When communicating with customers, you must be able to clearly and accurately convey the hotel's information, such as the characteristics of the dishes, special offers, etc.

For example, when a customer asks if a dish is spicy, employees should be able to answer in detail the spiciness level of the dish and whether it can be adjusted according to the customer's taste.

Problem-solving training enables employees to solve unexpected problems quickly and effectively.

For example, if a customer is dissatisfied with the food, employees should be able to promptly understand the customer's dissatisfaction, whether it is a problem with the taste of the food, the freshness of the ingredients, or other issues.

Then, take appropriate solutions according to different situations.

If it is a taste issue, staff can ask the customer if they would like the dish to be remade or replaced;
If the problem is the freshness of the ingredients, apologize to the customer immediately and give certain compensation, such as a small dessert or a voucher. At the same time, feedback the problem to the kitchen and management so that timely improvements can be made.

They strive to make customers feel caring and satisfied in every service detail, thereby increasing customer loyalty.

For example, while customers are dining, waiters will promptly replace bone plates and add tea for customers, pay attention to the customers' dining rhythm, and adjust the speed of service in a timely manner according to the customers' needs.

When customers finish their meal and pay the bill, the waiter will bring a small snack or fruit as a thank you to the customers.

However, although the hotel has taken a series of measures to cope with market competition, new challenges still await them ahead.

With the development of social economy in the 1980s, people's living standards have continued to improve and their demand for catering has also been changing.

Some emerging trends in catering consumption have begun to emerge, such as the widespread popularization of healthy eating concepts, and consumers are beginning to pay more attention to the nutritional content of dishes and the source of ingredients.

At the same time, with the rise of tourism, more and more foreign tourists come to the local area. They have a strong interest in local specialties, but they also hope to experience some innovative flavors based on traditional dishes.

This requires hotels to maintain the characteristics of traditional dishes while constantly innovating to meet the needs of tourists.

In order to meet these new challenges, Wang's full range of restaurants decided to further adjust the menu structure. In terms of healthy diet, the chef team began to develop a series of low-oil, low-salt and low-sugar dishes.

They re-examined the food production process and reduced unnecessary addition of oil, salt and sugar.

For example, in a traditional stir-fry, a large amount of animal oil was used for stir-frying, but now a small amount of vegetable oil is used and low-temperature cooking is adopted, which not only reduces the intake of fat but also retains the flavor of the dish. At the same time, in the matching of dishes, more attention is paid to nutritional balance and the proportion of vegetables and fruits is increased.

In order to meet the needs of foreign tourists, in addition to continuing to launch dishes that integrate the food culture characteristics of different regions, the hotel also launches some targeted dishes based on the tourists' place of origin.

For example, if the hotel finds that there are many tourists from a region where spicy food is the norm, the hotel will add some spicy dishes with local characteristics to the menu, but will make appropriate adjustments to the taste so that it not only suits the tourists' taste habits but also has the unique flavor of Wang's entire hotel chain.

In terms of service, the hotel realizes the importance of multilingual service.

With the increase in the number of foreign tourists, many tourists may come from different regions, speak different dialects or even foreign languages.

The hotel began to provide multilingual training to its employees, including some common dialects and foreign languages.

The staff learned how to make simple greetings, introduce dishes and provide services in different languages. This move not only facilitates the dining experience of tourists, but also enhances the international image of the hotel.

In addition, with the development of technology, some new marketing methods have begun to appear in the 1980s.

Although the Internet was not as developed as it is now, some simple technological applications could already be used by restaurants.

For example, the restaurant has begun to use an upgraded version of the telephone reservation system, which allows customers to more conveniently reserve seats, check menu information and learn about special offers over the phone.

At the same time, the hotel is also considering producing some simple brochures and posters, using color printing technology to more vividly display the hotel's dishes, environment and service features. These brochures and posters will be placed in tourist attractions, hotels and other places near the hotel to attract more potential customers.

In the 1980s which were full of opportunities and challenges, all Wang's hotels were like ships sailing in rough seas, constantly adjusting their courses to cope with various emergencies.

They know very well that only by continuously adapting to market changes and constantly innovating and optimizing can they remain invincible in the fierce competition in the catering market and continue to write their own glorious chapters.

As time went by, Wang's entire chain of restaurants discovered that it was not enough to just focus on the food and services, but that they also needed to innovate in the overall restaurant experience.

So they began to replan the layout of the restaurant.

The traditional restaurant layout is often based on functional zoning, such as dining area, kitchen area, cashier area, etc.

Now, they want to create a dining environment that is more warm, comfortable and culturally rich.

In the dining area, they divided it into several areas with different styles according to different dining scenes and customer groups.

For customers who come for family dinner, they have set up a family area.

The tables and chairs in the family area are arranged more spaciously to facilitate interaction between family members.

The choice of tables and chairs also tends to be comfortable and durable. A large wooden round table is used, surrounded by soft cushions, giving customers a feeling of dining at home.

Moreover, the decoration of the family area is full of family elements. There are some warm family photos hanging on the wall and some green plants placed in the corner, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

A couple area has been set up for couples dining.

The location of the couples area is relatively private, and the lighting is designed to be soft and romantic.

The tables and chairs are more refined in design, with a small square table for two, and fresh flowers and exquisite candlesticks on the table.

The surrounding decoration is based on the theme of love. For example, some famous love poems or portraits of lovers are hung on the walls, and the floor is covered with soft carpets, allowing couples to enjoy the romantic atmosphere when dining here.

For customers who come for business banquets, the hotel has set up a business area.

The environment of the business area is more solemn and elegant. The tables and chairs are made of high-grade solid wood, with deep colors and simple and elegant shapes.

The lighting here is of moderate brightness, ensuring clarity when dining without being too glaring.

The business area is also equipped with some business facilities, such as telephones, fax machines, etc., to facilitate business people to handle some urgent matters during the meal.

At the same time, in order to meet the display needs that may arise during business banquets, the business area is also equipped with a large-screen TV or projector to facilitate customers to conduct business presentations or display materials. In addition to the re-layout of the dining area, the hotel has also optimized the kitchen area.

Transparency in the kitchen has become an important direction for improvement.

They used a partially transparent glass wall to separate the kitchen from the dining area, allowing customers to see the busy chefs in the kitchen and the process of preparing dishes.

This not only increases customers' trust in the hygiene of the dishes and the production process, but also becomes a distinctive landscape of the restaurant.

While waiting for their meals, customers can watch the chefs’ skilled cooking techniques through the glass wall, just like watching a wonderful show.

In the checkout area, in addition to basic checkout functions, a customer feedback collection point has been added.

There are exquisite comment cards and small suggestion boxes here, encouraging customers to write down their experiences, opinions or suggestions during the meal when checking out.

At the same time, the cashier will also ask the customer with a smile if they have any feedback when collecting payment, so as to capture the customer's thoughts in a timely manner.

With the adjustment of restaurant layout, the overall image of Wang's entire hotel chain has been further improved. However, the pressure of market competition has not eased, but has become more intense over time.

Some large catering groups have begun to enter the local market. These groups have strong capital, mature management systems and extensive brand influence.

As soon as they entered the market, they quickly seized part of the market share with large-scale advertising and low-price strategies. The customer flow of Wang's entire hotel chain was once again affected, and the operation faced new challenges.

Wang Jianye realized that he must further tap into his own differentiated advantages in order to stand out from the competition with these large groups.

He organized a team to conduct an in-depth analysis of the market and its own characteristics, and found that although the competitors were large in scale and low in price, all Wang's restaurants had been deeply rooted in the local area for many years and had a deep local cultural heritage and a loyal group of old customers.

Therefore, they decided to deeply integrate local cultural elements into every aspect of the hotel.

In terms of dishes, in addition to the previous special dishes, the chef team dug deep into the traditional recipes of old BJ to recreate some local specialties that were almost lost.

These dishes not only taste unique, but also have rich historical stories behind them.

For example, a dim sum dish called "Palace Imperial Dim Sum" was originally a delicacy in palace banquets. After careful research and improvement by the chefs, it was presented back on the menu.

In order to help customers better understand the cultural connotations of these dishes, waiters will explain in detail their historical origins and production techniques when introducing the dishes.

In terms of restaurant environment, we will further strengthen the creation of local cultural atmosphere.

They invited local folk artists to demonstrate traditional handicrafts, such as paper-cutting and dough figurines, in a specific area of ​​the restaurant.

While dining, customers can appreciate the creation process of these exquisite handicrafts and can also purchase them as souvenirs.

At the same time, the restaurant's background music also uses folk art programs with old Beijing characteristics, such as Peking Opera, Jingyun Drum, etc., making customers feel as if they are in the cultural ocean of old BJ while dining.

In terms of services, we launch personalized services with local characteristics.

For example, for local old customers, the waiters can communicate in a friendly manner in the old BJ dialect, allowing customers to feel the strong hometown friendship.

During special traditional festivals, such as the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, the hotel will provide customers with special festival services in accordance with the customs of old BJ.

During the Spring Festival, waiters will wear traditional Chinese clothing and give customers good luck and small gifts; during the Mid-Autumn Festival, they will provide homemade moon cakes to celebrate the festival with customers.

These measures have enabled Wang's entire range of hotels to gradually highlight their own characteristics in the competition with large catering groups, attracting many customers who are pursuing cultural experiences and special cuisines.

Old customers are more convinced of their love for the restaurant, and new customers are also attracted by this unique cultural atmosphere.

However, in the wave of rapid development in the 1980s, the stability of food supply faced new challenges.

With the acceleration of urbanization, some surrounding farmlands have been developed into construction land, resulting in a decrease in the production of some local food ingredients.

At the same time, although the construction of transportation infrastructure has brought convenience to transportation, it may occasionally affect the transportation timeliness of food due to large-scale engineering construction projects.

In response to this situation, purchasing staff actively sought new sources of local food supplies, reaching further suburbs and rural areas to establish direct cooperative relationships with local farmers.

They provide farmers with technical support and stable purchase prices, encouraging them to expand their planting and breeding scale to ensure the supply of local ingredients. On the other hand, they optimize the transportation routes and methods of ingredients.

They worked with transportation companies to develop multiple transportation plans, which could be flexibly adjusted according to different traffic conditions to ensure that the ingredients could arrive at the restaurant in a timely and fresh manner.

During this process, all Wang's hotels also realized the importance of brand inheritance and talent cultivation.

As for brand inheritance, they began to organize the hotel's historical information, including the development history of the dishes, stories of past chefs, and photos of the hotel in various historical periods. They plan to build a small brand museum to show the hotel's profound heritage to customers and employees.

In terms of talent cultivation, we are not limited to internal cooking competitions and training, but also establish cooperative relationships with local cooking schools.

The hotel’s senior chefs will come to the school regularly to give lectures, imparting the special dish preparation techniques and unique cooking concepts of all Wang’s hotels.

At the same time, outstanding students from the culinary school also have the opportunity to intern in the hotel, injecting fresh blood into the hotel.

As the 1980s are coming to an end, Wang's entire line of restaurants has, after experiencing numerous challenges and changes, developed from a simple dining venue into a comprehensive catering brand that integrates food, culture, and experience.

Entering the 1990s, the pace of social development further accelerated, and China's catering market also underwent more profound changes.

With the deepening of reform and opening up, foreign catering culture and business models have flooded into China like a tide.

Fast food culture began to become popular in China. Some internationally renowned fast food brands quickly opened stores in major cities, attracting a large number of young consumers, especially students and office workers.

These fast food brands use standardized dishes, fast food delivery and a simple and modern dining environment as selling points, which has had a significant impact on the traditional catering industry. (End of this chapter)