Chapter 337: Chapter 337

Before opening for the day, several of them gathered for lunch. They discussed the previous day’s operations, such as the order of taking menu orders and serving dishes, which had all been quite chaotic. Fortunately, Jiang Feng was an expert and offered many suggestions. He advised, for example, on how to hang the menu, how to review orders one by one, and how servers should focus on specific tables. With Jiang Feng’s input, operations became much more orderly and professional.

"Chef Jiang, this season is really different with you here. In just two days, the Chinese Restaurant is already running so professionally," Huang Xiaoming praised.

Hearing this, Jiang Feng laughed and said, "Manager, don’t make that comparison; every season has been good. This is just my area of expertise. I’ve always run restaurants, even several greasy spoons. I’m very familiar with all this, so I have a bit more experience."

At this, Zhao Liying chimed in with a smile, "Xiao Ming has been so much more relaxed these past two days, all thanks to you."

Hearing this, everyone looked at Huang Xiaoming, who generously admitted, "Indeed. I never expected the first day’s turnover to be so high. So, I’ve decided: we won’t be open tonight. Everyone can make their own plans. We’ll just tell the public we’re going out to visit other restaurants to learn from their experience."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yeang Zi and Wang Junkai clapped happily. The restaurant’s affairs were managed by the manager, and everyone followed his lead. As employees, they naturally hoped for a day off.

Lunch ended cheerfully. Everyone tidied up briefly before preparing to get back to work. The Chinese Restaurant opened for service again.

Thanks to the previous day’s success, many customers soon arrived. There were seven or eight people in total, all local residents, including the young couple from the gift shop next door who had become loyal fans. This was partly because the Chinese food was genuinely delicious, and partly because Jiang Feng’s exceptional culinary skills made the dishes taste incredible.

While they were serving, they saw the chief director, Wang Tian, enter with two assistant directors and two planners. They found the largest table and sat down. Seeing them, the staff members exchanged glances.

"We’re tourists," the chief director said cheekily.

There was no helping it; Jiang Feng’s food was too delicious. Asking Jiang Feng to cook directly for the production crew wasn’t realistic—after all, he was a top chef. So, they had no choice but to shamelessly try to mooch a meal.

"Director Wang, that’s not quite right, is it?" Zhao Liying teased. Despite him being the chief director, Zhao Liying had significant standing and didn’t feel the need to indulge him.

"We discussed it," Wang Tian began, clearing his throat and feigning composure, "and felt that the initial challenges we set for the show were too difficult. So, we decided to give you some business support."

"Alright, then what would you gentlemen like to eat?" Wang Junkai came over to ask.

"Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet, Boiled Pork Slices, a pot of Snow Fungus and Lotus Seed Soup, and six bowls of rice," the chief director ordered.

Hearing his order, Wang Junkai took it to the kitchen. The kitchen was still somewhat busy, with Jiang Feng being the busiest. Zhao Liying was responsible for staple foods and soups and occasionally helped Jiang Feng wash vegetables.

"Sister Ying, please get me the pork fillet."

"You can bring the meat slices over too."

"And grab a few chili peppers."

Once Jiang Feng entered work mode, he became very focused. For simple preparatory tasks, he gave direct instructions.

Zhao Liying was very cooperative. She even thought this way of working was the most comfortable; if the other person were too reserved, she would feel very awkward. So, working openly and directly was best.

The two of them worked together with a tacit understanding, essentially running the entire kitchen themselves. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

The results of Jiang Feng’s cooking naturally spoke for themselves. Foreigners who ate his food were full of praise, raving continuously. They had never eaten anything so delicious!

And as word of mouth spread, more and more people heard about the Chinese Restaurant. Judging by the current situation, the Chinese Restaurant showed signs of becoming very popular. Sicily Island, however, had a relatively small population, so news traveled slowly. With a little more time, they likely wouldn’t even need to actively draw in customers; the restaurant would have no shortage of patrons.

The lunch service passed in a flurry of activity. A total of 25 tables were served, earning around 1,400 pounds. The restaurant had money now, so there was no need to be frugal.

"Everyone has the evening off," Huang Xiaoming announced as the manager. "Each of you will get a 20-pound allowance. Have fun!"

This decision received everyone’s unanimous consent.

"Jiang Feng, what are your plans?" Zhao Liying asked.

"I plan to visit some churches and the opera house," Jiang Feng replied truthfully. Since he was abroad, he definitely wanted to see the sights. Sicily Island had many attractions, and many of its churches were beautifully decorated and well worth a visit.

"Great, let’s go together then," Zhao Liying invited. "It’s more fun to have company."

"Sure," Jiang Feng agreed with a smile.

For Zhao Liying, she currently felt most comfortable with Jiang Feng. Yeang Zi and Wang Junkai were relatively young, and Huang Xiaoming had too much of a "middle-aged prince" air about him. Huang Xiaoming was a very nice person, but being around him could feel pressuring. Being with Jiang Feng, however, was very comfortable.

"Then let’s head out this afternoon and come back early in the evening. I need a good night’s sleep," Zhao Liying said. "These past few days have been exhausting."

Just then, Wang Junkai thought of something. "Manager, what about dinner?" he asked Huang Xiaoming. "Doesn’t the restaurant provide meals and accommodation? Shouldn’t dinner be covered too?"

This was a crucial question. Since everyone was short on money, any spending decisions fell to the manager. And since it was a day off, they couldn’t very well ask the staff to cook.

Hearing this, Huang Xiaoming immediately responded, "No problem. We’ll use the restaurant’s funds. I’ll find a restaurant for tonight, and we’ll all go. It’ll be a good opportunity to learn from other establishments."

This suggestion met with unanimous approval. Naturally, everyone preferred a free meal. Jiang Feng also smiled, feeling relieved.

Then it was time for their break. The five of them discussed it and decided to first go sightseeing together. The show’s photographers would follow, allowing them to capture plenty of useful footage. Afterward, they would split into two groups: Jiang Feng and Zhao Liying would go to see the churches, while Wang Junkai and Yeang Zi would go try some local snacks. As for Huang Xiaoming, being the manager, the others naturally felt it would be more relaxing to spend their time off without him. However, celebrities have their own managers and assistants, so Huang Xiaoming went for a stroll with his own people.

Life felt pleasantly relaxed.

Jiang Feng walked down the street, observing the passing scenery. Everything felt somewhat surreal. Just a few days ago, he was still setting up his stall, pondering opening a Hunan Cuisine Restaurant. Now, he was strolling through the streets of Sicily Island with Zhao Liying, visiting churches. Actually entering this circle, he found that celebrities were just ordinary people. Jiang Feng had never been one to follow celebrities, so he didn’t feel it was anything special.

Jiang Feng leisurely took in the beautiful sights, capturing many of them with his camera.

In the evening, the group went for a Western meal. It had been a while since they’d had one, and an occasional taste was quite nice. Jiang Feng could also cook Western food; he was most familiar with pan-frying steaks, but he could also prepare dishes like baked snails and pasta. However, he had never showcased these skills; after all, there were still so many dishes from the eight major Chinese cuisines to learn, and he had his hands full mastering them.

After eating, the five of them walked back towards the Chinese Restaurant together, enjoying the very pleasant sea breeze along the way.

"Let’s plan out what we need to do tomorrow, and then everyone can rest," Huang Xiaoming said. "Things like what ingredients we need to buy, what dishes to prepare, and any other chores."

Hearing Huang Xiaoming, everyone began to think. Discover more novels at novel-fire.net

Setting the menu was naturally Jiang Feng’s responsibility. The menu for the next few days would largely remain the same. Meat and potatoes were plentiful abroad, which was perfect for meat-based dishes.

From the business of the past two days, the prospects looked quite promising. Moreover, Jiang Feng keenly noticed that the number of customers was increasing. This upward trend resembled the situation when he ran his previous small eateries. It felt a bit like exponential growth. Initially, the increase wasn’t rapid, but he suspected that in another couple of days, the number of customers would suddenly explode, and the restaurant would have queues.

Jiang Feng considered giving a heads-up but then decided it wasn’t necessary. He’d see how things went. After all, he was just the head chef; any problems would be the manager’s to handle. If it got really busy later on, the show’s crew would probably have to step in to maintain order.