Xiao Zhang couldn’t help but interject: “But the market is changing, and so are consumer tastes. We have to keep up with the times!”

Seeing that the debate was about to start again, Wang Jianye raised his hand to stop it: “What you said makes sense. Tradition is our foundation, and innovation is the driving force of development. Why not try to innovate on the basis of preserving the essence of tradition?”

The meeting room fell silent as everyone pondered the proposal.

Wang Jianye continued, “I have an idea. Tomorrow, we will invite several food critics to taste the dishes. We will have both traditional and innovative versions, and listen to the opinions of professionals.”

This proposal was unanimously agreed by everyone. After the meeting, Wang Jianye stood alone in front of the window, looking at the stars in the night sky, with mixed feelings in his heart. He thought of the hardships in the early days of his business, the ups and downs along the way, and became more determined to open a branch store.

The next day, Professor Zheng, a well-known food critic in Xuzhou, was invited to Wang’s Restaurant. Professor Zheng was in his sixties and was highly respected in the catering industry and was known for his fairness and strictness.

Wang Jianye personally greeted him: “Professor Zheng, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to give me guidance.”

Professor Zheng smiled amiably and said, “Boss Wang, you are too polite. I heard that you are going to open a branch in the new city area. I am looking forward to it.”

At the food tasting session, the chef team prepared two versions of their signature dishes, traditional and innovative. Professor Zheng tasted each dish carefully, nodding and frowning from time to time, which made the chefs present very nervous.

After the tasting, Professor Zheng wiped his mouth and looked around at everyone: “The traditional version has a solid foundation and a pure taste; the innovative version is bold and avant-garde, but it has lost some of its authenticity.” He paused and said, “Why not try to combine the two? For example, for clay pot chicken, you can keep the traditional cooking method, but make some adjustments to the ingredients and add some elements that young people like.”

This made everyone suddenly enlightened. Master Li and Xiao Zhang looked at each other, and their previous confrontational emotions were obviously eased.

Wang Jianye said gratefully: “Professor Zheng’s words have enlightened us. We will adjust the dishes according to your suggestions.”

After seeing Professor Zheng off, the chef team immediately started new research and development work. This time, Chef Li and Xiao Zhang started to work together, one was responsible for controlling the traditional craftsmanship, and the other was responsible for the innovative elements, and they worked well together.

Wang Jianye saw this and felt a little relieved. At least the team problem was being solved, and now the only problem left was the store.

At this time, Chen Ming brought good news: “Mr. Wang, the police found Zhou Qiang! He was arrested in a small county in a neighboring province, and some funds in his account have not been transferred yet.”

Wang Jianye let out a long sigh: “How much can be recovered?”

“About 150,000 yuan, and he squandered the rest. But the police said that according to their investigation, this was indeed a premeditated fraud, and Zhou Qiang and Sun Fu were indeed connected.”

Wang Jianye sneered: “I knew it. Prepare the materials, I will sue Sun Fu as well!”

At the same time, Chen Yu also brought good news: “Mr. Wang, I found a new store in the new city. The location is better than the previous one, the property rights are clear, the owner is an honest man, and the price is reasonable.”

Wang Jianye finally smiled, “Great! Arrange the signing immediately and the decoration team should come in as soon as possible.”

Two months later, the grand opening ceremony of Wang’s Restaurant Xincheng District Branch was held. The brand new signboard shone brightly in the sun, and a long queue formed at the door, with many customers coming here to visit.

Wang Jianye, wearing a brand new suit, stood at the door to welcome the guests. Professor Zheng, media reporters, old customers, and even several government officials came to show their support.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Wang Jianye said with emotion: “It has not been easy along the way, but we have always adhered to the philosophy of honest management and quality first. The new restaurant will inherit the tradition of Wang’s Hotel and will also bring customers more innovative experiences.”

On the first day of opening, the turnover exceeded expectations. The new dishes that combine tradition and innovation have won unanimous praise from customers. Chef Li and Xiao Zhang stood in the kitchen, watching the dishes of carefully prepared dishes being served, with proud smiles on their faces.

After closing the shop at night, Wang Jianye stood alone in front of the French window on the second floor of the new store, looking at the lights of the new city. His cell phone rang, and it was a message from Chen Ming: “Mr. Wang, Sun Fu agreed to the settlement and is willing to compensate us for all our losses.”

Wang Jianye smiled and replied, “Okay, let’s stop here. We have more important things to do.”

He turned around and looked at the empty restaurant, and he had already started planning the next branch in his mind. Although the road to honest business is bumpy, as long as you persist, you will definitely reach the other side of success.

……

The autumn sun shines through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows of Wang’s Hotel, casting a golden hue on the busy morning.

The waiter Xiao Li was walking quickly between the tables with a tray in his hand, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

She glanced at her watch – it was only half past ten in the morning, but the lobby was already 70% full, and her legs were already sore.

“Xiao Li, the guests at table 3 want to add to their bill!” The voice of the supervisor Sister Wang came from the intercom, with an unquestionable urging.

“Got it, I’ll be there right away.” Xiao Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked quickly to table number 3.

This was the third time she had added an order this morning. Since the restaurant’s business had picked up, her workload had almost doubled. She managed a smile and said, “Hello, what can I add to your order?”

The middle-aged man at the table flipped through the menu without even looking up: “Another serving of crab meat and two bowls of rice. Come on, we’ve been waiting for quite some time.”

“Okay, please wait.” When Xiao Li turned around, he accidentally bumped into his colleague Xiao Liu who was passing by with hot soup. The scalding soup splashed on the back of her hand, which instantly turned red.

“Hiss…” She took a breath and endured the pain to continue working. Walking into the kitchen, she finally couldn’t help but complain: “This life is unbearable! I’m busy from morning till night, but my salary has only increased a little bit.”

In the kitchen, Chef Xiao Zhang was waving a wok, his white chef uniform soaked with sweat.

Hearing what Xiao Li said, he agreed without turning his head: “Who said it wasn’t true! My arms can hardly be lifted. I cook half as many dishes every day as before, and my salary slip at the end of the month adds 200 yuan.”

“Keep your voices down!” The side dish chef, Lao Zhou, looked around vigilantly, “If Manager Wang hears us, he’ll say we’re not satisfied.”

“Not satisfied?” Xiao Li lowered his voice, his eyes reddened, “I worked overtime for 60 hours last month, and even canceled three dates. My boyfriend is about to break up with me!”

Xiao Zhang turned off the fire and wiped his hands: “How about we talk to Manager Wang? I heard that the salary at the newly opened Hunan restaurant across the street is 20% higher than ours.”

Xiao Li bit his lip and said, “How many times have we discussed this? Every time, they said, ‘The hotel is just starting out’, ‘Funds are tight’, and asked us to ‘hold on a little longer’.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the foreman Wang who suddenly pushed the door open and said, “What are you talking about? Why hasn’t the food for table 12 been served yet? The guests are waiting impatiently!”

Xiao Zhang sighed and re-lit the fire: “It will be ready soon, give me three more minutes.” Sister Wang frowned and looked at her watch: “Hurry up!” After that, she turned and left, her high heels making a rapid sound on the marble floor.

Xiao Li looked at Sister Wang’s back as she left, feeling aggrieved. She recalled the email she sent to Manager Wang last week to request a raise, but had not received a reply yet. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the resignation letter in her work clothes pocket, which she had written last night after staying up late.

After lunch, the employee lounge was filled with exhausted staff. Xiao Li rubbed his sore shoulders and whispered to the cashier Xiao Chen: “Today, two tables of customers complained about the slow service. Manager Wang looked very unhappy.”

Xiao Chen curled his lips and said, “They only know how to hurry us up. Why don’t they think about the fact that we have to do the work of two people alone?”

In the corner, the dishwasher Lao Ma pounded his waist and said, “My waist is almost broken. The dishes I wash every day pile up like a mountain, but my salary is still the lowest.”

“How about we go and find Boss Wang together?” Xiao Zhang suddenly suggested, his eyes lighting up. “I heard he’s easier to talk to than Manager Wang.”

Xiao Li hesitated: “Is it possible? Last time the head chef went to discuss it, he was also given an excuse.”

“This time is different,” Xiao Zhang lowered his voice, “We can unite more people. If everyone goes, the boss will definitely take it seriously.”

Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the restaurant changed noticeably.

The waiters are no longer as enthusiastic and attentive as before, and the food is served slower and slower; the chefs no longer arrange the dishes carefully, and the quality of the dishes has declined; even the usually diligent Lao Ma has started to “accidentally” break plates.

On Friday night, Wang Jianye stood at the cash register, frowning as he flipped through the most recent customer complaint book.

“Poor service attitude”, “Food is served too slowly”, “The food is not as good as before”… Similar complaints have been appearing for a week in a row.

He looked up and around the lobby, and found that several waiters were standing there listlessly, and were slow to respond when customers waved at them.

“Manager Wang, come here.” Wang Jianye said in a low voice.

Manager Wang trotted over, sweat on his forehead, “Boss, what can I do for you?”

“What’s going on recently? There are so many complaints and the employees are distracted.” Wang Jianye’s sharp gaze made Manager Wang shrink his neck unconsciously.

“Well… maybe business has been so good recently that everyone is a little tired.” Manager Wang hesitated.

Wang Jianye shook his head: “No, there must be a problem. I will close the shop for half a day tomorrow morning and call a meeting of all employees. I want to hear what everyone has to say.”

That night, the employee WeChat group exploded.

“The boss is going to have a meeting! He finally noticed us!” Xiao Zhang excitedly sent a series of emojis.

Xiao Li was worried: “What if it’s just a formality? Are we taking too much risk? We have been deliberately slacking off recently. If we are discovered…”

“Don’t be afraid,” Lao Ma rarely spoke, “our demands are reasonable. If the boss is reasonable, he should give us an explanation.”

At nine o’clock the next morning, all the employees gathered in the lobby. More than fifty chairs formed a large circle, and Wang Jianye sat in the middle with an open notebook in front of him. He was wearing a simple white shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking much more casual than usual.

“Dear colleagues,” Wang Jianye looked around at everyone and said in a gentle voice, “The hotel business has indeed improved recently, and this is inseparable from the joint efforts of everyone. But I have also noticed that the service quality has declined and customer complaints have increased. I invited everyone here today to listen to your true thoughts. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to speak up.”

There was silence at the scene. The employees looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first.

Wang Jianye smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous. Today we are just chatting among ourselves. No matter what we say, it won’t affect our work.” He looked at Xiaomei, the youngest waitress, and said, “Xiaomei, you just came here not long ago. Tell me if there is anything you are not used to?”

Xiao Mei, who was called out, blushed and stammered, “I, I think everything is fine… it’s just that sometimes when it gets busy, one person has to take care of too many tables and I’m afraid I can’t take good care of them.”

“Well, we are indeed a bit short of manpower.” Wang Jianye took note of it carefully and looked at Lao Ma again. “Master Ma, you are a veteran employee. What do you think?”

Lao Ma rubbed his hands, hesitated for a moment and finally spoke: “Boss, my old bones can’t hold on any longer. I used to wash 300 dishes a day, but now I have to wash 500 or 600, but the salary is…” He suddenly stopped halfway and looked at Manager Wang uneasily.

Wang Jianye’s expression became serious: “Master Ma, please continue, what’s wrong with the salary?”

With everyone’s encouraging eyes, Lao Ma plucked up his courage and said, “The salary has only increased a little bit, which is not enough to keep up with the workload. We at the grassroots level all have complaints in our hearts.”

Wang Jianye frowned and turned to Manager Wang: “What’s going on? Didn’t I say that I would give employees a raise if business improves?”

Manager Wang’s forehead was covered with sweat. “Boss, I made the adjustments you asked, but the magnitude may not be large enough.”

“Nonsense!” Wang Jianye slammed the table and stood up, shocking everyone. “Employees are the most valuable asset of the hotel. How can you treat them like this?”

He took a deep breath, calmed down, and sat down again. “Today everyone has spoken openly and put all the problems on the table. I promise that every reasonable request will be taken seriously.”

With the boss’s assurance, the employees finally put aside their concerns and spoke up.

Xiao Li stood up, his voice trembling: “Wang Jianye, I worked overtime for 60 hours last month without a day off, but my salary only increased by 200 yuan. I calculated that my hourly wage is actually lower than before.”

Xiao Zhang also stood up and added: “The pressure in the kitchen is even greater. The daily output of dishes is now 1.5 times that of before, but our bonuses are still calculated according to the old standards.”

The young waiter Xiao Zhao said timidly: “My classmate works in the hotel opposite, his salary is higher than mine, and his job is easier than mine…”

As one employee after another spoke, Wang Jianye’s face became more and more serious. He kept taking notes, occasionally asking for details, and his brows were always furrowed.

After everyone finished speaking, Wang Jianye closed his notebook, stood up and bowed deeply: “I’m sorry, everyone. It’s my poor management that has ignored everyone’s reasonable demands.”

This sudden apology stunned everyone. Xiao Li’s eyes were instantly wet. She didn’t expect the boss to apologize in public. (End of this chapter)