The audience burst into warm applause. Aunt Liu stood on the stage with a proud smile on her face.

Wang Jianye looked at this scene and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

He knew that the most difficult part of the transformation – changing people’s mindsets – had already taken the first step towards success.

However, just when the online business was about to be officially launched, a sudden crisis struck.

At eleven o’clock in the evening, Wang Jianye was awakened by the urgent ringing of the phone.

“Mr. Wang, our ordering system has been hacked!” Xiao Zhang’s voice was filled with panic, “All the pictures of the dishes have been replaced with… disgusting pictures!”

Wang Jianye woke up instantly and ordered while putting on his clothes: “Close the website immediately and notify the technical team to assemble urgently!”

When he arrived at the company, the office was in chaos.

Engineer Lin was staring at the computer screen intently, his fingers flying on the keyboard.

Xiao Zhang and several technicians surrounded him, their faces full of anxiety.

“What’s the situation?” Wang Jianye asked in a deep voice.

Engineer Lin said without even looking up: “It’s a professional-level attack, the method is very sophisticated.

But don’t worry, the data was not lost, it was just the front end that was tampered with.”

“Can you find the source?”

“Tracking.”

Engineer Lin’s glasses reflected the blue light of the screen. “The other party used multiple layers of springboards, but give me some time…”

Wang Jianye walked to the window and looked at the lights still on in the Shiyun Building opposite, and a terrible guess arose in his mind.

Sun Fu, the old rival who once used all kinds of despicable means to suppress his competitors, is likely to be the mastermind behind this.

Three hours later, the system finally returned to normal.

Engineer Lin took off his glasses tiredly: “It has been confirmed that the attacking IP finally jumped to a hacker group called ‘Black Spider’, and this organization…” He paused, “has financial dealings with the IT supplier of Shiyun Building.”

Wang Jianye clenched his fist unconsciously, but quickly loosened it.

He took a deep breath and said, “Collect all the evidence, but don’t make it public yet.

Xiao Zhang, prepare a statement and say we are performing system upgrade and maintenance. “

“Just let it go like this?” Xiao Zhang asked unwillingly.

Wang Jianye shook his head, a sharp light flashed in his eyes: “Of course not.

But without solid evidence, we cannot act rashly.

Remember, the business world is like a battlefield, and sometimes forbearance is more powerful than impulse. “

The next day, Wang’s Restaurant’s online ordering platform was launched as scheduled.

Wang Jianye personally greeted the first customer who placed an order through the APP at the store door – a young office worker.

“Hello, this is the business meal you ordered through the Wang’s Food APP.”

Wang Jianye smiled and handed the beautifully packaged lunch box to the other party. “Scan the QR code on the package and you can get a 10 yuan coupon.”

The young man took the lunch box with surprise: “I didn’t expect that a time-honored brand like yours could keep up with the times!”

Wang Jianye smiled without saying anything, but his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

However, the good times did not last long. On the third day after going online, a large number of one-star bad reviews suddenly appeared on the platform.

“The clay pot chicken is full of bones!” “The service attitude is extremely poor, I will never buy it again!” “The dishes are seriously different from the pictures!”

Wang Jianye looked through these obviously false reviews with a frown on his face.

He knew that this was another trick of Sun Fu.

But this time, he decided to deal with it in a different way.

“Xiao Zhang, contact the most influential local food media ‘Xuzhou Taste’ and invite them to do a special project – ‘Unveiling the entire process of Wang’s restaurant takeout’.”

Wang Jianye’s voice was unusually calm. “From the purchase of ingredients to the cooking process, from packaging to delivery, the entire process is live.”

Xiao Zhang’s eyes widened: “Boss Wang, this…isn’t it too risky?”

“The more transparent you are, the more trust you can gain.”

Wang Jianye said firmly, “We have a clear conscience, what are we afraid of?”

On the day of the live broadcast, Wang’s Restaurant received unprecedented attention.

The host Xiaoyu of “Taste of Xuzhou” walked around every corner of the restaurant with a camera, and even entered the core area of ​​the kitchen which is usually not open to the public.

Master Li personally demonstrated the production process of clay pot chicken and explained the details of each step; deliveryman Xiao Chen gave a detailed introduction to the working principle of the thermal insulation box and the optimization of the delivery route.

At the end of the live broadcast, Wang Jianye stood in front of the camera and said sincerely: “We welcome every customer’s supervision and suggestions, but we firmly resist malicious slander.

Wang’s Restaurant has been committed to using genuine ingredients and operating with integrity for 20 years, and this will not change in the future.”

The live broadcast received more than 50 views, and the comment section was flooded with positive reviews.

Those malicious negative reviews were quickly identified and deleted by the platform, and the in-depth report subsequently released by “Xuzhou Taste” won wide acclaim for Wang’s Restaurant.

A month later, Wang’s Restaurant’s online order volume broke the historical record, accounting for 45% of the total turnover.

At the celebration banquet, Wang Jianye raised his glass to thank all employees: “Today’s achievements belong to everyone here! It is your wisdom and sweat that have enabled us to successfully achieve digital transformation!”

Master Li stood up with a red face: “Boss Wang, I have to admit that I was too stubborn at the beginning.

Now seeing so many young people eating our food through their mobile phones, I am so happy! “

Aunt Liu also smiled and said: “Now my son praises me for being better at ordering food on my phone than he is!”

Amid the laughter, Wang Jianye’s hand suddenly rang.

It was Zhang Ming who called: “Lao Wang, the Provincial Catering Association is very interested in your digital transformation and would like to invite you to share your experience next week!”

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianye walked to the window and looked at the brilliant night view of Xuzhou.

He knew that this was just a new starting point.

In the tide of the Internet, Wang’s Restaurant, a traditional catering ship, has successfully raised the sails of digitalization and is heading towards a broader market.

……

Wang Jianye stood at the door of the “Xuzhou Family” restaurant, looking at the sparse pedestrians on the street with a frown.

It was already scorching hot in Shijiazhuang in June, but his heart felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

In the six months since opening, business has been lukewarm, with daily turnover barely enough to pay rent and employee salaries, let alone make a profit.

“Boss, today’s account is settled.”

Accountant Xiao Liu came over and handed him a thin bill. His voice was tired and he said, “Another loss of more than 800 yuan.”

Wang Jianye took the bill and his fingers unconsciously pinched the edge of the paper.

More than 800, this is the third loss this week. He looked up at the clock on the wall – it was 9:30 in the evening, which should be the peak dinner time, but there were only three tables of guests in the restaurant, one of which was Mr. Zhang, an old customer he knew.

“Boss Wang, come and sit down.”

Uncle Zhang waved to him, and the wrinkles on his face looked particularly deep under the light.

Wang Jianye forced a smile and walked over to sit down opposite Uncle Zhang.

There were several Xuzhou specialties on the table – clay pot chicken, baked steamed buns with fried dough twist, and Farewell My Concubine, but they looked barely touched.

“Uncle Zhang, are today’s dishes not to your liking?” Wang Jianye asked cautiously, mentally prepared to hear criticism.

Uncle Zhang shook his head and pointed at the clay pot chicken with chopsticks: “The taste is authentic Xuzhou flavor, nothing to complain about.

But think about it, we Shijiazhuang people are used to eating salty and fresh food, your Xuzhou cuisine is sweet and spicy, young people may like it, but people like us who are old Shijiazhuang people are a little uncomfortable with it. “

Wang Jianye was shocked.

He had never thought about the problem from this perspective.

The reason why he chose to open a Xuzhou restaurant was purely because his ancestral home was Xuzhou, and he married a woman from Xuzhou, and he had a special liking for the cuisine of his hometown.

But he did ignore the taste preferences of Shijiazhuang locals.

“You are right, Mr. Zhang.”

Wang Jianye nodded thoughtfully, “I was too stubborn. I always wanted to keep the original taste, but forgot the importance of adapting to local tastes.”

Uncle Zhang smiled, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out: “It’s good for young people to have ideas, but they have to be flexible in doing business.

Look at the ‘Lao Shijiazhuang’ across the street, why is its business so good? It’s because they know what Shijiazhuang people like to eat.”

Wang Jianye looked in the direction Grandpa Zhang pointed, and through the glass window, he could clearly see that the restaurant opposite was crowded with people and the waiters were busy all the time.

A feeling of unwillingness to admit defeat surged in his chest – why could others do well but he couldn’t?

After seeing off Uncle Zhang, Wang Jianye did not go home immediately. Instead, he sat in the empty restaurant, staring at the menu on the wall in a daze.

His wife Li Mei called and asked him when he would be home, and he just said he needed to think about it.

After hanging up the phone, he felt guilty – when he quit his job to start his own business, his wife fully supported him and even took out her dowry money.

Now, half a year has passed, not only have I not made any money, but I am losing money every day.

“This can’t go on like this.”

Wang Jianye muttered to himself, his fists clenched unconsciously.

He took out his notebook and began to record what Uncle Zhang said and some of his own thoughts.

Gradually, a bold idea took shape in his mind – why not combine Xuzhou cuisine with the local flavors of Shijiazhuang to create a new fusion cuisine?

The next morning, Wang Jianye called a meeting of all the chefs.

Chef Li Qiang is a native of Xuzhou. When he heard that the boss wanted to improve traditional Xuzhou cuisine, his face immediately darkened.

“Mr. Wang, our Xuzhou cuisine has a history of thousands of years. How can we change it casually? Isn’t this a waste of tradition?” Li Qiang spoke with a thick Xuzhou accent, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

Wang Jianye had expected resistance, so he took a deep breath and patiently explained, “Master Li, I don’t want to deny Xuzhou cuisine, but I want to make it more suitable for the tastes of Shijiazhuang people.

Just like Sichuan cuisine is served in other places, the spiciness is adjusted to make it more acceptable and popular.”

Li Qiang frowned and said nothing, while the other young chefs were talking in low voices.

Wang Jianye knew that if he couldn’t convince Li Qiang, the plan would be difficult to advance.

He thought about it and changed his approach: “Master Li, do you still remember how it felt when you first came to Shijiazhuang and ate local food for the first time?”

This question made Li Qiang stunned for a moment. He recalled: “It’s too salty, and they like to add sauce, which is completely different from our Xuzhou cuisine.”

“Yes,” Wang Jianye seized the opportunity, “If we combine the cooking techniques of Xuzhou cuisine with the taste of Shijiazhuang, we might be able to create a brand new delicacy.

Isn’t this the greatest joy of being a chef?”

Li Qiang’s expression relaxed a little, and Wang Jianye struck while the iron was hot: “We can try a few dishes first, and if the guests don’t like them, we can adjust them.

What do you think? “

Finally, Li Qiang reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

For the next two weeks, the kitchen became a laboratory.

Wang Jianye spends every day in the kitchen, researching, tasting and adjusting dishes with the chefs.

They tried various combinations – replacing the chicken in the clay pot chicken with carp, which is a favorite of Shijiazhuang people, and adding the local specialty bean paste; combining Xuzhou crispy meat with Shijiazhuang stews; and even invented a “cylinder oven braised meat sandwich” which is made by sandwiching Xuzhou braised meat with Shijiazhuang cylinder oven sesame cakes.

“Boss Wang, please try this.”

One afternoon, Li Qiang came over with a pot of steaming fish, with a rare excitement on his face, “I used the Shijiazhuang sauce you mentioned, but retained the cooking method of the Xuzhou pot.”

Wang Jianye picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, and his eyes immediately lit up – the fish was tender and tasty, the sauce was rich but did not cover up the deliciousness of the fish itself, slightly spicy with a hint of sweetness, which was exactly the taste that Shijiazhuang people like, but it retained the characteristics of Xuzhou cuisine.

“Great!” Wang Jianye couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is the ‘Shijiazhuang-style earthen pot fish’ we want!”

Li Qiang smiled proudly: “Actually, it’s quite interesting to combine the two flavors. I was too stubborn before.”

Seeing the change in the chef’s attitude, Wang Jianye finally felt relieved.

He knew that as long as the team worked together, the transformation plan would be half successful.

On the first day of the new product launch, Wang Jianye was so nervous that he could hardly eat.

He paced back and forth in the restaurant, looking towards the door from time to time, praying that more customers would come.

At noon, the first table of guests came in – a young couple.

“I heard you have new dishes?” the girl asked as she flipped through the menu.

Wang Jianye immediately stepped forward to recommend: “Yes, we have newly launched ‘Shijiazhuang-style earthen pot fish’ and ‘Shishi crispy meat stew’, which combine the characteristics of Xuzhou and Shijiazhuang.”

The couple ordered these two dishes, and Wang Jianye went to the kitchen personally to supervise the preparation process.

When the dishes were served, he saw the girl pick up a piece of fish, taste it carefully, then her eyes lit up and she immediately picked up a piece for her boyfriend.

“It’s so delicious!” The girl’s praise made Wang Jianye feel relieved.

Over the next few days, word of the new dishes gradually spread and the number of customers in the restaurant increased significantly.

Wang Jianye noticed that not only young people liked it, but some middle-aged and elderly customers also started to patronize it.

Uncle Zhang came again, and this time he brought a few old friends with him.

“Boss Wang, your earthen pot fish is really good!” Uncle Zhang gave a thumbs up, “It has the flavor of Xuzhou, and suits the appetite of us old Shijiazhuang people.”

Wang Jianye smiled gratefully: “Thanks for your advice, Uncle Zhang.”

However, the good times did not last long.

Just in the third week when business started to improve, Wang Jianye discovered that several negative reviews of “Xuzhou Home” suddenly appeared on the Internet. The content was almost identical, saying that the new dishes were “neither fish nor fowl” and “ruined tradition.”

What’s even more strange is that all these comments appeared on the same day. (End of this chapter)