Chapter 68 A Designer's Dilemma, A Chef's Revelation

June 2nd, Thursday.

Liang Qingfan had been in seclusion for two days.

He had obtained the blueprints for both buildings. The commercial-residential building was relatively straightforward since it was new. But the apartment in Binhu District was old, and it took a lot of effort to get the original construction drawings from the property management.

After that, Liang Qingfan began his seclusion, isolating himself in the process.

This time, he truly couldn't understand President Pei's intentions.

With the previous luxury apartment, Liang Qingfan could understand President Pei wanting a minimalist style. After all, those who could afford to rent such a place were definitely rich, and some wealthy people did like minimalism.

But wanting to do a minimalist style with a forty-square-meter double-story loft and a sixty-square-meter two-bedroom apartment?

Would there be anything left in the house?

Liang Qingfan felt that he could solve some aesthetic problems with a little extra thought.

But how did President Pei intend to solve the problem of the house being so impractical?

He was very confused, but he didn't want to ask too many questions.

The double-story loft in the commercial-residential building was relatively easy to handle. After all, the area was small, and the use of each space was very clear. The plan could be finalized quickly.

On the other hand, the "magical" lake-view apartment in Binhu District would require a lot of effort to modify.

The semicircular 180-degree arc-shaped living room had to be re-zoned and its utilization rate improved. The kitchen and bathroom had to be expanded, and the entrance door and corridor had to be widened.

These would directly affect the living experience. If they weren't done well, then no matter how fancy the renovation was, it would still be a failure.

Fortunately, after getting the structural drawings, Liang Qingfan found that some of the walls that seemed to be load-bearing were not, and could be altered.

But even so, it would take a lot of effort to complete this plan.

"Come on!"

"President Pei said that difficult apartment types can show a designer's level. No matter what, I have to modify this apartment type well and not let President Pei down!"

Liang Qingfan temporarily put the doubts in his mind behind him and continued to focus on improving his design plan.

...

...

June 3rd, Friday.

Lazy Catering Shop No. 1, Food Lab.

Rui Yuchen was alone in the shop, tasting the newly launched fitness meal.

Although he was the head of Lazy Noodle Cafe, Rui Yuchen always felt that he shouldn't be detached from the customers. He should often visit the stores, chat with customers, and even act as a waiter himself.

Today, he had a whim and sent the waiters away to be a waiter himself.

It just so happened that there were no customers at this time, so he decided to try the new fitness meal.

In the transparent glass lunch box, one side was stir-fried beef slices garnished with onions, carrots, and green peppers, and the other side was banana oatmeal pancakes and fried cod.

There was fish, meat, and vegetables, which was healthy and in line with the Chinese diet.

Previously, the fitness meals developed by Lazy Catering had been promoted in various托管健身房 *tuoguan jianshenfang* (outsourced gyms), and the response had been very good.

But Rui Yuchen didn't stop there, and continued to develop new fitness meals.

Because he knew very well that even if Chinese-style fitness meals satisfied customers' tastes and could be eaten for a long time, they would still get tired of eating the same dishes.

Therefore, he had to ensure that there were enough types of meals that could be constantly changed to keep customers fresh.

When eating fitness meals was no longer a task for customers, but something to look forward to, it would mean that the fitness meal business had succeeded.

Now, it could only be considered a preliminary success, and the menu had to be further enriched.

Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, Rui Yuchen saw a familiar figure.

"Brother Lin, you're here. Take a seat." Rui Yuchen got up to greet him.

Lin Canrong casually found a chair and sat down, looking around. This was his first time visiting the Lazy Catering Food Lab.

Rui Yuchen said to the kitchen, "Another fitness meal."

Lin Canrong sighed, "The Lazy Catering Food Lab is doing quite well."

Rui Yuchen got up and poured Lin Canrong a drink, and said with a smile, "It's all done according to President Pei's instructions. By the way, Brother Lin, didn't you say before that Ming Yun Private Kitchen also wanted to build a food lab? How is it going?"

Lin Canrong shook his head, "President Pei didn't agree."

"Didn't agree?" Rui Yuchen was stunned, "Why? Ming Yun Private Kitchen should study food even more to provide a better dining experience for high-end diners, right?"

Lin Canrong took the juice from Rui Yuchen and said while drinking, "I thought so at first, but after thinking about it for a long time, I realized President Pei's profound meaning."

"I was also very puzzled before. President Pei told me not to open branches or a food lab, but he allowed me to spend money."

"Where else can I spend this money?"

"I thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to spend money on employee training!"

Rui Yuchen was stunned, "Employee training?"

Lin Canrong nodded, "Yes, I directly hired people from Handong University who are fluent in multiple languages ​​to work as waiters with high salaries. At the same time, I conducted uniform training for all the waiters, so that they must remember the ingredients, methods, heat, and taste characteristics of each dish, so that they can answer fluently when guests ask."

"By the way, I also signed up for classes for the previous waiters. With more people, the scheduling time is freed up, so they can be arranged to learn foreign languages ​​in turn during work hours."

Rui Yuchen: "Huh?"

Lin Canrong explained, "I carefully considered the hints President Pei gave me before making this decision. The reason why President Pei didn't allow me to open branches is because Ming Yun Private Kitchen is a high-end restaurant with limited ingredients, and the chefs are all hired from all over the world with high salaries, which are scarce talents. Opening branches cannot guarantee the taste, which is equivalent to ruining your own brand."

"So, what President Pei cares about is this brand!"

"Then, if you continue to spend money, where can you spend it? It must be to improve the influence of this golden brand!"

"I thought about it, the chefs' cooking skills are already very high, and can only improve slowly. Spending more money may not necessarily work. As for the ingredients, basically the top ingredients have been obtained. So, the only thing that can be further improved is the details of the service."

"So, we still have to put more effort into these waiters!"

"Maybe foreign friends will come to Ming Yun Private Kitchen to eat in the future. Waiters who can speak multiple languages ​​can greatly improve their satisfaction. It is very meaningful to spend money in this area."

Rui Yuchen suddenly realized, "I see, President Pei is so internationally minded? Indeed, Ming Yun Private Kitchen's reputation in China is already very high, and we have to prepare in advance to receive foreign friends."

Lin Canrong continued, "In addition to this, I also arranged托管健身 *tuoguan jianshen* (outsourced fitness) for all the waiters at Ming Yun Private Kitchen."

"I think that President Pei opened the托管健身房 *tuoguan jianshenfang* (outsourced gym) near Ming Yun Mountain Villa, knowing that it would lose money, mostly for the employees to use!"

"Later, after observing, sure enough, the DGE e-sports club has been arranged in it. I think Ming Yun Private Kitchen cannot lag behind, so I arranged for the waiters to exercise."

"There are indeed some waiters who have problems with their body management, which may leave a bad impression on customers. This is also an aspect that can be improved."

Rui Yuchen nodded, "I see... But I still think it's okay for Ming Yun Private Kitchen to open a food lab to improve the taste, right?"

The two were chatting when the fitness meal was ready.

"Come on, Brother Lin, try the new fitness meal developed by the food lab." Rui Yuchen got up and brought the fitness meal from the kitchen and placed it in front of Lin Canrong.

Lin Canrong took two bites, "Well, it's okay."

Rui Yuchen smiled, "Brother Lin, you taste the dishes at Ming Yun Private Kitchen every day. I'm already very satisfied that you can praise it as 'okay'."

Lin Canrong continued to eat, "I really think it's okay. In terms of the taste of fitness meals, it's simply too delicious, okay?"

"Where were we just now?"

Rui Yuchen, "I just said that it's okay for Ming Yun Private Kitchen to open a food lab to improve the taste."

Lin Canrong nodded, "Yes, President Pei has also considered this point."

"He doesn't allow Ming Yun Private Kitchen to open a food lab. He said, 'At most, you are allowed to use the research results of the Lazy Catering Food Lab'."

Rui Yuchen was stunned, "Use our research results? Our research results are useless. They are all cheap meals and cannot be sold at Ming Yun Private Kitchen."

Lin Canrong smiled and shook his head, "I thought so at first."

"But later I realized that President Pei's words have another meaning!"

"Our two departments are both in the catering business. On the surface, one is doing high-end catering and the other is doing cheap catering, but they are all brands under Tengda!"

"If we each open a food lab, you will definitely do yours and I will do mine. The resources between each other cannot be integrated and utilized, and this will also cause a waste of resources."

"What's more, it is reasonable to build a food lab with the size of Lazy Catering. Ming Yun Private Kitchen is too small. No matter how popular it is, it is just a restaurant. It is difficult to build a food lab."

"But, what if we integrate the resources between each other?"

"President Pei said that allowing Ming Yun Private Kitchen to use Lazy Catering's research success is hinting to us not to be so clear about it. We should study together and use the research results together. One food lab is enough!"

Rui Yuchen suddenly realized, "Oh, I see!"

Lin Canrong continued, "So, I plan to arrange chefs to come to the food lab regularly to try new methods and new dishes. I will ask your nutritionists and professionals to help and give some advice."

Rui Yuchen nodded decisively, "Of course, that's what I want! We can also use the new dishes when they are developed, and maybe they can give the people in the lab some new inspiration!"

Lin Canrong couldn't help but sigh, President Pei sees the problem clearly!

Before, Lin Canrong had always been a little emotional. Why does Lazy Catering keep losing money and expanding, while Ming Yun Private Kitchen keeps making money but has no movement?

Is President Pei biased?

Now it seems that he has misunderstood President Pei.

President Pei is emphasizing that Ming Yun Private Kitchen and Lazy Catering are both important links in Tengda's layout in the catering industry. They should not be separated from each other and should cooperate fully!