On the other side, Master Li was busy in the kitchen. He called Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian over and said, “Xiao Zhao, Xiao Qian, from today on, you two will learn how to cook from me. You will also have to shoulder the burden of the kitchen in the future.”

Xiao Zhao and Xiao Qian nodded quickly: “Master, don’t worry, we will definitely study hard.”

Master Li personally demonstrated how to cut vegetables, add side dishes, and control the heat. “Look carefully, for this Korean barbecue, the meat must be cut into evenly thin slices, and the proportion of seasonings when marinating is critical.”

In the process of recruiting new employees, some difficulties were encountered. Many people came to apply for the position of chef, but not many met the requirements for making Korean-Singapore fusion dishes. Chef Li interviewed several applicants, but was not satisfied with any of them.

“Although this chef is experienced, he knows too little about Singaporean cuisine and does not meet our requirements,” Chef Li said to Wang Jianye.

Wang Jianye said: “Don’t worry, keep looking, and make sure you find the right person. We can increase the salary to attract more capable people.”

After a few days of hard work, several suitable chefs finally applied for the job. Master Li personally assessed them and asked them to make several signature dishes on the spot. “Well, this chef has good skills and a good understanding of Korean-Singapore fusion cuisine. You can hire him,” Master Li said to Wang Jianye.

After the new employees joined the company, Master Li began to train them. He took the new employees to familiarize themselves with the kitchen environment and explained the characteristics and usage of various ingredients. “This is our special Korean kimchi, which has a unique taste. When making kimchi seafood fried rice, pay attention to the amount of kimchi used.”

Chen Yu also began to implement the promotion plan he developed with Xiao Wang and Xiao Liu. They posted information about the “Hanxin Food Creative Challenge” on social media, which attracted a lot of attention from users. At the same time, they also contacted several local Internet celebrities and invited them to the restaurant to experience it.

When an internet celebrity came to the restaurant, Chen Yu personally greeted him: “Welcome to our Wang’s All-inclusive Restaurant. I hope you can have a pleasant dining experience here.”

The influencer smiled and said, “I’ve heard that your restaurant’s Korean-Singapore fusion cuisine is very unique. Today I finally have the opportunity to try it.”

During the meal, the influencer kept taking photos and videos, and also discussed the taste and characteristics of the dishes with Chen Yu. “This Singaporean chili crab is really delicious, the crab meat is very fresh, and the sauce is very rich.” The influencer said to Chen Yu.

After the meal, the influencer posted a video of the experience on his social media account, praising the restaurant’s food and environment. The video quickly received a large number of likes and reposts, attracting many new customers to dine at the restaurant.

As the new staff gradually got used to the job, the quality of the dishes in the kitchen gradually stabilized. The marketing department’s promotional activities also achieved good results, and the restaurant’s customer flow gradually recovered.

One day, Wang Jianye stood at the entrance of the restaurant, watching the customers coming in and out, with a gratified smile on his face. Chen Yu came over and said, “Mr. Wang, the recent customer flow has returned to the previous level, and the proportion of new customers is still increasing.”

Wang Jianye nodded: “Yes, this is the result of everyone’s hard work. But we can’t relax, we have to continue to improve the quality of service and food.”

At this time, an old customer came in and said to Wang Jianye: “Boss Wang, I heard that something happened here before, but I still believe in you. I came to eat here these two days, and it feels as good as before.”

Wang Jianye smiled and said, “Thank you for your support. We will keep working hard to make everyone eat more delicious food.”

……

Wang Jianye sat in his office, frowning, staring at the new policy document just released by the food delivery platform on his computer screen. The bold words in the document, especially the clause about increasing the commission rate of merchants, pierced his heart like needles. His fingers tapped lightly on the table unconsciously, thinking about how to deal with it. After a while, he picked up his phone and called Chen Yu.

“Chen Yu, please come to my office as soon as possible. The food delivery platform has introduced a new policy and the situation is a bit tricky.” Wang Jianye’s voice was low and rapid.

“Okay, Mr. Wang, I’ll be there right away.” Chen Yu responded on the other end of the phone.

Not long after, Chen Yu hurried into the office with a document in his hand. He walked to Wang Jianye’s desk and asked, “Boss Wang, is this the new commission policy of the food delivery platform? I just saw it, and it has a significant impact on our profits.”

Wang Jianye nodded, pointed to the computer screen and said, “Look, the commission has increased by several percentage points at once, and our profit margin has been severely squeezed.”

Chen Yu looked at the screen, frowned and said, “That won’t do. We have to find a way to deal with it. I think we can negotiate with the platform first and try to reduce the commission.”

“That’s what I thought, too.” Wang Jianye said, “You contact the person who supports the platform first and arrange a time for a face-to-face meeting. Just say that we have important cooperation matters to discuss.”

“Okay, I’ll contact them right away.” Chen Yu said, then turned back to his office and started looking for the contact information of the person who was in charge of the food delivery platform. After he found the number, he took a deep breath and dialed the number.

“Hello, is this Manager Zhang from the food delivery platform? I’m Chen Yu from Wang’s full-line restaurants. I’ve seen the new policy of our platform. Regarding the commission, our restaurant has some ideas and would like to arrange a time for a face-to-face meeting with you. When is convenient for you?” Chen Yu tried his best to keep his tone polite and sincere.

Manager Zhang on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment and said, “I’m busy lately, so let’s meet at 3 pm tomorrow in our company’s conference room.”

“Okay, Manager Zhang, then we will be there on time at 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Thank you!” Chen Yu hung up the phone, went back to Wang Jianye’s office, and told him the agreed time.

“Okay, I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Wang Jianye said. “Also, we can’t just pin all our hopes on negotiations. We have to think of other ways. I think we can consider building an independent delivery system to reduce our reliance on delivery platforms.”

Chen Yu thought for a moment and said, “Building an independent distribution system is one solution, but the initial investment is definitely not small. We also have to consider the recruitment and training of distribution personnel, as well as the distribution range and efficiency.”

“All of these need to be considered carefully.” Wang Jianye said, “You should first meet with Lao Li, the head of the logistics department, and ask him to make a preliminary budget and plan to see how feasible it is.”

“Okay, Mr. Wang, I’ll go find Lao Li right away.” Chen Yu said, and then he went to find Lao Li in the logistics department. In the office of the logistics department, Chen Yu told Lao Li about Wang Jianye’s idea. Lao Li adjusted his glasses and said, “Building an independent distribution system will cost a lot of money, including vehicle purchases, employee salaries, and insurance. But if it succeeds, it will definitely be good for our hotel in the long run. I’ll make a budget list first, and then consult with several vehicle rental companies and human resources companies.”

“Thank you, Brother Li, for coming up with a plan as soon as possible,” said Chen Yu.

At the same time, Chef Li also heard about the new policy of the food delivery platform in the kitchen. He called a few chefs together and said, “The commission of the food delivery platform has increased. We have to find a way to increase the added value of the dishes. We can’t just rely on price cuts to attract customers. Everyone, think about whether there are any new dishes or improvements to the existing dishes.”

Chef Xiao Wang said: “Master, I think we can combine our signature Korean barbecue with Singaporean satay and make satay barbecue. Maybe it can attract more customers.”

Chef Xiao Zhang also said: “I was thinking, can I combine Korean bibimbap with Singaporean seafood to make seafood bibimbap with more ingredients in it.”

After listening to this, Master Li nodded and said, “These are all good ideas. Let’s try making them first and see how they taste.”

While everyone was busy dealing with the food delivery platform policy, Wang Jianye and Chen Yu were out on a field trip and found several niche catering brands nearby. Although they were small in scale, their dishes were very distinctive and they had a lot of customers. Wang Jianye was inspired and after returning to the restaurant, he called Chen Yu and Chef Li together.

“I went out today and saw several niche catering brands around, which have great development potential. I was wondering if we can cooperate with them to jointly develop new dishes and expand market share,” said Wang Jianye.

Chen Yu’s eyes lit up and he said, “Boss Wang, this is a good idea. We can exchange cooking experience with them, combine the characteristics of both sides, and develop a new series of dishes.”

Chef Li also said: “Yes, this will not only enrich our menu, but also leverage their brand influence to attract more customers.”

“Okay, that’s settled then.” Wang Jianye said, “Chen Yu, you will be responsible for negotiating cooperation with those brands and see what their intentions are. Chef Li, you will be prepared. Once the cooperation is reached, you will work with their chef team to develop new dishes.”

Chen Yu was busy again. He contacted the heads of those niche catering brands through various channels and arranged to meet with them to discuss cooperation. In a cafe, Chen Yu met with Boss Liu, the head of one of the brands.

“Hello, Mr. Liu! I am Chen Yu from Wang’s full-line restaurants. We really appreciate the specialties of your restaurant’s dishes and feel that there is potential for cooperation between our two companies.” Chen Yu said straight to the point.

Boss Liu smiled and said, “Hello, Manager Chen! I have also heard of your restaurant. The Korean-Singapore fusion cuisine is very unique. But how will the cooperation work?”

Chen Yu told Boss Liu about the general idea of ​​cooperation, including jointly developing new dishes and mutual publicity and promotion. Boss Liu listened, thought for a while and said, “This is a good idea, but I still need to discuss it with my team. How about this, Manager Chen, I will give you an answer in three days.”

“Okay, Boss Liu, I’ll wait for your reply. I look forward to our successful cooperation.” After Chen Yu finished speaking, he exchanged business cards with Boss Liu and left the cafe.

Back at the hotel, Chen Yu told Wang Jianye about the negotiation with Boss Liu. Wang Jianye said, “Okay, then wait for their reply. Don’t be idle these days, continue to contact several other brands and strive for more cooperation opportunities.”

At the same time, Lao Li worked out a preliminary plan for building an independent distribution system. He took the plan to Wang Jianye’s office and said, “Mr. Wang, this is the preliminary plan and budget for building an independent distribution system. You see, according to this plan, a lot of money will be invested in the early stage, but if it is operated properly, the cost can be gradually reduced in the later stage.”

Wang Jianye took the plan and read it carefully. While reading it, he asked Lao Li some detailed questions, such as the vehicle leasing method and the salary structure of the delivery personnel. After reading it, Wang Jianye said, “Put this plan here for now. I will study it. You can contact a few insurance companies to see how much the insurance costs for the delivery vehicles and personnel are.”

“Okay, Mr. Wang.” After saying that, Lao Li turned and left the office.

The next afternoon, Wang Jianye and Chen Yu arrived at the food delivery platform company on time. In the conference room, they met Manager Zhang.

“Hello, Manager Zhang! Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.” Wang Jianye greeted Manager Zhang with a smile.

“Boss Wang, Manager Chen, you’re welcome. If you have any ideas about the new policy, just tell us directly,” said Manager Zhang.

Wang Jianye cleared his throat and said, “Manager Zhang, we have seen that the platform’s new commission policy has a relatively large impact on the profits of our merchants. Our restaurant has always had a pleasant cooperation with the platform, and we have a lot of orders. Can you give us some discounts in terms of commission?”

Manager Zhang shook his head and said, “Boss Wang, this new policy is a unified regulation of the company. It applies to all merchants, not just you. In addition, platform operation also has costs, and increasing the commission is also to maintain the development of the platform.”

Chen Yu continued, “Manager Zhang, we understand the difficulties of the platform, but it is indeed a bit difficult for us to bear such a large increase in commission. Can you formulate a differentiated commission plan based on the merchant’s order volume and praise rate? For example, our restaurant has a high order volume and praise rate.”

Manager Zhang thought for a while and said, “I can report this suggestion to my superiors, but I can’t guarantee whether it will be approved.”

Wang Jianye and Chen Yu looked at each other, and Wang Jianye said, “Then I’ll trouble Manager Zhang. I hope the platform can consider the actual situation of our merchants.”

After the meeting, Wang Jianye and Chen Yu left the food delivery platform company. Chen Yu said, “Mr. Wang, it seems that the negotiations are not going well. We have to figure out a solution on our own.”

Wang Jianye nodded and said, “Well, continue to promote the plan of an independent distribution system, and wait for the response from those niche catering brands.”

In the next few days, Chen Yu continued to negotiate cooperation with several other niche catering brands, while Wang Jianye and Lao Li continued to improve the plan for an independent distribution system. Finally, Boss Liu called Chen Yu.

“Hello, Manager Chen! After our team’s discussion, we think the plan to cooperate with your hotel is feasible.” Boss Liu said on the phone. (End of this chapter)