Zhou Erwa Restaurant's braised meat was selling like hotcakes, leaving Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng dumbfounded. Their usual customers were all gone; they hadn't sold a single jin of meat they'd prepared.
In contrast, Zhao Minghui's braised peanuts were selling like hotcakes.
That afternoon, he went back and braised another fifteen jin, still letting customers sample before buying. Even if they didn't buy anything, he'd give a few to the passing workers to try.
The peanuts were still warm, and the taste and texture were even better than when they were cold, resulting in a very high sales rate.
At 45 cents a jin, a bag of braised peanuts cost only 30 cents, perfect for taking home as a snack with drinks or for the children.
The two sweet-skinned ducks he'd prepared for the day were also sold out.
Zhang Xiuqin was in charge of packing and collecting money, her smile particularly bright.
She hadn't expected that Zhou Yan's casual suggestion would make their business so successful.
She hadn't been optimistic about the braised peanuts before, but today they sold incredibly well; more than ten jin sold out in no time.
They could earn an extra four or five yuan today just from selling braised peanuts!
Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng huddled together, whispered a few words, and then went their separate ways.
"Yang Ji Braised Food and Zhu Ji Braised Food are having a joint one year anniversary sale! Pig's head meat is 1.9 yuan per jin! Pig's ear is 2.4 yuan per jin! The taste is fantastic!" The two immediately started shouting, offering it for thirty cents cheaper per jin than usual.
Braised pig's heads actually have a significant waste rate. Zhou Yan only makes half the profit at 2.5 yuan per jin, so a thirty cents discount per jin really hurts them.
But they have no choice. They only sell this one hour a day, after the workers have finished their work. If they don't sell it, all this pig's head meat will be stuck with them.
Having learned from Wang Laowu's experience, the textile factory workers now have much higher quality requirements for vendors outside the gate. They don't dare gamble on getting arrested for selling yesterday's leftover braised meat.
The braised meat they made this morning has been sitting out all day; it'll turn black by tomorrow if take it home, so they can't sell it a second time.
Customers who couldn't buy it at Zhou Erwa Restaurant but were still craving it came over to buy it after hearing about the price reduction.
Pig's head meat at 1.9 yuan per jin (500g) is usually hard to find.
It's unclear whether it's a genuine anniversary sale or a price reduction forced upon them by Zhou Erwa Restaurant.
However, it's good news for the customers.
The 2.5 yuan per jin (500g) braised pig's head is delicious, but the 1.9 yuan per jin allows for more slices and a few more sips of alcohol.
There's always a group of price sensitive customers who faced with a 0.6 yuan difference, will decisively choose the cheaper option, even if the taste is acceptable.
Before Zhou Erwa Restaurant started selling braised meat, they all bought their braised pig's head meat from these two stalls.
Of course, if the price difference is only 0.2 or 0.3 yuan per jin, they'll seriously consider which one tastes better.
As darkness deepened, the customers ate faster, wanting to get home before dark.
By the time the customers left, a light rain had begun to fall outside.
Comrade Old Zhou was covered in dust. He patted his clothes at the embankment before walking over, wearing a straw hat on his head.
"You guys go home first. I'll collect the dishes from the remaining tables. We can wash them tomorrow morning. Go home before you get soaked!" Zhou Yan handed the food box he'd packed for his father to his mother and urged them to leave quickly.
"Okay! Zhao Hong, don't bother collecting them, let's go home. It looks like it's going to rain heavily." Aunt Zhao took off her apron and called to Zhao Hong.
"Zhou Yan, you can leave it to me to wash tomorrow morning." Zhao Hong said, taking off her apron and walking towards the door. Zhou Fei had been waiting at the door for a while and handed her a raincoat.
"Why wear a raincoat in this little rain? Hurry up, we won't get too wet on the way home." Zhao Hong handed the raincoat to Zhao Tieying. "Fourth Aunt, you wear this and wrap Momo up so she doesn't catch a cold from the rain. I'll just hide behind Zhou Fei."
Zhao Tieying glanced at Zhou Fei wearing the raincoat and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll leave it at the door for you tomorrow morning. Remember to wear it if it rains."
"Okay." Zhao Hong replied, lifting Zhou Fei's raincoat and cover her upper body inside before Zhou Fei riding off.
"I want to sit in front!" Zhou Momo reached for the front of the bicycle, trying to climb on.
"Sit at the back! Sit at the back when it rains, I'll hold you." Zhao Tieying put on the raincoat, picked her up and wrapped her in it.
"I've been busy all afternoon and forgot to bring raincoat." Comrade Old Zhou put the straw hat on Aunt Zhao's head, looking a little embarrassed.
"I have another one here." Zhou Yan said, taking out a straw hat and putting it on Comrade Old Zhou. "The roads are slippery from the rain, ride slowly."
"Okay, you go back, don't get wet." Comrade Old Zhou nodded and pedaled away on his bicycle.
The sky grew darker, and the drizzle gradually turned into a moderate rain, then poured down heavily.
The vendors frantically tore at their tarpaulins, gathering their money, seasonings, and unsold food.
This autumn rain was unexpectedly heavy.
That's the advantage of opening a shop; if you encounter unexpected weather, you won't be in such a mess or in chaos.
The fifteen yuan monthly rent seemed very cost-effective at this moment.
They say one autumn rain brings a chill, and Zhou Yan guessed the temperature was about to drop.
When the weather gets cold, cold dishes will gradually sell less, especially things like cold chicken dish, which are icy cold in winter.
The taste of braised meat will be affected, especially in winter, as the fat meat will harden and the texture will not be as perfect.
However, this is a slow process. Southern Sichuan isn't like the north; the temperature drop is relatively gentle, so he can continue selling for a while longer.
As the weather gets colder, everyone wants something warm, and the peak season for Cross-legged Beef is approaching.
In winter, eating a bowl of freshly cooked, steaming hot Cross-legged Beef and drinking a bowl of delicious beef soup to warm up from head to toe. Who can resist such a temptation?
Zhou Yan closed the door, keeping the wind and rain out.
The dishes and chopsticks were taken to the kitchen washing area, washed, and hung to dry on the dish rack.
Zhou Yan pulled out the cash box from behind the counter, took out the ledger, and recorded the expenses.
Today's braised pig's head and cold chicken dish sold out completely, bringing in 43.32 yuan. Over three jin (approximately 1.5 kg) were consumed during tasting.
Twenty more bowls of noodles were sold, increasing revenue by 12 yuan.
He had already heard about the canteen's reform plan: eliminating stir-fries and focusing all chefs on big pot dishes, emphasizing low prices and a more affordable approach to serve the workers. He was certain the taste of the steamed buns, porridge, and noodles would improve.
He predicted that noodle sales at the restaurant would gradually drop back to eighty bowls, which he hoped would stabilize.
This was normal competition, and Zhou Yan could accept it.
However, the elimination of the stir-fry section meant that Zhou Yan would have a monopoly on the textile factory's stir-fry business, directly competing with the extremely low-priced big pot dishes.
Today's revenue was 416.3 yuan, with a profit of 207.1 yuan.
Both broke his own records.
The introduction of braised dishes did indeed open up a market for customers who didn't usually dine at the restaurant.
Some customers asked about braised beef, but the price of four yuan per jin was indeed prohibitive, so Zhou Yan decided to leave it vacant tomorrow.
Today, Zhou Yan also saw several familiar faces among the customers—those he'd met at yesterday's wedding banquet; they were likely teachers and town government officers.
This indicated that yesterday's wedding banquet had successfully expanded his customer base.
Even though the number of people is not large at present, this circle is relatively easy to snowball as word of mouth spreads.
[Ding! Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory Completed! The host has successfully expanded by 1000+ users, becoming the most well-known individual restaurant in the textile factory!]
[Quest Reward Issued: Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver]
Just as Zhou Yan closed the ledger, the system notification sounded.
Seeing the notification, Zhou Yan's face lit up with joy.
Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver is one of the famous "Three Tender Delicacies" of Qiaotou in Yandu (a famous Sichuanese restaurant). This dish is quite common in Sichuan restaurants, almost always on the menu, and is very popular.
It's a common dish, but it particularly tests the chef's skill in controlling the heat.
Pork liver that isn't cooked properly is tough, bitter, and tastes like chewing wax.
If you pursue extreme tenderness, customers will likely complain after eating it.
Therefore, mastering this balance is a testament to a chef's ability to control the heat.
Pork liver is excellent for replenishing blood.
Zhou Yan prefers strong flavors and enjoys dishes like Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver, Spicy Stir-fried Liver And Kidney, and Griddle Pork Intestines.
Moreover, pork liver is incredibly cheap, costing only thirty cents per jin, and four liang are needed to cook one serving.
Zhou Yan has already started considering pricing: should he profit more by overcharging, or offer a low-priced dish to his customers?
Without thinking too much, Zhou Yan first opened it to learn how to cook Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver.
Knowledge entered his mind, and countless experiences were integrated into his brain, as if he had cooked this dish countless times before.
A minute later, Zhou Yan's eyes had regained their clarity.
Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver, perfect!
Zhou Yan's mind raced; the preparation, stir-frying, and seasoning of pork liver were already second nature to him.
Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney, Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver, and Spicy Stir-fried Crispy Pork Intestines were his master's specialties, so Zhou Yan was skilled at slicing pork kidney and had watched his master cook these three dishes many times.
After mastering Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver, he felt more confident about Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney and Spicy Stir-fried Crispy Pork Intestines.
Tomorrow he'd buy some pork kidneys to try; no rush to sell them, he'd cook them for his own family to taste at lunch time.
If it wasn't quite right, he could always ask his master for advice.
Zhao Dong had asked him more than once when Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver and Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney would be available. Judging from the sales of the canteen's stir-fries, the men generally loved this dish, indicating a stable market.
Yes! Tomorrow!
Zhou Yan took out a wooden board and wrote "Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver" on it.
After thinking for a while, he wrote down the price: 0.8 yuan.
Pork liver is cheap, but the dish is very oily, and with the addition of side dishes and ingredients, the cost is about thirty cents.
Zhou Yan decided to set the price a bit higher.
Pricing wasn't just about cost; it also involved considering the prices of other dishes.
If the Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver was too cost-effective, more people would order it, which would inevitably affect the sales of other dishes and lower the average order value.
Zhou Yan added more dishes to earn more money, not to work on two fronts simultaneously, which would only lead to less profit the busier he was.
After hanging the menu sign on the wall, Zhou Yan went to wash up and go to bed, feeling satisfied.
It was raining heavily outside, the pouring rain actually quite soothing. Zhou Yan closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.
…
Bang! Bang bang!
Zhou Yan, sound asleep, was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
He opened his eyes, still a little groggy, and heard Zhou Jie's voice: "Zhou Yan! Zhou Yan, get up quickly! Your house has collapsed!"
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