Yongjia Supermarket in Bobai opened. The news would spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and within a day, the entire city would know about it.

Nanning, the capital city, is much larger than Bobai, but once the word-of-mouth effect takes hold, it won't take long for the name of the Yongjia Supermarket to reach every resident of Nanning. At that point, the supermarket's popularity would be a natural outcome.

At this moment, the 40 veterans led by Peng Zhanping were scattered throughout the supermarket, ensuring that there were no opportunities for petty theft. After all, in this era, there were no surveillance cameras, so they had to rely on customer honesty and the presence of security personnel.

After the morning, noon, and afternoon promotions, the supermarket finally saw a peak in customer traffic in the evening. Even with the use of electronic cash registers, which significantly sped up the checkout process compared to the manual cash handling at the Bobai supermarket, customers still had to queue up to pay. This clearly demonstrated how bustling the business was.

This was the reward for being the first to venture into this business.

At 9:00 PM, the supermarket closed for the day.

After tallying the sales, the total revenue was 26,458.46 yuan, which was 7,763.83 yuan higher than the 18,694.63 yuan earned on the first day of the Yongjia Supermarket in the county. It was undeniable that the capital city had a much higher foot traffic than the county.

Due to the combined operations of the two supermarkets, the volume of goods purchased increased significantly. After negotiating with the manufacturers, Deng Yuntai managed to further reduce the cost of goods. The average profit margin should reach around 24%.

Today's revenue of 26,458.46 yuan generated a gross profit of 6,350.03 yuan.

After deducting various costs, the net profit was certainly no less than 6,100 yuan. The speed at which money was being made was simply astonishing.

Deng Shirong, Deng Yuntai, and Zhang Xiuping had all been somewhat prepared for this level of profit, given the example set by the supermarket in the county.

"My goodness, this is too profitable!" Deng Yunzhu was truly amazed.

She had been in school before and had never been told about the profits of the county supermarket, so this was her first time realizing how lucrative supermarkets could be.

"Supermarkets are still a very new shopping model in the country, so it's natural that they would be very profitable. However, opening a supermarket requires a significant investment, which most people can't afford even if they recognize its potential. But competition in this industry is inevitable in the long run."

Deng Shirong then looked at his eldest son and said, "So, you need to take advantage of these few years without competition and open several more branches. When the volume of goods increases, you can further reduce the cost of goods, forming a competitive advantage. This way, you won't have to worry about future challenges."

Deng Yuntai, having tasted the sweet success, nodded and said, "Dad, I understand. I know what to do next."

Zhang Xiuping asked, "Dad, how much did you spend to build this building?"

Deng Shirong replied, "I spent 1.32 million yuan on the land, and because I required a solid foundation that could accommodate additional floors in the future, the construction of the five-story building and the hardening of the square cost a total of 3.68 million yuan."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, and Deng Yunzhu were all taken aback.

The land and construction alone had already cost 5 million yuan, not including the renovation!

Deng Yuntai couldn't help but ask, "Dad, where did you get all this money?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Of course, I earned it. Besides the businesses you know about, I also run other legitimate businesses. You don't need to ask for specifics, but rest assured, they are all legitimate and not shady operations."

Although Deng Yuntai and the others were curious, they did not press the matter further since their father had instructed them not to.

Zhang Xiuping sighed, "We initially thought about continuing the model of buying land and building our own premises for future supermarkets. This way, we would own the property and have more flexibility, but the cost and time required for such a project are immense."

Deng Shirong said, "Buying land and building has its advantages and disadvantages. You can try purchasing old buildings instead. Look for suitable old buildings in other cities in Guangxi. The prices should be lower, and you can renovate them to achieve good results."

Deng Yuntai nodded thoughtfully and said, "Once this supermarket stabilizes, I'll travel around to see if there are any old buildings suitable for renovation into supermarkets."

Deng Shirong nodded and reminded him, "No matter where you go, always bring a few security personnel. Safety is paramount. Also, when depositing cash from the supermarket and the hot pot restaurant into the bank, send a few security personnel to do it. You don't need to go yourselves."

In his previous life, during the internet era, he had seen all kinds of news and was well aware of how crazy the 1980s and 1990s were.

The audacity of the robbers in those days was unimaginable to later generations. Due to the widespread availability of firearms, these ruthless robbers did not just seek money; they would often shoot their targets, kill them, and then leave with the loot.

Such incidents were not isolated cases.

Therefore, he insisted that his children avoid handling large amounts of cash and minimize risks as much as possible.

Additionally, he would remind the veterans to always stay vigilant and not let themselves be followed without realizing it.

"Understood, Dad!"

Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, and Deng Yunzhu all responded in unison.

Their father had always placed a high emphasis on their safety since the early days of their development in Bobai County. Now, he was reiterating these points, and they had taken them to heart.

...

Half a month later.

In Bobai County, at the instant noodle factory.

Deng Shirong lifted the lid, and a rich aroma instantly rose. He stirred the noodles with a fork and commented, "This aroma is just right!"

Standing around him were not only the general manager of the food company, Deng Changyu, but also the factory manager, Deng Changpei, and the master chef in charge of the sauce packet development, Mr. Chen.

At this moment, Mr. Chen looked at Deng Shirong with great anticipation, much like a student hoping for approval from a teacher.

After thoroughly stirring the noodles, Deng Shirong began to eat under everyone's watchful eyes. One bite, two bites, three bites...

After the third bite, Deng Shirong looked at the master chef and affirmed, "Great! This is the right flavor, Mr. Chen, you've succeeded!"

Mr. Chen was visibly moved, "That's wonderful!"

Deng Changpei also sighed with relief, "Finally, we've succeeded!"

Deng Changyu, excited, asked, "Grandpa Jiu, can we start mass production now?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Yes, we can start mass production. Next, let's get the employees working in shifts to maximize production. We should aim to stockpile as much as possible before the New Year. I will select a suitable celebrity to collaborate with and air commercials on TV. I believe our instant noodles will become an instant hit."

Deng Changyu, now brimming with confidence, said, "Sure, I'll give the orders right away to ensure we maximize our production capacity. We should be able to produce 150,000 packs per day and stockpile a few million packs by the New Year."

Deng Shirong nodded. Although this production volume was not high, it would suffice for the short term. Once sales really take off, the branch factory in Wuhan should be completed, and we can purchase more production lines to meet the increased demand.

Deng Changpei then asked, "Grandpa Jiu, what do you think we should name this instant noodle product?"

Deng Shirong smiled, "Let's call it Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles."

Upon hearing this, Deng Changpei's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Great name! Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles, just the name makes you want to buy and try it."

Deng Changyu also looked at Grandpa Jiu with admiration, impressed by his naming skills.

Deng Shirong, seeing their reactions, could only apologize to a certain rich second-generation.

In his previous life, the founder of Master Kang was a true legend. He was a genuine rich second-generation from Taiwan who, in the late 1980s, ventured to Beijing with 40 million RMB provided by his family. He almost lost everything, even considering selling his clothes.

Just when he was about to give up and return home to inherit the family business, he accidentally tried a packet of instant noodles he had brought from home on a train. This sparked his entrepreneurial inspiration, leading to the creation of Master Kang's instant noodles, which became a giant in the industry.

Now, by launching Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles ahead of time, Deng Shirong could only apologize to this Taiwanese compatriot. Without other opportunities, he would likely never achieve entrepreneurial success and would have to inherit the family business.

After deciding that the instant noodles would be the flagship product of the food company, Deng Shirong aimed to replicate the success of Master Kang's Braised Beef Noodles.

This product was truly remarkable. From its inception, it dominated the market, leaving no competitors. It single-handedly transformed Master Kang into a market leader, which was truly impressive.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end