Chapter 231: Chapter 142: Warm-hearted
After he finished doting on the three girls, Qi Sheng called in the waitress in the blue dress who was waiting outside the door.
"You can serve the food now."
"Okay, Boss."
The waitress in the blue dress spoke into her earpiece, relaying the instruction to serve the food to the kitchen.
"Brother, why did she call you ’Boss’?"
As usual, Du Xinxin had snagged the spot closest to Qi Sheng, and she was curious about how the waitress had addressed him.
"Because I bought the restaurant, of course. From now on, you girls can come eat here whenever you want. Just put it on my tab."
Qi Sheng indulgently ruffled the girl’s hair, finally getting to experience just how satisfying it was to say something like that.
"This restaurant belongs to you, Brother?"
Du Xinxin was a little stunned. She looked over at Tao Siyao and Pan Yinuo, who were just as shocked.
"It’s not just this restaurant. There’s another one in Chongqing called Yu Tu Restaurant, which is also one of my businesses. I’ll take you all to try it when we get the chance."
"In the future, there will be Zifei and Yu Tu Restaurants in many first and second-tier cities."
"Then, no matter where you travel in the country, you’ll be able to see restaurants that we own."
Qi Sheng’s tone was deceptively casual, but it betrayed immense confidence and boundless ambition.
The two restaurants currently under Zhuangyu’s banner were far from enough to satisfy his appetite.
Qi Sheng’s plan for Zhuangyu Catering Company wasn’t just about having its own organic farm.
The two brands would also undergo an explosive and rapid expansion.
Zifei would continue on its path as a high-end Sichuan restaurant.
As for Yu Tu, Qi Sheng planned to convert it into a high-end Cantonese restaurant.
It would be distinct from Zifei, allowing the two to coexist and thrive together.
In the world of high-end Chinese restaurants, Cantonese cuisine undoubtedly held a dominant position.
Unlike the spiciness of Sichuan and Hunan food, which was heavy on oil and salt,
Cantonese cuisine was a greater test of a chef’s fundamental skills and the quality of the ingredients.
It took Xinrong Ji nearly thirty years to open just over thirty restaurants.
But Qi Sheng would need three years at most.
With sufficient capital and talent, Zhuangyu could easily surpass Xinrong Ji.
Just the thought of traveling to any city and being able to visit one of their restaurants incognito as the proprietress
made Du Xinxin giggle foolishly.
Tao Siyao was handling it a little better, but her shocked gaze was still filled with immense admiration for Qi Sheng.
’Opening a restaurant in every first and second-tier city across the country...’
’How much money would that take?’
’You couldn’t do it without at least a billion yuan.’
But they also knew that Qi Sheng wasn’t the type to make empty boasts.
If Qi Sheng said it, he would definitely do it.
And Pan Yinuo? That went without saying.
Even if Qi Sheng claimed to be the richest man in the world tomorrow, that silly girl would believe him without a shadow of a doubt.
"Boss, may we begin serving the dishes now?"
The waitress in the blue dress asked very cautiously.
"Mm."
Qi Sheng nodded.
As the waitstaff brought out one signature dish after another in an orderly fashion,
the three girls’ dining experience was vastly different from their last visit.
"Brother, the food today seems even more delicious than last time!"
As a foodie, Du Xinxin still had a vivid memory of her last dining experience at Zifei.
"Silly, Brother is the boss, so of course the head chef made these himself. Last time, it was probably a sous-chef."
Tao Siyao rolled her eyes at Du Xinxin, happily savoring the master chef’s cooking.
"Oh, you’re so smart!"
Du Xinxin huffed and went back to focusing on her food.
’His skills are pretty good.’
Qi Sheng tasted a bite of every dish.
He now had a fairly accurate assessment of the executive chef’s skill level.
’He could be considered Expert Level, but he hasn’t reached Master Level.’
Even within the Expert Level, there were different tiers of skill.
Zifei’s executive chef was among the very top tier of Expert-level Chefs.
He had the potential to advance to Master Level in the future.
But whether he could actually make that breakthrough would depend on luck and talent.
"Have Chef Yu come in. I’d like a word with him."
Qi Sheng instructed the waitress waiting inside the private room.
"Yes, Boss."
The waitress left the private room and quickly returned with the executive chef, Yu Huachuan.
"Chairman Qi."
Yu Huachuan was in his forties, dressed in a white chef’s uniform with a buzz cut, looking very sharp and capable.
He was very respectful toward his new owner.
Although he wouldn’t lack for offers if he decided to leave, he had worked at Zifei for over a decade and developed a deep attachment to the restaurant.
If he had the choice, he naturally didn’t want to leave.
"Have a seat."
Qi Sheng was quite amiable toward the chef. Talented people were in demand everywhere, after all.
"Thank you, Chairman Qi."
Yu Huachuan found an empty seat and sat down, waiting for instructions from his new boss.
"This fish soup is excellent. Sancha Lake Qiaoke fish?"
Of all the dishes Qi Sheng had just tasted, the fish soup was the most impressive.
"Yes, it’s the centerpiece of our restaurant’s signature Yuli Fish Banquet, which has always been highly acclaimed."
"In fact, President Jie bought the exclusive rights to all Qiaoke fish caught annually from Sancha Lake, ensuring our ingredients have a unique scarcity."
Yu Huachuan, unaware that Jie Chao had already become Qi Sheng’s most loyal employee, was still speaking up for his former boss.
"The texture of the meat is indeed excellent. This should be a Meter-Level Qiaoke fish we’re eating, right?"
"You know a bit about cooking yourself, sir?"
Yu Huachuan was a little surprised.
Unless they were guests of particularly high status, most customers were served ordinary Qiaoke fish.
He hadn’t expected Qi Sheng to actually be able to taste the difference between Meter-Level and ordinary Qiaoke fish.
"Just a little."
Qi Sheng smiled and mused to himself.
’Yu Huachuan’s abilities are more than sufficient for a restaurant like Zifei.’
’To upgrade him to a Master-Level Chef would cost a full one hundred million.’
’Even for someone like Boss Qi, that stung a little.’
’Considering all the other places he needed to spend money right now...’
’The organic farm and the Zifei branch at Luhu Lake alone would cost him two hundred million.’
He decided to postpone the idea of upgrading Yu Huachuan to a Master-Level Chef.
’To be safe, for a position as crucial as head chef...’
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