Sun Yucong is a smart businessman. He saw the business opportunity of the dumpling restaurant, but it was embarrassing to do it by himself. Gu Yi wanted to be the general agent of Suzhou. Although he did not believe in Gu Yi's business ability, he did not want to give up the opportunity.
Others—his status as president still allows him to have local protectionism.
Having said that, he knew it was a profitable business, and Gu Yi was his brother who had been with him for many years. Of course, he had to deal with his own people first if he had such a good thing.
Lao Tan was not stupid. He heard what he meant and smiled and said: "Yes, I talked to brother Gu Yi before. If we develop in Suzhou, he will be the person in charge there, and the president will have to give strong support."
Of course, this matter cannot be decided on a whim. It should be treated as an argument and everyone understands it tacitly.
After seeing off Sun Yucong and his friends from Suzhou, Lao Tan's phone rang. Master Liu called, saying that the four of them had arrived at the Mongolian camp and asked him when he would arrive. Lao Tan said right away, and then hung up the phone.
After leaving the hotel, Zhou Xiaomei was waiting for him in front of the car.
"Yang Zhijun is leaving first and asked me to send you there." Zhou Xiaomei said.
"Let's go, I haven't had any fun with them for a long time." Lao Tan said and got into the car.
After the car started, Zhou Xiaomei said with concern: "Uncle, stop drinking when you get there. I drank a lot today."
"Yeah." Lao Tan agreed.
"Do you really want to ask Gu Yi to be your agent?" Zhou Xiaomei asked.
"I have this idea." Lao Tan said: "We will definitely develop to the south. It is convenient for us. He also has connections in Suzhou."
"He's pretty good, but President Sun is a bit ------I don't like him." Zhou Xiaomei said directly.
Lao Tan smiled. Sun Yucong did give people a very urban feeling, unfathomable, and could be said to be scheming, which made people uncomfortable. But this was not cooperation with him, and it didn't matter.
"He is helping Gu Yi. He has been working with him for these years, so he should invest some money in it," Lao Tan said.
"Can he invest money in Gu Yi?" Zhou Xiaomei asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Lao Tan said with certainty: "I can do it both emotionally and rationally. Gu Yi has worked hard for him these years. He seems to be a fool and has nothing serious to do. How can I say that he has been living in society for these years and has energy?
, he handled many of Sun Yucong’s difficult matters.
Even if there is no merit, there is still hard work. It is normal to invest some capital. Gu Yi can still do it even without investing in it. As far as I know, he knows a lot of people in Suzhou, is doing well, and is also a benevolent and righteous brother."
Zhou Xiaomei said nothing and stared at the road.
The rain has stopped, and the washed road surface reflects the water under the illumination of the street lights. The air drifting into the car window has a refreshing coolness, which is very fresh.
After a while, Zhou Xiaomei said: "Brother-in-law, Gu Yi is a good guy. Don't think he's a promiscuous person, but he's fastidious and loyal enough. President Sun is not good, so it's best to have less contact with him. I don't think he wants to call that guy surnamed Qiao today."
It’s quite shady to say that Gu Yi is the general agent after we cooperate.”
"That's what he meant. He is from the Northeast and it is right to speak to his own people. This is worthy of praise." Lao Tan said.
"It's also no good and I can't afford it early------"
The car turned onto Xinghua Street and entered the outer ring road, then walked two kilometers further to the Mongolian Camp. The road here was high and there was less water, so Zhou Xiaomei sped up.
"Uncle, I will take you to the hospital to check your health tomorrow." Zhou Xiaomei said suddenly.
"No, I'm in good health, but my blood pressure is a little high," Lao Tan said.
"Go ahead, Sister Hua called today and asked me to take you for a checkup."
"If you don't go, what good place is the hospital? It can detect illnesses even if you don't have them."
"Wouldn't it be reassuring to check it out?"
"Can you rest assured about the doctor's words? It's good if you don't worry."
Zhou Xiaomei was amused.
Lao Tan remembered the place where the old lama practiced Buddhism mentioned by the great master, and thought that it would be okay to stay there for a few days if he had time. It would be pure and peaceful, and he would live a fairy life without being disturbed.
When they arrived at the barbecue restaurant that Master Liu mentioned, Yang Zhijun and the others had already ordered their dishes.
One grilled lamb chop, one plate of grilled lamb trotters, twenty mutton skewers and twenty skewers of meat tendons, a pot of spicy hotpot, and a plate of salt-popped peanuts.
While drinking, Lao Tan brought up the idea of a four-day break and the cancellation of the lotus table. Everyone welcomed the four-day break, but the problem was that it was not easy to take and it was difficult to implement.
Yang Zhijun said: "Third brother, now the kitchen is just as good as a carrot or a hole. Sometimes we are so busy that we have to cancel breaks and count them as overtime for employees. If it lasts four days, we have to add more people."
"No, the Jinqiao store is like this. Everyone didn't have a day off during the month of opening, so it's still too busy." said the head chef of the Jinqiao store.
"Do employees have any objections to not taking a break?" Lao Tan asked.
"Do you have any objection? If you are older, you can work overtime without taking a break, and it doesn't matter if you make more money. But if you are younger, you would rather take a break than work overtime," said the head chef of the Jinqiao restaurant.
"They are all like that, especially the lotus table and the chopping board." Master Liu said.
Erdenxiang nodded accordingly.
"The same goes for the front desk." Zhou Xiaomei said: "It's okay for those older sisters who have a family and a job. They have to work overtime to earn more money. The waiters who are younger don't care about money at all and have to rest. Some even ask for leave after finishing repairs in three days.
, saying I’m tired and can’t do anything.”
It seemed that it would be difficult to rest for four days, so Lao Tan didn't go any further, so the topic shifted to canceling the lotus table.
It was Yang Zhijun who spoke first: "Cancel the lotus table? I don't think it's possible. Who will cancel the lotus table? Will the chef cut the ingredients and move the plates by himself? Will the food still be served?"
He was obviously opposed to it. Not only was he opposed to it, he thought it was impossible.
How could the kitchen not have a lot of food?
Not only did he think so, the other three people also thought so.
Master Liu said: "Boss, it's very important to do the job. You can cut ingredients, move plates and bowls, serve dishes, and watch the pressure cooker. There is a lot of work, so someone needs to do it."
"There is also starching and paste." Erdun added.
"The guy who made a lot of money can't be cancelled. The chef is all pointing to him to cooperate. Boss, are you serious?" said the head chef of the Jinqiao restaurant.
"This is just an idea, it's immature." Old Tan looked at the four people in front of him, "Now some hotels have canceled the Dutch service. Let's discuss it with you."
"We can't cancel it," Yang Zhijun said with certainty.
His opinion represents everyone. Lao Tan knows that it is difficult to cancel the Dutch menu with the current menu structure. The reason why he raised it is to listen to their opinions and give him some ideas.
But it seems that the commanders who are fighting on the front lines are resisting this from the bottom of their hearts and think it is impossible.
Since it's impossible, let's not mention it.
Lao Tan wanted to go out and investigate and see how other people did it. It would definitely not work behind closed doors.
He believes that if small and medium-sized restaurants like Aqiao Dumpling House want to survive in the future, it is inevitable to cancel the waiter, because labor costs will dominate, and it will be difficult to make money once manpower cannot be controlled.
Of course, increasing turnover is the most effective way to make money, provided there are sufficient manpower, excellent products, and an effective marketing model.
For now, Aqiao's products are positive, the marketing model is in place, and the manpower is sufficient. However, the profit margin is gradually shrinking. In the past, a store could earn 100,000 yuan by selling 600,000 yuan a month, but now it only earns 70,000 yuan, and sometimes even less.
arrive.
Rising raw material and labor costs have caused increasing pressure. In just a few years, the price of meat has increased by half, the price of vegetables has increased by one-third, and the price of dumplings and noodles has increased from 111 bags to 180.
The price of salad oil has increased by ten yuan per barrel, the price of eggs has doubled, and the prices of various seasonings have increased to varying degrees, so that the gross profit point has continued to decline and profits have become smaller and smaller.
These employees may not consider it, but Lao Tan must consider it. Not only must he consider it, but he must also come up with effective solutions, otherwise future development will be a problem.
Not only these, but because Chinese food is highly imitative and replicable, it also has to face irregular competition from its peers. Currently, dumpling restaurants with almost the same model as Ah Qiao have appeared in the provincial capital and Hohhot. With the same decoration,
The same products, the same services, even the employees' clothes are exactly the same. The only difference is the name, and sometimes you can't tell them apart unless you look carefully.
Although the quality of the dishes and the taste of the dumplings are not comparable to Ah Qiao's, they are better because they are fake and the prices are low, and to varying degrees it has also taken away a lot of customers. As the saying goes, chickens poop but don't pee - everyone has his own way. People dare to
If you imitate you, you will have your own way of survival. You must know that many times innovation often starts with imitation.
It was already twelve o'clock when Lao Tan returned to the apartment. He first boiled a pot of water, made tea, and then took a bath. When he leaned on the bed, lit a cigarette, and took a sip of tea, the day's work was considered over.
The work in action is over, but the work in thought continues.
He thought about Gu Yi's agency for Suzhou Dumpling House, and then thought about Mr. Zhang's suggestion to establish a group. From a development perspective, establishing a group is a good move, but it is too early to establish it now, and it is a bit pretentious, but it should be done in the future.
Development in that area.
He divided the expansion of the dumpling restaurant into three directions in his mind: the provincial capital, Inner Mongolia, and Suzhou. If a group is to be established, the agent in Inner Mongolia will be Mr. Wang Wang Shulan, and in Suzhou it will be Gu Yi. There are currently no candidates for the provincial capital.
I feel that my partner in Anshan, Boss Huang, is quite good.
Agents are different from regional managers. The former is an investor and the latter is an operator. The two are like civil servants and generals in the past, complementing each other. This reduces the investment pressure on the headquarters and saves a lot of time compared to managing many partners.
Just manage the agents. Once the agents are run, you don’t need to worry about them—the general boss of a region will be as concerned about his own business as the boss of the headquarters.
It seems that it is necessary to talk to Mr. Wang and Gu Yi. Of course, before talking, we must confirm with Yanhua and Zhang Yu and obtain their consent.