Chen Pingjiang had nothing much to do that day, so he took Yan Yan for a stroll to Wanda Plaza in Xinjiekou.
This Wanda Plaza was Dongjiang's first Wanda Plaza, and also the 8th commercial plaza Wanda had invested in and built domestically, representing Wanda's standalone stores.
Its location had a clear advantage, occupying a prime spot in the central business district with considerable foot traffic.
Walmart was on the first floor, and Wanda Cinema was on the fourth floor.
Miao Cha Flagship Store, under Zhizhen Catering, was on the first floor, while Xiao Chen Barbecue and the newly opened Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish each occupied a corner on the third floor.
To some extent, part of the tuition fees for Young Master Sicong, who was currently studying in the UK, was contributed by Chen Pingjiang.
At 5:30 PM, the Miao Cha Flagship Store was in its peak hour, with people scattered throughout the more than one hundred square meter space, and many stood quietly watching the bustling traffic outside the window.
This was Chen Pingjiang's first time visiting this Xinjiekou flagship store, even though it had been open for almost half a year.
In these past six months, Miao Cha had expanded from University Town into the city center, carving out a niche among Dongjiang's younger demographic.
More and more people became loyal consumers of Miao Cha.
Currently, there were competitors in the market, such as Dongjiang's local brand "Kǒukělē" and "Duōkèduō".
Among them, Kǒukělē Milk Tea occupied the exit of the Xinjiekou subway station, focusing on good quality and low prices, targeting the low-end market.
During promotions, a cup of watermelon juice cost only 3 yuan.
This year's relatively popular Duōkèduō was most famous for its "full set" milk tea, which included pearls, pudding, red beans, nata de coco, and more pearls.
The milk tea was rich and smooth, the pearls chewy and exceptionally sweet.
Such a full set milk tea cost about 7 yuan.
If these two milk tea shops represented the mid-to-low end of the Dongjiang market, then Miao Cha represented the high end.
With an average price of 15 yuan per cup, the milk tea was expensive, but relying on its excellent taste, rich variety, and best product quality, it managed to capture the largest market share.
Dongjiang locals truly enjoyed drinking milk tea, and Miao Cha launched the slogan "Healthy Milk Tea," rejecting powdered milk tea, instantly attracting a lot of attention.
Besides its excellent product quality, Miao Cha's service attitude was also a much-talked-about aspect.
Just how popular was Miao Cha currently?
It had reached a point where almost everyone bought it when they passed a store, and it was a must-have in hand when shopping.
Those who hadn't experienced the grand spectacle of milk tea queues would always feel a sense of existential doubt upon seeing the long line at Miao Cha's entrance.
"Ugh!"
Chen Pingjiang felt his scalp tingle looking at the long queue at Miao Cha's entrance.
"How about we come back after dinner? The line is ridiculously long."
"No, I want to drink it now."
To Chen Pingjiang's surprise, the usually aloof Yan Yan actually started to act spoiled, even softening her voice slightly, which instantly captivated Chen Pingjiang.
Seeing Chen Pingjiang's stunned gaze, Yan Yan's cheeks flushed, and she shook Chen Pingjiang's hand that she was holding.
At that moment, a little person in Chen Pingjiang's mind was shouting,
"Buy it for her!"
"What do you want to drink? I'll have someone make it and bring it out."
After thinking for a moment, Chen Pingjiang sent a message to Qin Suqin, the person in charge of Miao Cha.
"Cranberry Sunset, I often drink this at school,"
Yan Yan said.
As Chen Pingjiang sent the message, two girls in front of him in the line heard his words and thought he was bragging.
They turned around and gave Chen Pingjiang a sneering look.
"Who does he think he is, talking without thinking? Anyone would think he's the owner of Miao Cha, having someone deliver it."
"He looks decent, and his girlfriend is pretty, but he doesn't think before he speaks."
As soon as Chen Pingjiang finished sending the message, he sensed Yan Yan was about to react, her face darkening.
He quickly pulled her back and whispered in her ear,
"Never mind, never mind. They're all my customers giving me money. Let them say what they want."
And seriously, Yan Yan's protective demeanor was really quite cute.
Perhaps having spent a long time with Chen Pingjiang and having both met each other's parents, Yan Yan now displayed more emotions in front of Chen Pingjiang.
Qin Suqin, who was just about to get off work, saw Chen Pingjiang's message and wouldn't dare to delay.
She quickly called the manager of the Xinjiekou flagship store.
In less than ten minutes in total, the store manager, dressed in a work uniform, eagerly pushed the door open and rushed out, looking around for Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang waved, and the store manager immediately beamed, rushing to hand over the two cups of milk tea he was holding.
"Mr. Chen, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I had a lot on my hands just now."
Chen Pingjiang nodded.
Yan Yan happily took the milk tea and thanked him sweetly.
Before meeting Chen Pingjiang, Yan Yan rarely drank milk tea, but after being with him, she gradually became a heavy milk tea enthusiast.
However, drinking so much milk tea had no effect on her excellent figure.
On the one hand, Miao Cha was indeed delicious compared to other milk teas on the market; on the other hand, it was also a way to support Chen Pingjiang's business.
When the store manager saw Yan Yan, his eyes lit up:
"Oh my, the boss's wife is so beautiful."
Seeing more and more eyes cast their way, Chen Pingjiang quickly retreated with Yan Yan.
The two girls who had originally been in front of Chen Pingjiang in line exchanged glances, full of shock.
Holy cow, we thought that guy was bragging, but he really is the owner of Miao Cha.
Even Miao Cha's internal staff were calling that stunningly beautiful girl just now "boss's wife," so how could it be wrong?
Perhaps it was because she had drunk delicious milk tea, Yan Yan's eyes curved into crescent moons as she followed Chen Pingjiang up to the third floor.
Chen Pingjiang's main focus today was to check out Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish, which had opened not long ago.
Xiao Chen Barbecue's business was also quite good.
The reason only fifteen stores had opened so far was entirely because barbecue chefs were too difficult to train.
The October weather was still a bit muggy.
Beer and barbecue were a perfect match, but unfortunately, crayfish had just gone out of season.
Compared to the barbecue restaurant, Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish was even more worthy of Chen Pingjiang's attention.
Sauerkraut fish, as a classic Sichuan dish, had long broken through regional limitations and possessed a wide consumer base.
It could be said to be suitable for all ages.
In various regions, different flavors of sauerkraut fish had been developed to cater to people's varying tastes.
Sauerkraut fish was not too greasy, and the fish meat was a high-quality protein.
Sauerkraut fish satisfied both the consumer's demand for nutrition and the craving for a sour and spicy taste, making it a popular hit.
In sauerkraut fish, the fish was key.
Once business became too good, there was almost no time for on-site slaughter and cooking.
In the end, Ge Mengshi's side had to choose a compromise solution.
It wasn't a pre-made dish, but it wasn't made with live fish on the spot either.
They used fresh frozen fish fillets delivered by the procurement center, meaning the slaughtering process was completed at the procurement and processing center.
This greatly saved time for kitchen prep.
Fish fillets, sauerkraut, and seasonings were all easy to standardize, which was more conducive to store replication.
But a similar contradiction arose from this: at what point in the process, when completed by the kitchen, would it no longer be considered a pre-made dish?
Therefore, the model of Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish was definitely different from genuine pre-made meals like airline food.
Unlike traditional sauerkraut fish, which used grass carp or black carp, Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish chose basa fish.
This was mainly because it was boneless and thornless, had a fresh taste, and higher protein content.
Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan arrived at Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish at exactly 6:30 PM, the peak time for customers.
There was a long queue at the entrance.
Chen Pingjiang had reserved a table in advance and went straight into the private room.
With the big boss coming to inspect, the staff served with utmost care.
Not long after, the private room door opened, and Ge Mengshi, dressed in a suit, hurried in.
As soon as Ge Mengshi entered, she saw Yan Yan sitting opposite her, looking like a fairy with every frown and smile, and a mix of emotions instantly welled up within her.
Logically, the two had no relation.
It wasn't strange for the talented and wealthy Chen Pingjiang to have a girlfriend; not having one would be news.
But perhaps having pretended to be a couple with Chen Pingjiang before, Ge Mengshi still felt an unexplainable discomfort.
"Let me introduce you, this is Ms. Ge, the general manager of our catering group,"
Chen Pingjiang said with a smile, introducing them to each other.
"And this is my girlfriend, Yan Yan."
It had to be said that Yan Yan was truly presentable; she quickly started chatting and laughing with Ge Mengshi.
Ge Mengshi looked at Yan Yan's youthful beauty and stunning face, secretly marveling.
Perhaps only a beauty like this could be worthy of Chen Pingjiang.
As for her, it was completely impossible with Chen Pingjiang; the age gap was too significant.
Chen Pingjiang sat smiling on the other side, watching the two strikingly different beauties, one older and one younger, finding it very pleasing to the eye.
"What do you think? Give us your comments on our Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish,"
Ge Mengshi asked, smiling, soliciting Chen Pingjiang's opinion.
Chen Pingjiang didn't inquire much about the catering group's affairs these days.
"You've done very well. I'll just speak casually; listen to what's useful."
"After I entered the store, I observed that over two-thirds of the customers are young people, aged 25-35. This group has higher spending power and prefers dining out. They have very high demands for taste and dish quality, so you should pay more attention to this area."
Saying this, Chen Pingjiang pointed to the menu and continued,
"The menu still has too many dishes. Continue to cut down on some non-essential ones, reducing the SKUs to over 20 types. This will improve the efficiency of ordering and serving, while also greatly enhancing the standardization of dishes and reducing unnecessary consumables."
"I suggest continuing to expand the central kitchen of Dongjiang's procurement center department to lay the groundwork for the brand's provincial expansion."
"Additionally, since the brand's target audience is young people, you can start with brand values and their visual presentation, theme marketing, cross-industry collaborations, and public welfare activities to enhance brand awareness, increase brand buzz, and strengthen consumer loyalty.
For example, creating an exclusive brand character IP, and also paying attention to cross-industry collaborations with other brands to further increase visibility."
Ge Mengshi listened very attentively, and when Chen Pingjiang finished speaking, she raised an eyebrow.
Although their boss was very young, he was actually unfathomable.
In just a few words, Ge Mengshi was greatly inspired, especially regarding brand building, IP character creation, and brand cross-industry collaboration, which gave her a refreshing feeling.
IP and brand cross-industry collaboration were still niche products in this era, but in more than a decade, they would become essential paths for brand promotion.
Even coffee could cross over with Maotai and explode in the market.
Ge Mengshi nodded:
"I'll discuss these in the meeting later with the department. The main reason I invited you to dinner today is to ask about financing. Renren Group Buying will be listed soon, and we've discussed internally that we hope to quickly expand our businesses. Both Miao Cha and Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish need national expansion, but that will require a large sum of money."
"Hmm, I'll figure out the money situation,"
Chen Pingjiang mused.
Many brands under Zhizhen Catering were temporarily not considering franchising.
On the one hand, their influence was small or non-existent, and no one was willing to franchise.
Secondly, in the early stages, for the sake of reputation and brand quality, direct operation was the most reliable approach.
(End of Chapter)