Wang Jianye stood on the street of Orchard Road, holding a map in his hand. He looked at the map, then looked up and looked around. There were tall buildings on both sides of the street, colorful shop signs, and pedestrians. He put away the map and walked into a real estate agency.

Inside the agency, several staff members were busy sitting in front of computers. Wang Jianye walked to the front desk and said to a staff member, “I want to find a storefront suitable for opening a restaurant. It should be large and have convenient transportation. Do you have a suitable one?”

The staff member looked up at Wang Jianye, then took out a stack of documents from the filing cabinet and handed them to him: “Boss Wang, look at these, they are all near Orchard Road, and the locations are all good.”

Wang Jianye took the information, sat on a chair nearby, and carefully read through the pages. As he read, he asked, “Where is the exact location of this store?”

The staff member came over and pointed to the map in the information: “It’s at the corner of this street, next to a shopping mall.”

Wang Jianye nodded and continued to ask: “How much is the rent?”

The staff member replied: “20,000 Singapore dollars per month.”

Wang Jianye frowned: “This price is a bit high, are there any other options?”

The staff member pulled out a few more documents: “The rents of these places are relatively cheaper, but the locations are a little off the beaten track.”

Wang Jianye took the information, looked at it carefully, and then said, “I want to go and see all of these in person.”

The staff nodded: “Okay, I’ll arrange it and take you there.”

A few minutes later, the staff took Wang Jianye out of the agency and came to the first store. The store was located in a small alley, with a “For Rent” sign hanging at the door. Wang Jianye stood at the door, looked around, and asked, “How is the traffic here?”

The staff member replied: “The flow of people is average on weekdays, but it will be more on weekends.”

Wang Jianye shook his head: “This location is not ideal. A hotel should be conspicuous and easy to find.”

The staff nodded: “Then let’s go to the next one.”

The second store was located in a shopping mall. It was spacious and modern. Wang Jianye walked into the store, looked around, and asked, “How much is the rent here?”

The staff member replied: “30,000 Singapore dollars per month.”

Wang Jianye frowned: “The rent is too high, the cost pressure is too great, let’s take a look at the next one first.”

The staff took Wang Jianye to the third store. This store was located on a main road, with people coming and going at the door. Wang Jianye walked into the store, carefully checked every corner, and then asked, “How much is the rent here?”

The staff member replied: “25,000 Singapore dollars per month.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “This location is not bad, but the rent is still a bit high. Is there any cheaper one?”

The staff shook his head: “This is already the cheapest nearby.”

Wang Jianye pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll think about it again.”

In the next few days, Wang Jianye continued to look for suitable stores in commercial areas such as Orchard Road, Marina Bay, and Chinatown. He went out early and returned late every day, holding a map and a notebook in his hand, recording the location, area, rent and other information of each store.

One afternoon, Wang Jianye came to a busy area in the city center. He saw a shop with a “For Rent” sign hanging on the door, so he walked in. The shop was spacious and simply decorated. There were many bus routes around it, and the subway station was not far away. Wang Jianye walked around the shop, then walked outside and observed the passers-by for a while.

He walked into a nearby convenience store and said to the owner, “Hello, I want to ask, how is the business around here?”

The convenience store owner replied: “Not bad, there is a lot of traffic here, and business has been very stable.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “Thank you.”

He walked out of the convenience store, took out his cell phone, and called the landlord: “Hello, I’m Wang Jianye. I saw that you have a shop for rent. I would like to arrange a time for a meeting.”

The landlord’s voice came from the other end of the phone: “Okay, how about ten o’clock tomorrow morning?”

Wang Jianye replied: “Sure, see you tomorrow.”

The next morning, Wang Jianye arrived at the store on time. The landlord was already waiting inside the store, and the two shook hands. The landlord said, “Boss Wang, what do you think of this store?”

Wang Jianye replied: “The location is good and the area is large enough, it is very suitable for opening a restaurant.”

The landlord nodded: “What are your requirements for the rent?”

Wang Jianye said: “I think the rent is a bit high, can you give me a better discount?”

The landlord smiled and said, “Boss Wang, my rent is already very reasonable. You know this location, so it’s not difficult to rent it.”

Wang Jianye said, “I really want to rent it, and I plan to run it for a long time. I will definitely not cause you any trouble in the future. How about this, I sign a three-year contract at once, can the rent be reduced a little?”

The landlord hesitated for a moment and said, “If you sign a three-year contract at once, I can consider reducing it a little, but the reduction will not be too big.”

Wang Jianye said, “How about 20,000 Singapore dollars a month?”

The landlord shook his head and said, “This price is too low. I can lower it to 23,000 Singapore dollars at the lowest.”

Wang Jianye thought for a moment and said, “Twenty-two thousand New Zealand dollars, I will pay the rent for half a year in one lump sum, what do you think?”

The landlord pondered for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement: “Okay, let’s do as you say.”

Wang Jianye smiled and said, “Thank you, landlord. I will run the business well and will not let you down.”

The landlord also smiled and said, “I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation.”

The two then signed a lease contract, and Wang Jianye paid a deposit. After leaving the store, he took out his notebook, wrote a few lines on it, and then called Master Li: “Master Li, I found a suitable store. When are you free to come and take a look?”

Master Li’s voice came from the other end of the phone: “I’m in the store now, you can come over after 3 pm.”

Wang Jianye replied, “Okay, I’ll wait for you then.” At 3 p.m., Master Li arrived on time. He walked into the shop, looked around, and said to Wang Jianye, “This is a good location, and the area is large enough. It should be easy to decorate.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “I think so too, you can see how to design this place more appropriately.”

Master Li took out a tape measure and began to measure every corner of the store. While measuring, he discussed with Wang Jianye: “The kitchen can be placed in the back, leaving enough space for the dining area in the front. The middle can be separated by a screen to divide it into several small areas.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “The screen can be made of wood and matched with some Korean-style decorations.”

Master Li said: “Yes, we can hang some murals on the wall with brighter colors to highlight the Korean characteristics.”

The two discussed for nearly an hour and finally decided on a preliminary renovation plan. Wang Jianye drew a few sketches on his notebook and handed them to Master Li: “Take a look at this and see if it will work.”

Master Li took the sketch and looked at it carefully: “No problem, I will start contacting the construction team tomorrow.”

The next morning, the construction team arrived at the store. The workers were wearing blue work clothes and holding tools. Master Li stood at the door, directing the workers to move materials. Wang Jianye also arrived early, holding a decoration contract in his hand. He shook hands with the person in charge of the construction team, gave a few brief instructions, and then stood aside and watched the workers start working.

The workers first removed the old facilities in the store, including posters on the wall and tiles on the floor. Wang Jianye stood aside, occasionally lowering his head to write a few notes in his notebook. Master Li held the blueprint and discussed the specific construction details with the workers.

“The wall here needs to be knocked down and turned into an open kitchen.” Master Li said, pointing to a wall.

The worker nodded, picked up the electric drill and started working. The sound of the electric drill echoed in the shop, and dust filled the air. Wang Jianye walked to the door and opened the window for ventilation.

A few days later, the shop’s renovation work was coming to an end. The walls were repainted and new wooden floors were laid on the floor. Wooden tables and chairs were moved into the shop and workers arranged them neatly according to the drawings. Master Li stood aside and directed the workers to adjust the positions of the tables and chairs.

“Move this table a little to the left.” said Master Li.

The workers nodded and moved the table. Wang Jianye came in with several murals in his hands. He walked to the wall and hung the murals with the workers. The murals were colorful and depicted traditional Korean scenery and folk activities.

“It looks good.” Master Li came over, looked at the mural and said.

“Well, the effect is better than I thought.” Wang Jianye nodded.

After the renovation was completed, Wang Jianye began to recruit employees. He posted a recruitment notice at the door of the store, which listed the job requirements for waiters, chefs and cleaners. A few days later, applicants came to the store one after another.

Wang Jianye sat in the store’s meeting room with a stack of resumes in front of him. He picked up the first resume, looked at the information on it, then looked up at the applicant sitting opposite him and said, “Please briefly introduce your work experience.”

The applicant was a young woman wearing a white shirt and black trousers. She cleared her throat and began to say, “I worked as a waitress in a restaurant for two years, mainly responsible for taking orders and serving food.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “What do you think is the most important quality for a waiter?”

“Patience and attentiveness,” the candidate replied. “You need to be able to respond to customers’ needs promptly and pay attention to details, such as the placement of tableware and the temperature of dishes.”

Wang Jianye made a few notes on his resume and said, “Okay, we will notify you of the interview results within a week.”

In the next few days, Wang Jianye interviewed more than a dozen applicants. He carefully asked about each person’s work experience and career plan, and made detailed records on their resumes. After the interviews, he discussed with Master Li and finally determined the list of candidates.

After the new employees joined the company, Wang Jianye began to organize training. He stood in the middle of the store, holding a training manual in his hand, and said to the new employees: “Our service standards are: after customers come in, we must greet them within 30 seconds; when taking orders, we must carefully ask customers about their taste preferences; when serving dishes, we must ensure that the temperature and presentation of the dishes meet the standards.”

The new employees listened carefully, and some took out their notebooks to take notes. Wang Jianye continued, “Before opening every day, we need to check the placement of tables and chairs and the cleanliness of tableware. After closing, we need to clean thoroughly to ensure a clean working environment for the next day.”

After the training, Wang Jianye and Chef Li began to study the development of new dishes. They stood in the kitchen with several ingredients in front of them. Chef Li picked up a piece of beef, cut it into thin slices, and put it in the pan to fry. Wang Jianye stood aside with a notebook in his hand, recording every step of the operation.

“You can try adding some Singaporean spices, such as curry leaves and chilies,” said Wang Jianye.

Master Li nodded, took out some spices from the spice rack and sprinkled them into the pot. The fragrance soon spread, and Wang Jianye leaned in to smell it: “It tastes good, try adding some coconut milk.”

Master Li poured in some coconut milk, stirred it evenly, and handed it to Wang Jianye in a small bowl. Wang Jianye took a sip and nodded: “This tastes good, customers should like it.”

The two continued to try several different combinations of ingredients and finally determined the recipes for several new dishes. Wang Jianye recorded the preparation steps and ingredients required for each dish in detail in his notebook.

A few days later, the new dishes were officially launched. Wang Jianye stood at the door of the store, holding a menu in his hand, and introduced to passers-by: “We have launched several new dishes that combine Korean and Singaporean characteristics. Welcome to taste them.”

A customer walked into the store, picked up the menu and looked at it: “What does this Korean beef curry taste like?”

“It’s made with Korean hot sauce and Singaporean curry leaves, and has a very unique flavour,” Wang Jianye explained.

The customer nodded: “Then give me one to try.”

Wang Jianye walked into the kitchen and handed the order to Chef Li. Chef Li started cooking, while Wang Jianye stood aside and observed the customer’s reaction. After the customer finished eating, he nodded with satisfaction and said, “It tastes good. I will come again next time.”

Wang Jianye smiled and continued to greet other customers. The atmosphere in the store gradually became lively, and the new employees were busy shuttling between the tables and chairs to provide services to customers.

After closing the restaurant in the evening, Wang Jianye and Master Li sat in the conference room to discuss the day’s business. Wang Jianye opened his notebook and looked at the data on it: “Today’s customer flow increased by 20% compared to yesterday, and the sales of new dishes are also good.”

Master Li nodded: “It seems that our efforts have not been in vain.”

Wang Jianye closed his notebook and stood up: “Continue to work hard tomorrow and strive to do better.”

Master Li also stood up, and the two of them walked out of the meeting room together and turned off the lights in the shop.

……

Wang Jianye and Master Li stood in front of the kitchen counter. Sunlight shone through the window onto the countertop. Various ingredients were neatly arranged. Master Li pushed a plate of newly developed creative sushi rolls in front of Wang Jianye and said, “Boss Wang, try this again. I adjusted the ratio of kimchi and seafood as I said before, and added a little more Korean hot sauce.”

Wang Jianye picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of sushi roll and put it in his mouth. He chewed it for a few times and then said, “The taste is right this time. The taste is richer and the layers are more distinct.”

Master Li nodded: “Then we can start thinking about how to standardize this dish.” (End of this chapter)