Chapter 386 "Donglaishun" and the Future of Catering Groups
When Liu Zhiye and his wife arrived at "Donglaishun", the store was already bustling with people, all the tables were full, and it was very lively.

Outside the door, a line of diners were waiting in an orderly manner. Instead of showing any signs of impatience, they looked expectant. This scene shows that "Donglaishun" is doing a booming business and has a great reputation.

"Comrades, I'm sorry, our shop has no vacant tables at the moment. Please see..." the shopkeeper greeted them warmly.

This shopkeeper was actually the person in charge of the private side after the public-private partnership. He had a unique vision and could immediately detect the extraordinary qualities of Liu Zhiye and his wife from their manners and clothing.

He was afraid that the waiters in the store were ignorant of their duties and would neglect these two people.

So he personally came forward and warmly welcomed these two guests who looked extraordinary with the most sincere attitude.

"Haha, boss, don't bother you. I have already booked a table in private room No. 6 on the second floor." Liu Zhiye responded with a smile.

The shopkeeper immediately smiled and said, "Okay, the stairs are this way, please go upstairs..."

Liu Zhiye and his wife smiled and nodded slightly to the quick-witted shopkeeper, secretly praising in their hearts: "It is really the style of a time-honored brand. The way this shopkeeper treats people is not comparable to that of ordinary restaurants. He has an extraordinary demeanor."

Before he went up the stairs, he turned around and looked at the bustling crowds of people still queuing in the halls and corridors. He thought, "Luckily I arrived in time, otherwise I don't know how long it would take to queue up!"

The shabu-shabu mutton at Donglaishun Restaurant has a history of more than 60 years in Beijing.

Not only do old Beijingers particularly like the taste of this restaurant, but people from other places also like it, and even international friends often come here to visit.

During holidays, if Donglaishun did not prepare thousands of kilograms of mutton, it would not be able to cope with so many customers who came to visit.

At noon and in the evening, the aisles of Donglaishun are filled with people waiting to eat shabu-shabu. Even if you wait for half an hour to get a seat, you will still say: "It's not crowded today."

Ever since the weather turns colder every year, Donglaishun's mutton hotpot business has become booming.

Occasionally, we would invite a few friends to have a meal together, and each person would only pay 80 cents or 1 yuan, which was a fair price.

"Old Beijingers" regard going to Donglaishun to eat mutton hotpot on a cold day as a pleasant enjoyment.

Take a seat, put a steaming hot pot, add chili oil, shrimp oil, sesame paste, tofu broth and other seasonings, order a few plates of mutton, and eat slowly, it is very delicious.

If you like fatty food, Liu will order a plate of big Sancha, with the meat being white at one end and red at the other. If you like lean food, he will order a plate of cucumber strips, with the meat being all red. If you like to eat half fat and half lean food, he will order a plate of small Sancha, which has the same color: red at both ends and white in the middle.

The meat slices were served neatly, sliced ​​thinly and rolled into small tubes. They looked comfortable and tasted tender and delicate.

Even people who never eat mutton will inevitably say after entering Donglaishun: "This mutton is different, it doesn't have any smell..."

Even though this time-honored brand had such a booming business, it almost went bankrupt after the public-private partnership two years ago.

That was seven or eight years ago, when "Donglaishun" followed the social trend and began to engage in public-private partnership.

However, after the public-private partnership, the mutton hotpot at "Donglaishun" suddenly became unpalatable.

At that time, some old customers had opinions. Experienced diners did not reserve a seat first when they came in, but asked the waiter first: "Is the meat authentic today?"

"Donglaishun mutton is no longer tasty" was a big event. People today may find it hard to imagine that a restaurant could have such a big impact on social life, but it was indeed the case at the time. The Masses Daily even characterized it as a "ZZ task."

Even the great man once said after learning about this: "Always maintain and carry forward the quality and characteristics of time-honored brands such as Donglaishun." He also said this famous saying: "The mutton of 'SHism' should be more delicious than the mutton of 'ZBism'."

Later, in order to ensure the supply of special raw materials for "Donglaishun", relevant departments regarded the quality of "Donglaishun Shabu-shabu" mutton as a political task and gave priority to the supply of special raw materials needed by Donglaishun.

The sixth Dongdan store of Beijing City Retail Company insists on supplying fat fed sheep, and the specifications of the parts also meet the requirements of "Donglaishun".

The Beijing City Grain Bureau supplies Fuqiang flour, Xiaozhan rice and mung beans every month, and "Donglaishun" processes the mung bean flour itself to make mixed noodles.

Jingcheng Oil Company supplies sesame paste and an additional 300 kilograms of sesame oil every month; Tianyishun and Tianyuan Sauce Factory are responsible for supplying high-quality soy sauce and chives.

In this way, the raw materials of "Donglaishun" not only recovered to their original level, but the quality of some raw materials was even better than before.

The mutton slices sold by "Donglaishun" also changed their original unreasonable price and returned it to 1.28 yuan per catty, ensuring that the mutton slices can be carefully selected, sliced ​​thinly and cleanly.

Customers not only had no objection to this, but said: "It doesn't matter if it's expensive, as long as it tastes good."

After this incident, the mutton hotpot of Donlaishun, the roast duck of Quanjude, and some other time-honored brands not only regained their original characteristics, but also became better in quality than before.

Liu Zhiye comes from later generations, and he has a special liking for those time-honored restaurants that carry the mellow flavor of time.

As an absolute lover of food and wine, he knows the names of these old shops by heart, and each one is engraved deeply in his memory.

He has not only heard of many time-honored brands, but has also visited them personally, just for a taste of the delicacies that can evoke memories of his taste buds from his previous life.

In the future blueprint that he carefully outlined for the Liu family, ten major pillar industries were clearly listed, one of which was the grand idea of ​​building a giant catering empire spanning the country.

These ten industries are: the pharmaceutical industry; the tourism and cultural industry; the machinery manufacturing industry; the infrastructure and real estate industry; the new energy industry; the education industry; the high-tech industry; the food processing industry; the catering chain industry; and the development and investment in the Internet industry.

In order to promote the vigorous development of these industries in the future, a lot of preliminary preparatory work has been quietly launched.

For example, in the fields of traditional Chinese medicine, animal husbandry, agriculture, brewing, construction, machinery manufacturing and catering, professional education has been in full swing for many years, laying a solid foundation for their rise.

In recent years, technical schools in Liujiazhuang have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. Their number has increased dramatically and their scale has continued to expand, showing an increasingly formalized trend in running schools.

Liujiazhuang's investment in the education industry is not cost-effective. It still insists on popular literacy, adult re-education, cultural advancement, and the integrated development of learning, teaching, research and work, which soon led to a qualitative improvement in the quality of talents in all walks of life in Liujiazhuang.

Moreover, educational institutions such as colleges of traditional Chinese medicine and colleges of agriculture and animal husbandry are gearing up to move steadily towards the ranks of colleges and universities in the near future in order to further expand their academic frontiers.

In Liujiazhuang, the chef training program centered on the legendary Third Uncle Liu Yuanhai is booming and in full swing.

With an eye on the blueprint of the future catering empire, Liujiazhuang spared no expense in inviting elites from all over the world in terms of cuisine, and famous chefs came one after another to teach their skills in person.

These carefully nurtured apprentices are like unpolished jade waiting to be polished. After years of baptism, in more than a decade, they will surely become the indestructible mainstay of the catering industry, leading the trend and writing their own glorious chapter.

Liu Zhiye's original plan was to train his own chef management team in the early stages, and when the time was right, he would invest heavily, thinking that he could become the leader of China's catering industry in a short period of time.

However, Liu Zhiye realized from the past experience of "Donglaishun" that he had taken things for granted.

The main reasons why these time-honored brands can last for a long time include paying attention to local customs and practices to explore business opportunities, actively building brand awareness, accurate positioning, effective publicity, high-quality services and environment, and continuous innovation and inheritance.

Among them, brand and inheritance are particularly important, which cannot be replaced by some new brands in a short time. In such a situation, an idea quietly emerged in Liu Zhiye's mind.

These are old shops that are public-private partnerships. It may be difficult for them to intervene, but time flies. Who can predict the situation in a dozen years? In the tide of market economy, everything can be talked about with money.

If, in the future, the catering group can bring together such famous and old stores as "Donglaishun", "Xilaishun", "Youyishun", "Nanlaishun", "Fengzeyuan", "Quanjude", "Zhimeizhai", "Yueshengzhai", "Taifenglou", "Tianxingju", "Tongheju", "Liuquanju", "Tongchunyuan", "Hongbinlou", "Kaorouwan", "Kaorouji", "Tianfuhao", "Liubiju", "Cuihualou", "Quyuan Restaurant", "Emei Restaurant", "Fangshan Restaurant", "Gongdelin Vegetarian Restaurant", "Tanjiacai", "Xiaochangchen", etc., then such a catering giant will be truly worthy of the name.

In addition, the beauty of this move is that it has a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, it can rapidly promote the expansion of the catering territory and give the industry a new look; on the other hand, it aims to firmly control the high-end catering market in the Beijing-Tianjin area, and strive to set a benchmark in this fertile land, thereby winning more prominent industry influence and voice.

Liu Zhiye got very excited just thinking about it. From now on, all the well-known restaurants in the capital would be owned by his family. How awesome would the descendants of the Liu family be when they go out?

"This store is owned by my family, and this one... that one too, they are all owned by my Liu family."

"Just tell me what you want to eat. As long as it's available in Beijing, we have it at home..."

Furthermore, the ancient saying "food is the first necessity of the people" has been fully reflected in Liujiazhuang. After years of baptism, Liujiazhuang has quietly transformed into an indispensable food supply center on the edge of the capital.

The grains, pork, beef, mutton, seasonal fruits and vegetables, wine and beverages, and even special snacks it produces all nourish the people of the capital and surrounding areas, and its reputation is well-known and well-received.

This is still constrained by the times, but looking to the future, when the shackles of the market economy are completely removed, Liujiazhuang's huge agricultural and pastoral empire will surely take advantage of the situation and cross regional boundaries. It will not only deeply cultivate the hinterland of Beijing and Tianjin, but will also extend its tentacles to the whole country and become a giant leading the agricultural and animal husbandry trends. Its influence in the country will not be underestimated.

In addition, the catering industry and the entertainment industry are inseparable. While developing the catering industry, we can also vigorously develop the entertainment industry.

Catering and entertainment culture have been closely linked since ancient times, forming a phenomenon in which catering and entertainment are inseparable.

The combination of catering culture and entertainment culture can be traced back to ancient times. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, there were records of emperors and generals eating with musical accompaniment, which shows that entertainment forms such as singing and dancing have always been an important means to liven up the atmosphere of banquets.

This combination not only enriches the connotation of catering, but also makes catering activities more colorful and provides a better dining experience.

With the development of society, the comprehensive characteristics of catering culture have become increasingly prominent, focusing on cultural taste and temperament. The design and environment layout of the restaurant have become the full expression of people and food, people and nature, people and culture in social catering activities.

After the reform and opening up, it has become a good trend for domestic hotels to combine entertainment and catering. When customers dine in the restaurant, they can not only taste delicious food, but also enjoy performances. This combination cultivates people spiritually and makes them more relaxed when dining.

Therefore, the combination of catering and entertainment has become an important means to attract customers and enhance customer experience, forming a phenomenon in which catering and entertainment are inseparable.

Eating, drinking and having fun are naturally inseparable and can be linked and integrated in many ways. For example, the famous "Sanlitun", "Gongti", "Wukesong", "Huguo Temple Snack Street" in Beijing are all places that combine eating, drinking and having fun very well.

If the Liu family can get a hand in the construction of the above-mentioned areas in the future, the benefits they will gain will be enormous.

With abundant resources in the upstream catering industry and many time-honored brands, coupled with Liu Zhiye's unique vision, building the future catering and entertainment empire is just a natural thing for him.

…………

Gan Ning saw the dishes being served one by one, but Liu Zhiye seemed to be in another world, with his chopsticks hanging in the air, his eyes blurred, immersed in deep thought.

She couldn't help but open her red lips slightly, with a hint of amusement and concern in her tone: "Zhiye, the food is cold, eat quickly, what big thing are you thinking about now?"

"Oh, oh, I remembered some things about work. Don't wait for me, let's eat quickly!" Liu Zhiye's train of thought was interrupted, and he said to others as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Only "Polan Hou" did not wait for Liu Zhiye. He insisted on "not talking while eating and not talking while sleeping" when eating. Just now, at Gan Ning's signal, he had already started eating enthusiastically.

Ge Shuping and Yan Jiecheng looked at each other, then he smiled and said, "Will you continue to visit friends in the afternoon?"

"Otherwise, why don't we take this opportunity to have a few drinks?"

"Good idea, let's do it! If you don't drink wine with meat, the taste will be greatly reduced!" Liu Zhiye laughed heartily, revealing a bit of heroism in his words.

After hearing this, "Polan Hou" did not say anything, but he silently expressed his agreement with Liu Zhiye's proposal with a thumbs up.

Liu Zhiye gave clear and concise instructions: "Jie Cheng, go check out their wine cellar and pick out a few bottles of the best ones."

"Okay!" Yan Jiecheng was delighted when he heard that. He immediately stood up and ran briskly to the wine cabinet downstairs. It was really comfortable to go out for dinner with his elder brother. There were good wines and delicious food, and he could do whatever he wanted.

After a while, Yan Jiecheng came with two waiters carrying wine.

"Brother Liu, here we have [Moutai], [Fenjiu], [Wuliangye], [Red Star Erguotou], and [Yanshan] and [Taihang] produced by our Yeshan Distillery. Which one do you think we should drink?"

Liu Zhiye smiled and asked the others, "What do you want to drink?"

"Polanhou" said: "I'm not used to Maotai, let's have a bottle of authentic Taihang. This wine is strong, soft at first, with a long aftertaste, and not easy to get drunk, which is just what I like."

Ge Shuping also agreed: "Yes, I can't get used to that either. It's better to drink Taihang. This wine is really good!"

Seeing this, Liu Zhiye smiled and responded: "You guys are not trying to save me money, are you? Why do you insist on drinking Taihang liquor when you can drink famous liquors like Maotai and Wuliangye?"

The corner of Polan Hou's mouth curled up into a smile, and he said softly: "Zhiye, don't underestimate it. When it comes to the taste of [Taihang], I think it is not inferior to famous brands like [Moutai] and [Wuliangye], not to mention other ordinary wines. Its unique flavor is truly the best among all wines."

"Really?" Liu Zhiye asked suspiciously.

Gan Ning stood aside, smiling, and said to Zhiye, "Don't disbelieve me, the current Yeshan Winery has been completely transformed and is no longer comparable to the past.

Over the years, they spared no expense and invested heavily in creating this wine. Every drop of wine embodies the hard work and persistence of the craftsmen, and the quality naturally improves day by day.

Especially the two signature wines, the 52-degree [Yanshan] is mellow and long-lasting, and the 62-degree [Taihang] is warm and unrestrained. Both have successfully become famous wines and are highly respected.

Looking at this year's sales data, the sales of high-end wines from Yeshan Winery far surpassed those of many large wineries, and the momentum is so strong that it is eye-catching."

Yan Jiecheng took the opportunity to speak, with a somewhat sincere tone: "Brother, what my sister-in-law said makes sense. You are busy with all kinds of things every day, and perhaps you have never studied the customs of the folk wine table.

According to my observation, in the capital nowadays, any family with a decent financial situation prefers to use [Yanshan] or [Taihang] to entertain guests, whether it is a happy wedding or a funeral, or even various important gatherings. Even for official banquets, these two brands are the first choice, showing the host's taste and respect for the guests..."

Liu Zhiye never expected that the "small and shabby winery" which was originally built to solve the problem of overcapacity in fruit production has become popular after years of vigorous development.

Even abroad, especially in Eastern Europe, these two wines are treated as high-end liquors, and China's exports to this region increase by leaps and bounds every year.

This year, the export volume of "wild wine" has reached 5000 tons, earning million rubles in foreign exchange.

Among them, the two most exported wines are [Yanshan] and [Taihang], which shows that consumers love these two wines.

(End of this chapter)