Wang Jianye made clear the goal at the first team meeting: “We want to create a series of cultural and creative products that are both culturally meaningful and practical, with the goal of attracting more young customers and enhancing brand value.”

Lin Xiaoyu raised her hand and asked: “Mr. Wang, can you tell me more about your target customer group?”

“Urban white-collar workers aged 25 to 35,” Wang Jianye was well prepared. “They pursue quality life, like to share unique experiences, and are willing to pay for products with stories.”

Zhao Ting pushed up her glasses and said, “What about the price? Affordable or high-end?”

“Mid- to high-end,” Wang Jianye said without hesitation, “It should make people feel that it is worth the money, but not so expensive that they are afraid of it.”

After the meeting, Su Mingyuan stayed to talk with Wang Jianye alone.

“Lao Wang,” Su Mingyuan changed back to the name he used in college in private, “I had a dream last night that our products were selling like hot cakes.” He smiled, but his smile was filled with worry, “But after waking up, I started to worry, what if it fails?”

Wang Jianye walked to the window and looked at the bustling dining area downstairs. “You know, when I opened my first store, I invested all my savings and couldn’t even pay the rent.” He turned around, his eyes firm, “But if you don’t take risks, you will never know how far you can go.”

Su Mingyuan nodded, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination. “Okay, then let’s give it a try!”

In the following days, the design team was immersed in the creation. Wang Jianye would take time every day to go upstairs to check on the progress, sometimes bringing some snacks, and sometimes just standing quietly by and observing.

One afternoon, as soon as he walked into the studio, he heard a heated argument.

“This color scheme is too old-fashioned!” Lin Xiaoyu pointed at the computer screen and said, “Young people like bright and lively colors.”

Zhao Ting insisted: “But our theme is traditional cuisine, which requires some calm elements.”

Su Mingyuan was caught in the middle and was in a dilemma. When he saw Wang Jianye coming in, he shouted as if he had seen a savior: “Old Wang, come and judge the matter!”

Wang Jianye took a closer look and found that there was a disagreement on the design of the apron. He pondered for a moment and suddenly an idea came to him: “Why not take both into account? The main body should be a calm dark blue, representing tradition and professionalism, and some bright orange-red embellishments should symbolize vitality and innovation.”

The three of them looked at each other, and then nodded almost at the same time. Lin Xiaoyu clapped her hands excitedly: “Perfect! Just like our restaurant, it has both traditional heritage and constant pursuit of innovation.”

In this way, through constant discussions, disputes and compromises, the first batch of samples gradually took shape – bone china plates printed with illustrations of the clay pot chicken production process, linen aprons incorporating elements of Xuzhou’s special snacks, and a series of cultural shirts inspired by Wang’s Restaurant’s signature dishes.
One month later, on Friday night, Wang Jianye called all employees to a meeting in the lobby. When Su Mingyuan’s team showed the five final samples, there was a burst of exclamations.

“This is so exquisite!” The young waiter Xiao Li couldn’t help but reach out and touch the linen apron, “I want to buy one to take home.”

Even the usually conservative chef Li nodded in approval: “The design of this plate really shows the essence of clay pot chicken.”

Wang Jianye looked around at the crowd and announced, “Starting next week, we will set up a display area at the hotel entrance to test-market these products. At the same time, the hotel will undergo a partial renovation to incorporate these design elements.”

He paused, and his voice became more determined: “This is not just a simple product development, but an important step in the brand upgrade of Wang’s Hotel. We want to transform from a simple catering company to a diversified brand that integrates food and culture.”

The employees looked at each other, some were excited, some were confused, but most people had anticipation in their eyes.

After the meeting, Wang Jianye was left alone in the empty lobby. Moonlight streamed in through the glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the floor. He stroked the sample plate, feeling hopeful but also worried.

“Will it work?” This thought lingered in his mind. The investment was already huge, and if the market did not respond well,
“You haven’t left yet?” Su Mingyuan’s voice came from behind. He walked over to Wang Jianye and handed him a cup of hot tea. “Are you worried about tomorrow?”

Wang Jianye took the teacup and said with a wry smile, “A little bit. After all, it’s a brand new attempt.”

“I’m quite confident.” Su Mingyuan looked at the moonlight outside the window. “Do you know why my store is called ‘Taste Memory’? Because taste is the most lasting memory. And we have materialized this memory, there is no reason why it shouldn’t be popular.”

Wang Jianye turned around and looked at his old classmate, and suddenly felt relieved. Yes, food and culture have always been inseparable, they just found a new way to express it.

“We’ll know tomorrow.” Wang Jianye raised his teacup and gently clinked it with Su Mingyuan’s.

……

The autumn sun poured into the office through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Wang Jianye stood in front of the window, tapping lightly on the window frame with his fingers.

Outside the window, Xuzhou’s most prosperous commercial street is bustling with traffic, and the sign of Wang’s Restaurant is shining brightly in the sun.

“Mr. Wang, this is last month’s financial statement.”

Liu Ming, the financial director, pushed open the door and placed a document on the mahogany desk. “The turnover increased by 35% year-on-year, and the net profit increased by 40%.”

Wang Jianye turned around, picked up the report and read it carefully, his brows gradually relaxed.

He walked to his desk and sat down, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table. “It seems like it’s time to implement the expansion plan.”

Liu Ming’s eyes lit up: “You mean opening a branch?”

“It’s more than just a branch.”

Wang Jianye stood up and walked to the map of JS Province on the wall, pointing to surrounding cities such as Huai’an and Suqian. “We want to go beyond Xuzhou and build a regional chain brand.”

Liu Ming is a little worried: “But the market situation in other places is complicated, and the local catering forces are strong.”

“So careful planning is needed.”

Wang Jianye interrupted him, his eyes gleaming with determination, “Notify the heads of all departments to hold a meeting at nine o’clock tomorrow morning.”

The next morning, the conference room was full of people.

Wang Jianye stood in front of the projection screen, and the light of the laser pen moved on the map of HA city.

“Huai’an is our first stop for expansion. It has a superior geographical location and a consumption level comparable to Xuzhou.”

His voice was steady and powerful. “But according to preliminary investigation, the local catering market is monopolized by the Huaiyanglou Group, which accounts for more than 70% of the mid-to-high-end market share.”

Chen Yu, the head of the marketing department, pushed up his glasses and said, “Behind Huaiyanglou is Zhou Fuhai, the president of the local chamber of commerce. He is said to be ruthless and has squeezed out many foreign catering brands.”

Chef Li, the head chef, snorted coldly: “What are you afraid of? Our dishes are excellent and our service is first-rate. Are you afraid that we can’t compete?”

Wang Jianye smiled slightly: “Master Li is right, but we can’t take it lightly.”

He looked around at everyone and said, “I have decided to personally lead a team to Huai’an for a two-week market research.”

After the meeting, Wang Jianye called Master Li and Chen Yu and said, “You two should get ready and go to Huai’an with me the day after tomorrow.

Also, bring Xiao Zhang along, young people have many ideas.”

Master Li frowned: “Take that brat? What does he know?”

“Because we are young, we understand the tastes of young people better.”

Wang Jianye patted his old partner on the shoulder and said, “We must be fully prepared this time.”

Two days later, a black commercial vehicle drove into the center of HA.

Wang Jianye looked at the unfamiliar street scene outside the window, feeling both excited and nervous.

This was the first time he expanded his business beyond Xuzhou.

“Boss Wang, we’re here.”

Chen Yu’s voice brought him back to reality.

The car stopped in front of a four-star hotel, and the doorman quickly stepped forward and opened the door.

When checking in, the receptionist smiled and asked, “Are you here for tourism?”

Wang Jianye was about to answer, but Master Li said first: “We are here to open a restaurant!”

The receptionist’s smile froze for a moment, and she seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Wang Jianye noticed this detail keenly and a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

After settling in, the team gathered in the hotel restaurant.

Wang Jianye noticed that the restaurant was luxuriously decorated but had few customers and the prices on the menu were ridiculously high.

“This price would scare away half of the customers in Xuzhou.”

Xiao Zhang muttered softly.

Wang Jianye thought thoughtfully: “It seems that there is indeed a problem with Huai’an’s catering market.”

At this time, a middle-aged man in a well-dressed suit came over with a smile on his face: “I don’t know you guys, are you from other places?” Chen Yu was about to speak, but Wang Jianye said first: “We are here to investigate investment, and we haven’t decided on the direction yet.”

A gleam of light flashed in the man’s eyes: “I am Secretary Zhao of the Huai’an Catering Association.

If you need any information about the local restaurant market, I’d be happy to help.”

Wang Jianye exchanged business cards with him and alarm bells rang in his heart.

After the others left, he lowered his voice and said, “From now on, don’t reveal our true purpose.”

The next morning, Wang Jianye brought his team to Huai’an’s most famous morning tea street.

In the hazy fog, long queues have formed in front of the teahouses.

“This ‘Fuchun Tea House’ is the most popular, so we’ll rank it here.”

Wang Jianye pointed to the one with the longest line.

While waiting in line, they started chatting with the local elderly people in front of them.

“Uncle, what’s special about this restaurant?” Wang Jianye asked with a smile.

The old man enthusiastically introduced: “The crab roe soup dumplings are a must! The skin is thin, the filling is rich, and the soup is delicious.”

He lowered his voice and said, “It’s much better than the ‘Huaiyang Tower’ across the street. What a pity.”

“What a pity?” Master Li couldn’t help asking.

The old man shook his head and said no more.

Wang Jianye and Chen Yu exchanged glances.

After we were seated, the waiter served us exquisite snacks.

Wang Jianye picked up a crab soup dumpling, gently bit the skin, and the boiling hot soup poured into his mouth, overflowing with fresh fragrance.

“It’s delicious indeed.”

He exclaimed, and turned to ask the waiter, “Where do you get your crabs from?”

The waiter’s face changed and he stammered, “I don’t know about this.”

Master Li frowned: “Strange, you don’t even know where the ingredients come from?”

After morning tea, the team split up.

Wang Jianye and Master Li came to the largest farmers’ market in Huai’an.

The market was crowded with people and the sounds of hawking could be heard one after another.

“Hongze Lake hairy crabs, just caught this morning!” a dark-skinned fisherman shouted.

Wang Jian lowered his body to check the crabs with green backs and white bellies: “How much are they for?”

“Sixty yuan a pound, how much do you want, boss?” The fisherman picked up one and showed it to the fisherman. “Look at this fat, how fat it is!”

Just as Wang Jianye was about to ask for the price, a burly man came over and pushed the fisherman away: “Lao Liu, we at Huaiyanglou have bought all the goods today!”

The fisherman looked embarrassed and said, “Manager Zhang, this boss came here first.”

The big man glared at Wang Jianye and said, “Outsider? I advise you not to buy seafood here. Huai’an’s seafood is all bought by our Huaiyanglou.”

Wang Jianye stood up and asked calmly, “Why is this?”

The big man sneered: “Rules are rules!” Then he forcibly pulled away all the crabs.

Master Li was so angry that his face turned blue: “Too domineering!”

Wang Jianye held his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, let’s wait and see.”

After a round of searches, they discovered that almost all high-quality seafood was monopolized by “Huaiyanglou”, and the rest were either of poor quality or inflated in price.

In the evening, the team gathered at the hotel to report the situation.

Chen Yu pushed up his glasses and said, “Huaiyanglou controls 80% of the high-end food supply in Huai’an, especially seafood and river food.”

Xiao Zhang added: “I also found that they used low-price strategies to suppress competitors.

The same dishes are priced 30% lower than the market price, which is obviously a loss-making operation.”

Master Li, this is unfair competition! “

Wang Jianye pondered for a moment: “It seems that Zhou Fuhai wants to use these two tricks to squeeze out all competitors.”

He raised his head, a look of determination in his eyes, “But we will not back down.”

The next day, Wang Jianye went to the suburbs of Huai’an alone.

Following the clues, he found a small aquaculture farm.

The owner of the farm was a simple man in his fifties, his surname was Ma.

“Boss Ma, I heard that your crabs are good?” Wang Jianye went straight to the point.

Boss Ma looked at him warily: “Who are you?”

“Wang Jianye of Xuzhou Wang’s Restaurant wants to open a branch in Huai’an.”

Boss Ma’s face changed: “Go away, I can’t sell it to you.”

“Why? I can offer a high price.”

Boss Ma lowered his voice and said, “It’s not about money.

Last week, the people from Huaiyanglou came to warn that anyone who dared to supply foreign restaurants would have no chance of staying in Huai’an.”

Wang Jianye’s heart sank, but he still didn’t give up: “What if I guarantee your safety?”

Boss Ma smiled bitterly: “Young man, you don’t know Zhou Fuhai’s power.

I didn’t listen to the advice, and as a result, the farm was poisoned and I lost all my money!”

Wang Jianye felt heavy-hearted when he left the farm.

He sat in the car, looking at the fields outside the window, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Are we going to give up the HA market just like that?

Suddenly, the ringing of the cell phone interrupted his thoughts.

It was Chen Yu who called: “Mr. Wang, we found a small supplier who might be willing to cooperate with us!”

Wang Jianye cheered up: “I’ll be back soon!”

Back at the hotel, Chen Yu excitedly reported: “There is a ‘Hongzexian’ seafood store in the south of the city. The owner’s surname is Zhou. He is a recent college graduate and started his own business. He is not controlled by ‘Huaiyanglou’.”

That afternoon, they met the young boss Zhou.

The young man wears glasses and is well-mannered, but he has a spirit of never giving up.

“Huaiyanglou did come to me,” Boss Zhou admitted, “but I’m not afraid.

My father is an old fisherman from Hongze Lake, so I have a guaranteed supply of goods.”

After Wang Jianye discussed with him in detail, he signed a supply agreement on the spot. (End of this chapter)