After hearing the story about how Kang Shude and two old friends ate Western food for the first time in Qi Shilin, Ning Weimin laughed so hard that he couldn't stand upright.
What the old man said was really wonderful, no worse than Lian Kuoru and Shan Tianfang.
In addition, he didn't expect that when the west wind moved eastward, such a big joke would be made because of the unfamiliar names of the dishes.
Even names like coffee, sundae, ice cream, and chocolate that have become stereotypes and are commonly seen today turned out to be hard-won.
It seems that everything requires a process.
Regrettably, he did not have such an opportunity to see Ke Shilin back then.
Through the old man's verbal description and imagination alone, Ning Weimin already felt that Qi Shilin was no longer what it used to be.
It is really a pity to see today that a Western restaurant that was so famous and grand back then has become so depressed.
Kang Shude agreed with this.
"But no, the period before liberation was the most glorious period of Qishi Lin. Today's Qishi Lin has made two most important mistakes in its business operations, which is why the business is so poor. It is completely incomparable with the past."
"Hey? Two mistakes?" Ning Weimin was a little surprised.
"I thought our father and I had been saying that Shilin shouldn't throw away all its nobility, elegance and luxury. What they were saying was that the people in charge of this restaurant didn't understand that customers who could afford such high prices
.It’s no longer just the taste of the food that can keep it in the market. Apart from this, what other problems can there be with Cheeseline?”
"What other problems could there be?" Kang Shude smiled, "You don't have the two shortcomings of Qi Shilin, and you even do a pretty good job at Tan Gong. But based on what you said, I think you probably have the same problem.
I did it by accident."
Now Ning Weimin was really curious and quickly asked his master for advice.
"Let me tell you, the reason why Qishinlin is more famous and more popular than big hotels like Liuguo Hotel, Jingcheng Hotel, and Lishunde in Tianjin is not because the dishes here are better than those of other restaurants.
How good it is. The real reason is that Qi Shilin developed from the bottom up. Its bread, pastries and candies are well-known, and it ranks first in Tianjin."
"When Qi Shilin first opened the restaurant, due to limited capital, it mainly served bread, pastries and homemade candies, and also ran simple meals. At that time, most of the people who came to Qi Shilin to eat were foreigners, but bread, pastries and candies were the most popular.
It is suitable for both Chinese and foreign countries and is loved by everyone. Think about it, some people may not be able to eat Western food, but no one can’t eat bread, cakes and candies, right?”
"To be honest, even if it includes Chinese food, it will take time for the specialty food of any place to be operated in another place. It usually takes time for the big dishes to be accepted by people. But the snacks are the easiest to take root in a different place and gain recognition. Just because of the snacks
The products are simple and straightforward, and the prices are low. I started from Shilin by accident, and made a name for myself with high-quality and low-priced bread and candies that appeal to both refined and popular tastes.”
"At that time, Qishilin had a dedicated person delivering the bread made every day in a tricycle, which was very popular among the people of Tianjin. Later, because of its reputation, it contracted the supply of bread for the Beijing-Tianjin Railway. This led to the expansion of the restaurant
However, even if it becomes a high-end restaurant and hires chefs and service staff, the prices of cheesesteak, pastries, and candies will not increase. They will remain at the old level affordable to the public all year round, even when prices change significantly.
Maintain it at a loss."
"This is very wise. With bread and candies that do not increase in price, Chi Shilin has gained a good reputation, expanded his market share, and also made his high-end restaurant popular, attracting many Chinese people who are chasing fame and patronage. This
It is the best advertisement and the best virtuous cycle. It is the secret of Qishlin's development and growth. To put it bluntly, you can ride a donkey to find a horse and eat both ends. But when you find a horse, you don't throw away the donkey."
"Compared with Keshilin, everything in those pure high-end Western restaurants is expensive, and there are no low-priced products to gain public recognition. No matter how good the food is, it is not well-known and only a few people know about it. Naturally, the business will not be hot.
.Maybe their bread is even better made than Shilin’s, but it’s expensive. So what’s the use?”
"In fact, there are many examples similar to Qi Shilin's in reality. Ding Deshan, who came from Shundong, opened a mutton restaurant, and still operated the bean juice steak cake he used to make. He sold it outside the store every day to poor customers in the past. He even lowered the price.
, Not for making money, but for the sake of others. The carriage drivers filled the capital to spread the benevolence and righteousness from the east."
"There is also the 'Big Bowl of Tea' at our doorstep. The big bowl of tea that costs two cents is sold in a big shopping mall. Who among the tea-drinking guests can't remember the name of such a shop? Don't go there.
Wandering around the 'Big Bowl of Tea' shopping mall? Just for two cents of tea money, I'm innately convinced that I won't be in trouble if I go there."
"Look at Goubuli again, why is the business so good? It's because steamed buns are always delicious and not expensive. Even if it has expanded into a big restaurant now, the taste and price of steamed buns are the same as in the past. People make a lot of money just by cooking.
, the steamed buns still make small profits but quick turnover. As long as the steamed buns are not bad, this won’t fail at all. The cooking is more expensive, but the quality is average, and customers will buy it.”
"So your Tan Palace dim sum shop is the right thing to open, and you are confused. How many people who have eaten your snacks and snacks praise your Tan Palace behind their backs. So whenever someone comes to the capital and wants to eat palace dishes
. Now with such public support and such reputation, you will be the first one to think of you. If you see a huge queue at the door of your restaurant, that is your signature cover. Just like Fengzeyuan selling grilled steamed buns and silver thread.
It's the same thing as queuing up when taking papers. It shows that your restaurant has an extraordinary atmosphere. This is called a big deal."
"On the other hand, if you look at today's Cheeseline, the bread, pastries, and candies are not cheap anymore, not to mention how expensive they are. Considering the taste and price, it is really not as affordable as buying ready-made items at a non-staple food store.
Can this reputation last? It’s neither high nor low. I just want to make money with the little fame I had in the past. If Qi Shilin’s business is still prosperous, that would be abnormal.”
"Please remember what I said today as a warning. Doing business is the same as being a human being. You can't take advantage of everything, and you can't make everything. Who is stupider than whom? If the agency is too smart, it will make mistakes.
I killed your dear..."
What does it mean to be a smart person? That is, someone who knows everything from one point to another and is good at drawing inferences from one instance to another.
The old man's words were shocking to Ning Weimin's ears.
To be honest, Ningwei Min decided to use the first floor of Tan Palace to open a snack shop and sell it to ordinary people at a low price.
In his heart, he really wanted to achieve word-of-mouth publicity and free advertising.
But he didn't quite understand that killing the rich and giving to the poor was completely out of helplessness.
What's more, due to the characteristics of the era, the price bureau was dissatisfied because of the fear that the high price of altar palace would attract criticism from newspapers.
I just planned to use this as a perfunctory excuse to deal with the problem, an excuse to appease people's hearts.
Regardless of his true intentions, he still thinks that this is a loss-making transaction, which is not in line with the consumption level of Tan Palace.
He even thinks that one day when he becomes famous and the market liberalizes the price, he will raise the price.
But now he realizes that there is something wrong with his idea, just like how he uses tie-in sales to sell off-product clothing.
Those snacks and snacks are actually the cannon fodder price of the benchmark. Selling them cheaper is of great benefit.
And what he cared more about was the old man's casual remarks.
"Maybe some people can't eat Western food, but no one can't eat bread, cakes and candies, right?"
"The same goes for Chinese food. The special food of any place can be transferred to another place. It takes time for big dishes to be accepted by people. But snacks are the easiest to take root in a different place."
This seemed to solve a lot of problems he couldn't figure out at once.
Why is it that Chinese food has such a strong foundation, but once it goes overseas, it will cause problems of acclimatization?
Why do all the profitable Chinese food categories overseas have to rely on mutated fake Chinese food?
There is no doubt that there is a major problem with the business methods and promotion model!
Yes, because of cultural barriers, when it comes to Chinese food overseas, the more extensive and sophisticated it is, the worse it is.
It's not as good as Japanese raw rice dumplings, sashimi fish fillets, and a bowl of noodle soup.
In his opinion, these words of the old man seem to get to the root cause and are a good way to solve the problem!
It’s a true Midas touch that turns stone into gold!