In Busan, the branches of Wang’s All-Series Hotel have already established a firm foothold in the local catering market with their unique dishes and high-quality services, and are crowded with customers every day and doing a booming business. However, Wang Jianye is not satisfied with the current achievements. With his keen business vision, he has looked to other cities in South Korea and is determined to further expand the brand’s influence. After careful consideration, he set his next target on Daegu, which has a unique food culture.

On this day, the sun shines through the windows of the conference room and shines on everyone. Wang Jianye stands in front of the conference table, his hands on the table, his eyes firmly scanning the team members sitting around, and says: “The success of our Busan store proves that our business model is feasible. But we can’t rest on our laurels. Daegu is a city with a unique food culture. If we want to open a branch there, we must deeply understand the local specialties and consumption habits, and develop dishes that suit the tastes of Daegu people.”

The team members in charge of market research looked focused and nodded. One of them stood up straight and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Wang, we will definitely find out the situation in Daegu clearly.”

Soon, the market research team arrived in Daegu. They were like scattered chess pieces, each traveling through the streets and alleys of Daegu. In the streets and alleys, restaurants and snack stands are lined up. In a popular fried chicken shop, researcher Xiao Zhang walked into the store, which was filled with the aroma of fried chicken. He found an empty seat and sat down, and ordered a fried chicken. The owner brought the steaming fried chicken to the table. While eating, Xiao Zhang chatted with the owner: “Boss, your fried chicken tastes really good. You have been in this business for many years, what do you think Daegu people value most about food?”

The shop owner was busy cleaning the table next to him. When he heard Xiao Zhang’s words, he stopped what he was doing, wiped his hands and said, “People in Daegu love spicy food, and their taste is very strong. They also have very high requirements for the freshness of ingredients. Look at my fried chicken. I personally go to the market early in the morning to pick the chicken I use every day. It is guaranteed to be fresh.”

Xiao Zhang quickly took out the notebook he carried with him and wrote it down carefully. Then he asked, “Besides fried chicken, what else do people in Daegu like to eat? Can you tell me more about it?”

The owner thought for a moment and said, “Beef soup is also very popular in Daegu. Many people like to have a bowl of hot beef soup in the morning to start the day full of energy.”

Xiao Zhang thanked the shop owner and continued to explore the streets of Daegu. He asked around and found a beef soup shop. The shop was full of customers. He finally found an empty seat and ordered a bowl of beef soup. After taking a few sips, he looked at the customer next to him who was drinking soup and asked, “Brother, how do you think this beef soup tastes?”

The customer swallowed the soup and replied, “This soup tastes authentic, the beef is fresh, and it warms my body. People in Daegu love this soup. A bowl of it in the morning makes me feel good.”

During his stay in Daegu, Xiao Zhang tried all kinds of local food, talked with many diners and shop owners, and recorded everyone’s opinions on the food in detail. After finishing the research and returning to the company, he handed the sorted information to Wang Jianye and said, “Mr. Wang, Daegu people really like spicy food, strong flavors, and have extremely high requirements for the freshness of ingredients. Fried chicken and beef soup are very popular in the local area.”

Wang Jianye carefully read the information, then looked at the chef team and said, “Everyone has heard it. Let’s develop dishes suitable for the Daegu market based on the research results. Perfectly combine the characteristics of Daegu with our fusion cuisine concept.”

The chef team took action quickly. Chef Lee, the head chef, gathered everyone together and said, “Let’s combine Daegu’s fried chicken with Mexican peppers and spices to develop a unique spicy fried chicken. And for beef soup, add traditional Korean herbs to enhance the nutritional value.”

The chefs divided up their work and began to try. Some were responsible for cutting the chicken, while others were responsible for mixing the Mexican spices. Chef Li instructed: “The amount of chili must be controlled, not too spicy, and not too spicy.”

After many attempts, the unique spicy fried chicken and beef soup with herbs took shape. Master Li tasted the spicy fried chicken and said to the chef next to him: “The taste is almost right, but the spice ratio needs to be fine-tuned.”

During the intensive preparations for the Daegu branch, problems arose. HR manager Park Min-joo approached Wang Jianye anxiously and said, “Mr. Wang, recruitment in Daegu is not going smoothly. Many local chefs and waiters are not familiar with the concept of our fusion cuisine and are worried about the difficulty in getting started, so it is difficult to recruit them.”

Wang Jianye thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s increase the recruitment publicity efforts, introduce the concept of fusion cuisine and the development prospects of our restaurant in detail. After recruitment, we will strengthen training so that employees can familiarize themselves with the work content as soon as possible.”

Following Wang Jianye’s instructions, Park Minzhu immediately started preparing recruitment promotional materials. She said to her colleagues, “Let’s write down the characteristics and advantages of fusion cuisine in detail, and also include the hotel’s development plan, so that everyone can understand our philosophy.”

After the job posting was released, applicants came one after another. At the interview site, Park Min-joo said to a chef applicant: “Our fusion dishes are a combination of food characteristics from different places. For example, the spicy fried chicken that we are going to launch in Daegu is a combination of Daegu fried chicken and Mexican chili spices, which has a unique taste. Have you come across similar dishes before?”

The applicant chef replied: “I have never made this before, but it sounds interesting. I am willing to try it.”

Park Minzhu said: “Okay, if you are hired, we will provide special training to familiarize you with the process of making dishes.”

After multiple rounds of screening, the right people were recruited. The next step was training. In the chef training classroom, Master Li said to the new chefs: “Look, for this spicy fried chicken, first fry the chicken until it changes color, then add the prepared Mexican spices and chili, and stir-fry evenly. Pay attention to the heat and the amount of seasoning.” In the waiter training room, the trainer said to the new waiters: “When customers come in, you should greet them warmly, guide them to their seats, and clearly introduce the characteristics of the dishes when they order.”

After a period of training, the employees gradually became familiar with the work content, and finally, the Daegu branch opened.

On the opening day, the store entrance was filled with opening flower baskets, and the interior was decorated in a simple and elegant manner. Many passers-by were attracted by the lively atmosphere and gathered at the store entrance to look in. Customers walked into the store one after another. A local customer from Daegu walked in, found a seat under the guidance of the waiter, and ordered a spicy fried chicken and beef soup.

After a while, the dishes and soup were served. The customer tasted the spicy fried chicken and said to the waiter, “I didn’t expect to eat such a special fusion dish in Daegu. It tastes really good. The beef soup is added with herbs, which makes it more nutritious. Your environment is also nice. I will definitely come here often in the future.”

The waiter responded with a smile: “Thank you for your recognition, we will continue to work hard.”

……

In Daegu, as the branch officially opened, the lively atmosphere spread like ripples across the city. The brightly colored opening banner at the store entrance fluttered in the wind, and customers came in an endless stream, with laughter and joy intertwined.

A customer walked into the Daegu branch, quickly scanned the environment of the store, and showed a satisfied expression on his face. He walked straight to an empty table, and the waiter immediately greeted him and handed him the menu with a smile. While flipping through the menu, the customer asked the waiter: “How does your new fusion dish taste?” The waiter introduced enthusiastically: “Sir, our fusion dishes combine the local characteristics of Daegu with the flavors of other regions. For example, many customers say that the spicy fried chicken is very delicious. You may as well try it.” The customer nodded and said, “Okay, then I’ll have one portion of what you said, and a bowl of beef soup.”

Not long after, the dishes were served. The customer tasted the spicy fried chicken and his eyes lit up immediately. He said to his friend next to him: “Hey, this tastes really good. I didn’t expect this fusion method to be quite creative. It makes Daegu fried chicken look new.” The friend also tasted it and nodded repeatedly: “Indeed, this combination is just right. The spicy taste is addictive, and the original fragrance of the chicken is retained.”

As such good reviews continued to spread, more and more customers came to the store, and the business became increasingly prosperous. The success of the Daegu branch undoubtedly gave Wang Jianye a shot in the arm for his expansion plan. The plan to expand to multiple cities in South Korea is being carried out in an orderly manner under Wang Jianye’s leadership.

Every time a new city is selected, Wang Jianye will gather the team members and say seriously: “If we want to take root in a new city, we must proceed steadily. The first step is to conduct a comprehensive market research and gain an in-depth understanding of the local food culture and consumption habits. Only by understanding these can we develop dishes that suit the tastes of the locals. In addition, recruitment and training must also keep up, which is related to whether our branch can be successfully opened. Is everyone clear?” The team members responded in unison: “Clear!”

This time, the team set their sights on Gwangju. The market research team acted quickly, and they were scattered in every corner of Gwangju. In the traditional market in Gwangju, researcher Xiao Wang stopped an aunt who was selecting ingredients and asked politely: “Auntie, hello. I would like to ask, what special foods do people in Gwangju usually like to eat?” The aunt replied enthusiastically: “There are many delicious foods in Gwangju, such as Gwangju bibimbap and stewed pig’s trotters, which are all our favorites.” Xiao Wang asked again: “Do people in Gwangju have any special preferences in food tastes?” The aunt thought for a while and said: “We people in Gwangju like to eat sweet and spicy flavors, and we also have high requirements for the quality of ingredients.”

The research team compiled the information they collected and handed it over to Chef Li, who was in charge of the food development. Chef Li looked at the information, frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said to the chefs around him: “Based on the dietary characteristics of Gwangju, we can combine Gwangju bibimbap with Italian spaghetti bolognese to make a new dish. For stewed pig’s trotters, we can add some Japanese teriyaki sauce to improve the taste. What do you think?” The chefs nodded in agreement, and one of them said: “Chef Li, this is a good idea. Maybe it can bring a different taste experience to customers.”

While the development of dishes was in full swing, the human resources department encountered trouble in recruiting in Gwangju. Xiao Zhao, the person in charge of recruitment, found Wang Jianye and said with a distressed look: “Mr. Wang, the recruitment in Gwangju is not going well. Many people don’t know much about the fusion cuisine model of our restaurant and are worried that they will have trouble adapting to the work after they come.” Wang Jianye patted Xiao Zhao on the shoulder and said: “Don’t worry, let’s increase publicity. In the recruitment information, we will introduce in detail the business philosophy of our restaurant, the characteristics of fusion cuisine, and the future development space of employees. In addition, when we recruit the right people, we must provide them with training so that they can familiarize themselves with the work process as soon as possible.”

Xiao Zhao readjusted his recruitment strategy according to Wang Jianye’s instructions. At the recruitment site, Xiao Zhao said to a chef who came to apply for the job: “The fusion cuisine of our restaurant is to combine the food characteristics of different places to create brand new dishes. For example, we will combine the special cuisine of Gwangju with some foreign flavors. For example, the new dishes developed this time have the idea of ​​combining Gwangju bibimbap and Italian spaghetti bolognese. Have you ever had similar experience in making innovative dishes before?” The applicant chef replied: “Although I have never made this kind of fusion cuisine, I am very interested in innovative dishes and am willing to learn.” Xiao Zhao smiled and said: “That’s great, we will provide comprehensive training to help you get started quickly.”

After hard work, the recruitment and training of the staff of the Gwangju branch was successfully completed. On the opening day, the decoration inside the store was full of Gwangju cultural elements. A local customer from Gwangju walked into the store, looked around curiously, and said to the waiter: “Your store looks quite fresh. What is fusion cuisine like? Tell me about it.” The waiter smiled and introduced: “Sir, fusion cuisine is to combine the food characteristics of different places. For example, our newly launched Gwangju meat sauce bibimbap combines the characteristics of Gwangju bibimbap and Italian meat sauce noodles. You can try it.” The customer nodded and decided to give it a try.

When the Gwangju Bolognese Bibimbap was served, the customer took a bite and showed a pleasant surprise on his face: “Oh, this tastes amazing, it has the mellow taste of Gwangju Bibimbap and the rich flavor of Italian Bolognese noodles, it’s really good.” The waiter said: “Thank you for your recognition, we will continue to introduce new dishes, I hope you will come often in the future.”

With the opening of the Gwangju branch, Wang Jianye organized another team meeting. In the meeting room, everyone sat together, and the atmosphere was lively. Wang Jianye looked at everyone and said, “We have opened branches in Daegu and Gwangju, and the business is pretty good. But we can’t be satisfied with this. The market competition is too fierce. Only by continuous innovation and improvement can we stay ahead. Everyone, tell us what ideas you have next, let’s discuss them together.” (End of this chapter)