sinovels Chapter 13 The Surge in Passenger Traffic
Chapter 13 The Surge in Passenger Traffic
"It's truly unique. I've had stir-fried lamb at other restaurants, but none of them have this spicy yet sweet flavor."
As the most discerning gourmet in Jinling Town, Mr. Wang shared his unique insights.
The vice president next to him slurped down a large mouthful of vermicelli, then shoveled down several mouthfuls of rice with it, saying:
"In my opinion, these glass noodles are the most fragrant, even more fragrant than meat!"
"You're just bragging, right? Can vermicelli be more fragrant than meat?" Mr. Wang also picked up a piece of vermicelli with his chopsticks, wrapped it around rice, and slurped it down in a few mouthfuls.
"These glass noodles are really delicious!"
Mr. Li followed suit, showing off a few bites, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This combination is so ingenious! It's a pity I'm going back tomorrow and won't be able to eat it!"
. . . .
In the kitchen, Lu Yuan was finishing up the stir-fried pork when Lu Ying ran in excitedly, holding an order form.
"Brother Yuan, another customer has arrived. One pound of hand-pulled mutton and one pound of stir-fried lamb."
Lu Yuan asked, "Are there two guests?"
"How did you know?" Lu Ying asked in surprise.
Lu Yuan: "Of course, it's based on your order. Yingying, the dishes you recommended are very reasonable. We need to sell them together, otherwise it will be difficult to manage if some dishes are sold out while others are left with a lot of leftovers."
"So you have to come to the kitchen every now and then to check with me about the remaining ingredients, which ones we can recommend, and which ones are sold out."
"Understood, I'll go out and get busy then!" Lu Ying was very smart; although she didn't work in the restaurant, she understood these principles very quickly.
Lu Ying went out for a short while and then ran back in holding a menu:
"Brother Yuan, more customers! One pound of stir-fried lamb, one pound of braised pork, and one pound of lamb neck!"
"OK!"
There are already two tables of dishes that haven't been cooked yet. Even though Lu Yuan has been working in the kitchen for so many years, he can't help but feel a little nervous.
The kitchen staff's biggest fear is being rushed to finish the food. In a panic, mistakes are most likely to occur, and right now he's the only one in the kitchen, with no one to help him.
Lu Yuan focused intently, and his movements became even faster.
Outside the restaurant, Wei Yinghong's side also began to get busy.
Although her and Lu Yuan's previous strategy was to fry it slowly, just enough to keep the aroma wafting out.
But Mr. Li insisted on taking 20 at a time.
Wei Yinghong didn't have that many fried dough sticks ready, so she had to speed things up and start frying them.
After Mr. Li and his group finished eating, they didn't want to go back to their seats, so they simply waited outside around the oil pot.
This has created a situation where it seems like Xiao Lu's farmhouse cuisine has something special that's worth a group of pot-bellied men waiting for.
So, the customers who were originally going to eat at other restaurants inexplicably turned around and came here instead.
In addition, the sign that "there are flush toilets in the store" is very much in line with the needs of customers. At this mealtime, large and small cars began to turn into Lu Yuan's parking space one after another.
In just over ten minutes, Lu Yuan had only served one table of dishes when Lu Ying brought in three more order forms.
Lu Jie was originally just leisurely serving dishes, but after the previous guests left, he was also tasked with clearing tables, and was so busy that he was dizzy.
Fortunately, Wei Yinghong insisted on keeping her uncle to help today. He's like a brick, filling in wherever needed.
Little Lu Xue was also very diligent. Holding a twig she had picked up from somewhere, she sat between Lu Yuan's house and Wang Facai's house with her eyes wide open, always on guard against Wang Facai coming to cause trouble.
Lu Changming could be considered relatively unbusy, since most drivers would park their cars themselves if given directions.
Because Wei Yinghong's fried dough cakes were so delicious, most of the departing customers would take a few back with them.
Before Comrade Lao Lu could even sit down, Wei Yinghong called him over to help pack up the fried dough sticks.
By noon, the number of customers reached its peak, and Xiao Lu's Farmhouse Restaurant served 16 tables of guests at the same time, almost filling them up.
This is where the advantage of Lu Yuan's streamlined menu becomes apparent.
He can prepare several portions of dishes like hand-pulled mutton and mutton neck, which can be served quickly, while they are stewing on the stove.
He insisted on cooking one serving of dishes like stir-fried lamb and braised pork for each table.
Because the amount required for each table is different, it is necessary to weigh the food in advance before cooking.
Although this method is slower, it ensures that each table receives the correct weight and quantity of food.
Lu Yuan's chef's uniform was already soaked with sweat from the continuous tossing of the wok over high heat.
These days, there's no air conditioning in the kitchen, and the temperature around the stove, which is over 40 degrees Celsius, is quite unbearable.
Fortunately, the feedback from the guests was quite positive, and this unprecedented lamb experience received unanimous praise.
Judging from how Lu Jie cleared the table, the plate rate was quite high; apart from some dried chili peppers and other condiments, there was almost no food left.
The popularity continued until 14 PM.
Moreover, the reason for closing was not that there were no customers, but that all the ingredients had been sold out.
Two lambs, 50 jin of meat, sold out completely.
After seeing off the last group of guests, Lu Jie collapsed onto the ground.
He ran the most today; if we had WeChat step counts, he probably would have reached close to 2 steps.
After turning off the stove and exhaust fan, Lu Yuan simply took off his soaked chef's uniform and went shirtless.
Although there were girls present, they were all from the countryside and didn't stand on ceremony.
Wei Yinghong sat in a chair, rubbing her right hand with her left, and asked with some doubt, "Xiao Yuan, why is business so good today?"
Lu Yuan gulped down a whole vat of iced tea, wiped his mouth, and said with a smile, "Mom, aren't you the best advertisement?"
"Third Aunt, your fried dough sticks smell really good. When customers order food, they always ask for a serving of fried dough sticks first."
Lu Ying was the quietest girl in the Lu family. Although she was also hot, she didn't make any wild movements. She just used the menu to fan herself.
"Oh? No way!" Wei Yinghong was a little embarrassed by the praise, and kept rubbing her hands together.
"Xiao Yuan, the parking spaces you drew and the renovated restrooms you made also played a significant role," Lu Changming added.
Lu Yuan just chuckled twice and didn't offer any further explanation.
That's how it is in the food and beverage industry: if you do a little more of everything, the overall effect will be greatly enhanced.
It may seem like just a few minor adjustments, but for the guests, the experience can be completely different.
When a private car decides to have lunch in Luwangtan Village, a quick glance reveals that Xiaolu Farmhouse Restaurant has parking spaces, clean restrooms, and neat, uniform staff.
The fragrant fried dough sticks are a subtle way of telling them that the food at this restaurant is really good!
With these comparisons, the choice becomes very simple for vehicles passing by.
Even customers from other stores might feel a desire to try it.
After lying on the ground for a while, Lu Jie seemed to remember something and suddenly sat up, asking, "Yingying, how much money did we make today?"
As soon as this topic came up, everyone became very interested and turned their attention to Lu Ying.
Lu Ying took out a calculator, quickly checked the accounts, and after a series of mechanical "+" sounds, Lu Ying's mouth opened slightly as she recited a string of numbers:
"A total of 1582 yuan was sold!"
"How much? You didn't miscalculate, did you?" Lu Jie suddenly stood up.
Lu Ying repeated the details again: "A total of 1582 yuan was sold, of which 208 yuan was from fried dough sticks and 1374 yuan was from the store."
Lu Jie immediately started counting on his fingers: "1500 yuan a day, that's 45000 yuan a month! Xiao Yuan, you're going to be rich!"