C22 Full

"Alright, just a moment!"

Chung Yuan responded cheerily and headed into the kitchen.

Once Liu Lang settled into his seat, he grabbed the menu and his eyes widened. "Wow, look at all these dishes!"

"Let me see that!" Zhang Zhuo eagerly snatched the menu, scanning it with excitement. But his enthusiasm quickly turned to disappointment. "None of these are available yet. See, they're coming soon—please look forward to them. We'll have to wait until tomorrow!"

"What about the other options? How about the Late Spicy Potato Slices? Should we try those?"

"I'm more of an eggplant fan. Let's go for the Late Spicy Eggplant with Roast Meat and see how it tastes!"

"Miss, we're ready to order!"

They glanced over the menu and signaled to Mrs. Xu, who approached them, looking a bit overwhelmed.

"Ah... this... I don't quite understand."

"Just write down whatever we say."

"I, I, I... I'm not good with reading."

Mrs. Xu had only a few years of schooling and knew very few characters, which exposed her first shortcoming. But she was hired to wash dishes, and literacy wasn't a requirement. Currently, Chung Yuan was short-staffed, and with less work at the dishwashing station, she found herself juggling the roles of cashier, server, and food runner.

With an increasing variety of dishes, the chefs faced a growing workload. Take the Late Spicy Chicken Braised Rice, for example. The main ingredient: chicken. The sides: chunks of green and red peppers, wood ear mushrooms, Sichuan peppercorns, chilies, ginger, garlic, tofu skin, and bean sprouts. Of course, for those who prefer simplicity, the tofu skin and bean sprouts are optional.

The chef's task is to chop the chicken and prep all the side ingredients—matching pieces with pieces, strips with strips, threads with threads. That's the norm. In essence, if you're stir-frying potato threads, then the peppers must also be julienned to complement the dish. If it's potato slices, then the sides should be sliced to match, ensuring the presentation of the dish remains appealing.

If the chicken in the braised rice is in chunks, then the green and red peppers, black fungus, green onions, garlic, and bean curd skin must also be cut into chunks!

This is already a significant amount of work!

But relatively speaking, it's quite simple!

After all, the supplementary ingredients are few and fixed!

But if a customer orders potato strips, stewed eggplant, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and more!

Then the chef must slice the potatoes into strips, dice the eggplants, chop the tomatoes...

The workload suddenly multiplies!

Imagine how Chung Yuan could keep up?

What is 'prepping and pairing'?

It's chopping and combining, getting all the main and supplementary ingredients ready for the chef.

The chef's only task is to cook the dishes!

That's what 'prepping and pairing' is!

What about 'plate handling'?

Grabbing plates, wiping down tables, arranging dishes into an appetizing presentation, and carrying them from the kitchen to the serving area...

All these tasks fall under 'plate handling'!

But for some small eateries, there's no such role because the kitchen space is limited, and the prep area is close to the chef's stove. The chef can easily reach all the ingredients with a simple turn!

And as for plating, a quick touch-up and wipe-down by the chef is all it takes!

No need for a dedicated plate handler.

"Boss, more customers have arrived, and here's their order."

In the midst of the hustle, Mrs. Xu entered once more, clutching a new order slip!

Liu Lang had helped place the order since Mrs. Xu couldn't read, leaving her to handle the simpler tasks.

"Okay, just set it down there."

Though busy, Chung Yuan was filled with joy!

His dream of running his own restaurant was now a reality!

As Chung Yuan had anticipated, nearly all of yesterday's customers had returned today!

His predictions weren't unfounded; having worked in a hotel, he understood the customers' mindset quite well!

By eleven o'clock, the crowd began to pour in. By half-past eleven, all twelve tables in the dining hall were occupied!

"Hahaha, Boss Chung!"

The boisterous greeting came from the entrance. Chung Yuan looked up to see the man from yesterday who had asked to exchange WeChat information.

"Hey, big brother, you made it!"

"Sure did! Oh, it's just you in the kitchen? You must be swamped!"

Chung Yuan offered an apologetic smile and replied, "Yeah, I'm in the process of hiring help. Just hang tight, brother. I've got your order and I'll do my best to get it out to you ASAP!"

"No rush. It's tough on your own; take your time. I'm not in any hurry!"

Thankfully, the patrons were understanding. Despite the growing wait time, once they saw that Chung Yuan was the sole person bustling about in the kitchen, they settled down and showed their support.

It was only the second day the restaurant was open, and by noon, it was packed—a testament to one simple truth: Strength is everything!

In the face of true skill, all the gimmicks are just that—gimmicks.

Promotions, half-off second dishes, group discounts...

All those tactics paled in comparison to the real deal.

If the food is delicious, you could be tucked away in the wilderness with zero advertising and still have a line out the door every day!

...

Chiang Liguo drove by Reunion Restaurant, took a quick look inside, and was taken aback.

"Well, I'll be—kid, you've really pulled it off!"

But then, remembering the taste of Chung Yuan's Late Spicy Chicken Braised Rice, he licked his lips and thought, "Of course it's bustling! Manager Wang must have my order ready by now!"

Upon reaching his office, he was greeted by a generous serving of chicken braised rice on his desk, bringing a smile to his face.

"Wang's on the ball, as usual!"

But after one bite of the chicken braised rice, he furiously flung the entire meal across the room!

"Manager Wang—"

Chiang Liguo's bellow sent Manager Wang scurrying over in a panic.

"Boss..."

"What happened to the chicken braised rice I wanted?"

Manager Wang, looking at the mess on the floor, stammered, "Boss, this... isn't this what I got for you?"

The flavor of the chicken braised rice should be consistent, right?

Even if there were differences, they couldn't possibly be that significant!

Manager Wang had sourced it from the longstanding chicken braised rice joint in Jinling City!

Manager Wang had procured this from Jinling City's renowned "Old Authentic" chicken braised rice restaurant! "Old Authentic" is a restaurant that specializes in chicken braised rice, a dish that's considered the best in Jinling City!

It's surely tastier than what Reunion Restaurant serves!

"What is this garbage? Huh?! You think I'm a fool? This is "Old Authentic's" chicken braised rice, not Reunion's Late Spicy Chicken Braised Rice!"

"Boss... No, it's just that..."

"What? You're still not coming clean?"

Manager Wang was baffled as to how Chiang Liguo could tell the difference with just one bite.

"Scram! From today on, you're out of a job! Pack up and head back to your hometown!"