Each year comes with age, and with each age comes prosperity.
After the Spring Festival, the business of the California Beef Noodle King in Dongsi, Jingcheng became increasingly bleak.
No one expected that this fast food restaurant, which had only been open for four months, would decline so quickly.
Moreover, even if the company takes the initiative to lower prices, it will not help the business at all, as both turnover and the number of customers are further reduced.
The number of customers who are now willing to take risks and get ripped off every day is less than 30% of what this store did when it first opened.
Anyone who works in catering can estimate it, which is almost the breakeven line.
This result is really lamentable. The speed from prosperity to decline has set a record for the catering industry in Beijing and is enough to become a negative example for the fast food industry.
So in order to save the business, the boss had to make corresponding changes.
This time the price did not drop any further, but considering the wallets of customers, the California Beef Noodle King finally gave up his arrogant attitude.
The noodles they sell are divided into large and small bowls, with small bowls of noodles costing three and a half yuan and large bowls of noodles costing five yuan.
In addition, the store is also working hard to enrich its business varieties.
It turns out that the store only sells two staple foods: signature beef noodles and spicy beef noodles.
Now there is a kind of shredded chicken noodles.
From the original two types of cold dishes, shredded potatoes and shredded kelp, four new options are added: yuba, cucumber, boiled chicken and kimchi.
It can be seen that the California beef noodle king in the United States is a little panicked and is facing increasing business pressure.
In order not to fall into the situation of losing money and making money, I probably tried every trick I could think of.
But even so, it didn't achieve much improvement.
After all, the price-performance ratio of the product is there.
The price is too expensive and there are no mature products with real good taste.
You can't earn repeat customers just by relying on gimmicks, which has always been the biggest shortcoming of this store.
To put it bluntly, it's just a noodle shop.
Even if it is named California, it is not difficult for people to identify its essence at a glance.
No matter how stupid the people in the capital are, they are still not fooled by a store owner using a "California pickle".
Now that there is a gingerbread man for comparison, and the mysterious "California, USA" filter is broken, this noodle shop still wants to earn a high premium by converting exports to domestic sales. It is very difficult.
In comparison, the situation in Kentucky in Qianmen is much better.
After all, it is still authentic American fast food.
The taste of original chicken is still very different from the Chinese fried eight pieces.
Moreover, the decoration and facilities of the Kentucky store are also relatively fashionable, and the standards of hygiene and service are impeccable.
The relatively mature management method is Kentucky's core competitiveness, and it can still provide considerable emotional value and food enjoyment for some customers who are not too concerned about price.
At present, the third floor of KFC still receives orders for weddings of hundreds to dozens of people every weekend, which speaks for itself.
But it cannot be denied that because of the Gingerbread Man, an unconventional competitor, Kentucky's business situation is also gradually going downhill.
Since the Spring Festival, Wang Dadong has discovered that when the store opens early every day, there is no queue at the door of Kentucky.
Most of the time, empty seats can be found on both floors of KFC.
Only at lunch and dinner, it can restore the lively scene of customers filling the door for more than an hour, but it can't restore the grand scene when it first opened, with the queue stretching for more than a mile.
From the time it reopened after the holiday to March 10, actual revenue fell even more sharply.
Kentucky only earns an average of 20,000 yuan a day, and its average daily turnover has dropped by almost half. How can people feel comfortable in this situation?
The most irritating thing is that more and more customers come here with drunkenness and not the purpose of drinking.
Because there are so many people queuing up in front of the Gingerbread Man, there are often several people going back and forth, leaving only one person queuing up. Others have gone to Kentucky to rest. They have no intention of going to Kentucky to spend money, they just use a place to shelter from the wind and wait.
This was so insulting that it almost turned Kentucky into a waiting area for gingerbread men.
In short, Wang Dadong knew very well that waiting in vain would be tantamount to slow death.
He must break through the situation quickly and find a way to break out as soon as possible.
Otherwise, how could he realize his fast food empire?
How could he possibly become a partner in the company?
What else is he talking about about the future and his ambitions?
However, as more attention is paid to the Gingerbread Man, more investigations are conducted, and more information is learned.
Wang Dadong became more and more disappointed, more and more panicked, more and more afraid, and more and more chilled.
Because the gingerbread man seems to be his natural nemesis. He has no shortcomings at all and seems to surpass him in everything.
According to Wang Dadong's investigation, the owner of this fast food restaurant, whose surname is Shen, is also a Chinese American.
In other words, Gingerbread Man can enjoy joint venture tax benefits just like Kentucky.
Moreover, Shen Cun himself is not an outsider in the catering industry. He also opened a restaurant in the United States.
Even though he opened a Chinese restaurant, Shen Cun grew up in the United States and was no stranger to Western food and American fast food.
After all, the fast food industry is such a simple thing.
After many years of development in the United States, its operating model has matured, and the market has long been divided up by several giants.
For people who have lived in the United States for a long time, even if you are an immigrant, it is no longer a secret and there is no mystery at all.
This Shen Cun obviously knows how to play the fast food industry, and he even has further improvement measures.
In fact, Wang Dadong never expected that Gingerbread Man would have so many dishes.
But there wasn't even a knife in the kitchen, and everything was served hot.
In this way, labor expenses are less than in Kentucky, and the efficiency is extremely high.
Only one waiter can meet the needs of five or six tables of guests and complete cooking, serving and cleaning tasks independently.
This move simply amazed him, and he even fell to the ground in admiration.
Not only that, but Gingerbread Man also has a scale effect thanks to its huge capital advantage.
There are five restaurants since its opening. All dishes and drinks use local ingredients, and only condiments are purchased overseas in large quantities.
These long-term costs are much lower than those of Wang Dadong's Kentucky.
The more money you have, the more money you save.
Moreover, they have also put great thought into the location, decoration, and tableware of the restaurant. The standard is close to that of a formal Western restaurant, but it is much more upscale than Kentucky.
But the prices of the dishes are so cheap.
What is this called?
This is spending money wisely.
So where does Wang Dadong’s Kentucky have any chance of winning?
To be honest, even if he lowers the price to the point where he vomits blood, he still doesn't have the same price advantage as others.
What's more, even at such a price, people can still make a profit, not a small profit but a big profit.
How can he compete with others?
Wang Dadong didn't know whether his competitor's touching speeches in the newspaper were sincere.
But he couldn't deny that, "Really delicious food should be cheap and delicious." This sentence, uttered from Shen Cun's mouth, has an irresistible appeal to customers, and easily won the hearts of the people in the capital.
Heart.
Regardless of whether you are a fan of Western food or not, you will think that Gingerbread Man is a conscientious company and have a favorable impression of it.
Just for this reason, Gingerbread Man has already established itself in an invincible position in the mainland market and has been prosperous for several years.
He even believed that if Shen Cun could reversely transport this fast food operation model back to the United States.
If not done well, several fast food giants will be in a hurry and dumbfounded, and it is very likely to grab a place in the US market that is already firmly controlled by these giants.
Anyway, Wang Dadong had complicated emotions towards Shen Cun, his powerful rival.
I hate this opponent, but I also admire this opponent, and I feel helpless that I can't help but be so good at it.
But the good thing is that Wang Dadong is not an incompetent person. After all, he is a fast food expert with considerable experience in the industry.
By analyzing the Gingerbread Man's business model, he not only opened his eyes, but also learned some new things from his opponents.
And after thinking hard and digesting these things, I finally found a key to solving the problem from the gingerbread man, that is, the gingerbread man is too dependent on the supply chain.
The Gingerbread Man's model is to use capital advantages to make small profits but quick turnover. Only a certain number of stores and a certain level of sales can be maintained in order to maintain healthy operations.
A sound supply chain is almost the lifeline of the gingerbread man.
This is also the source of this company’s advantage in maintaining high cost performance.
This means that although Gingerbread Man has full advantages in the capital, it also limits the company to the capital.
After all, Beijing’s supply chain cannot be taken away.
If Gingerbread Man wants to develop and expand, it will need a complete supply chain and several stores to establish itself in every new city.
And doing this requires a lot of time and money.
But the gingerbread man adopted a low-price strategy.
The time it takes them to recover their investment costs is at least three to five times that of KFC.
It may take a full year to recover the costs of these five stores in Beijing and achieve real profits.
To put it bluntly, in terms of seizing the market, Gingerbread Man’s efficiency is too low.
There are also big disadvantages to having a plate that is too big.
They cannot be like Kentucky and take root everywhere and replicate themselves as quickly as cells divide. They can only develop slowly and steadily.
And this is Wang Dadong's only chance to make a comeback.
Therefore, Wang Dadong decided to completely abandon his original plan and adopt other methods to develop his career in mainland China.
That is to pursue a strategy that cannot be provoked but can be avoided, and to open up a multi-front battlefield elsewhere.
Use loans to open stores in other cities first, and then start franchising after those stores are successful.
Its purpose is to quickly seize the market, recover funds in various ways, and then build its own supply chain advantages in the process.
Wait until you have established a foothold in the mainland and have certain strength, and then you can confront the gingerbread man head-on.
Needless to say, this choice also means increased risks and increased difficulty.
Wang Dadong not only had to convince the headquarters to agree to his choice, but he also had to bear the corresponding loan risks himself.
Even if he facilitates this matter, he will never have an easy life in the future. He is destined to travel around the country on a plane.
But there was no other way. Apart from that, he could no longer think of any way to compete with the gingerbread man.
For him, it is better to fight hard and fight his way out than to live in the capital and die in vain.
And at least, he still has a certain foundation in Jinmen.
Not only does he have successful experience, but he also has a wide network of contacts, and he is quite sure that he can achieve the same success in Tianjin as he did in Beijing.
March 10th was the day when Wang Dadong rushed to Tianjin to ask for a loan.
In fact, while Ning Weimin was filled with emotion at the Capital Airport, Wang Dadong was also pondering his thoughts in front of the Jinmen Local Bank.
He never imagined that he had gone in a circle and come back again.
I originally thought that I could cover the whole country with the supreme advantage of the capital city, but I didn't know that I encountered a difficult situation and ended up having to go back to Jinmen to hang out and rely on Jinmen's connections to save me.
Not to mention that opening a store here requires help from the other party in selecting a location and hiring people. Even the loan came with the help of people from the original cooperative units such as Tianjin.
He is no longer disgusted by the accent of these people, and he no longer feels that these people are rustic and ignorant.
Through this period of time, he realized Jinmen's enthusiasm and kindness, as well as its courage and generosity in doing things, which truly moved him.
It's completely different from those people in the capital, who use people to move forward and don't use people to move backward, which is not reliable at all.
Even the Animal Husbandry Bureau refused to facilitate his loan. Instead, it advised him to put stability first and not to blindly expand the scale.
But soon, Wang Dadong's perception changed again.
It was only after lunch that he truly discovered the secret of the enthusiasm of these Jinmen people.
From a moral perspective, they are no nobler than the people in the capital.
This meal was eaten at Hongbin Restaurant in Jinmen, but the standard of the food exceeded the expectations of ordinary people.
He ordered five pairs of half a pound of large prawns, two plates of palm-sized crabs, sea cucumbers braised with green onions, braised shark's fins, snails with green onion oil, abalone in sauce, a table full of high-end seafood, which made his
Sweat broke out on his forehead.
Moreover, in addition to Maotai, we also had a bottle of XO. Just for the price of the wine, there were many people of all ages.
While Wang Dadong toasted several Jinmen people, he calculated how much this table would cost him.
But soon, he decided that if he asked someone to do something, he had to spend the money.
Mainland China is not the United States. When doing something, the person handling it will inevitably receive benefits from it.
Anyway, this money is spent wisely. What he spends here can be earned back from the people who come in. As long as the thing is done, why bother worrying about anything?
"Director Sun, do you have any other requirements for our qualifications? The five million..."
After Wang Dadong toasted with wine, he asked straight to the point.
Little did he know that the president put his hand down and said, "No money talk. No money talk today. No one is allowed to talk money."
"Yes, yes, today is the first time we meet. We only talk about friendship and not about business." The other person, who was the introducer, immediately agreed.
"Come on, Mr. Wang, I'll toast you too."
President Sun raised the wine. "I have heard of your name a long time ago. The Orchid Flower you opened in our Jinmen is still doing a prosperous business. I didn't expect that you also opened such a famous fast food restaurant in the capital. It is really amazing."
It’s a pity that I didn’t get to know you, this great American boss, earlier.”
"Don't dare, don't dare." Wang Dadong also raised his wine glass.
After finishing the drink, the opponent's tricks really started to show off.
"Mr. Wang, does the Kentucky store you plan to open in Tianjin really have many branches in the United States?" President Sun asked hesitantly.
"Yes, there are more than two thousand," Wang Dadong replied respectfully, "If you don't believe it, I can provide you with information."
"That's not necessary. I'm just a little surprised. I'm not as good as my son. My son said that your store is a catering giant in the United States, and said that there is no need for me to worry about you repaying the loan. But I haven't been able to make up my mind.
Well, originally, there is nothing good about the United States. We here have always said that your place is a hell. But my son said that it was propaganda. He just didn’t believe that the United States was so miserable and bad, yet it still had to go there.
Let’s go to America and see…”
The introducer stopped using his chopsticks at this time, "That's easy to handle, that's easy to handle, that's not a matter of Mr. Wang's words. Sun Xing, don't worry, this matter is easy for Boss Wang..."
Wang Dadong was stunned immediately, but before he could think about it further, he heard President Sun complaining angrily again.
"Hey, hey, brother, don't misunderstand me. I mean today's young people are really ignorant. No matter how you try to persuade them, it's useless. My wife is also confused, and she even speaks for my son.
You also asked me to find a way for him to go to the United States, what a shame. Anyway, I firmly do not advise this bastard to go to that hellish place."
"Hey, don't be angry."
The introducer handed the wine to President Sun, "Drink, calm down. Actually, don't worry too much about your child's affairs. If he insists on going, let us, Mr. Wang, do a favor and settle it for him."
.When you hit the wall in the United States, there is no harm in getting an education. Only by enduring hardship can you become a great person. Come on, have a drink, I respect you."
President Sun drank the wine and said, "But we can go to the United States just when we say so. How much will it cost? This guy is just crazy."
"Hey, Sun Xing, you have to break the rules first. Didn't you agree that no one is allowed to withdraw money tonight? You... No, you will be fined. You have to drink another drink."
As the introducer said this, he filled Sun Xingchang again. At this time, seeing that Wang Dadong was still in a daze, he couldn't help but kick Wang Dadong's shoes under the table.
Wang Dadong, who had been sitting next to him and couldn't say anything, was suddenly excited and seemed to finally understand what talented actors the two people in front of him were.
And whether he succeeds or fails depends on his subsequent attitude.
He didn't have time to think about the gains and losses in detail. Thinking about the terrible and hopeless situation in the capital, he could only endure the worry about the unknown, pretend to be generous, and risk everything.
He quickly raised his glass to express his gratitude.
"If you say that, then it's just a matter of course. You don't need to worry about it. It's a good thing that the child wants to go out and have a look. Regardless of the procedures and fees, I will handle it."
As soon as you say this, the effect is immediate.
From this point on, the food gets hotter and hotter, and the wine gets closer and closer.
And since Wang Dadong has already vomited blood, what he wants is still a big deal.