Chapter 59: Refining the System (Part 1)

They had originally expected to break even, but due to the large turnout, the small increments added up to a modest profit, leaving the whole family overjoyed.

Before leaving, Madam Zhou instructed Yang Fan and Wen Chunmei to make sure they locked the restaurant doors securely and went to bed early, as everyone would have to rise by the卯 hour (around 5:00 AM) the next day to prepare the day's ingredients.

On the way home, the family discussed the shortcomings of today's operation.

For instance, during food delivery, dishes were delivered to the wrong tables several times—table number one's dishes went to table number two, and table number three's to table number one, while one table was completely missed for a serving of glutinous rice ribs.

When it was crowded, it was impossible to finish preparing one table entirely before starting another. Sometimes, guests at multiple tables ordered the same dish, and if there were no dietary restrictions, those dishes would naturally be cooked together.

This led to the problem of mistakes made in the rush. With so many people and so many dishes, relying solely on a few waiters to remember everything in their heads was bound to be quite difficult.

There was another issue: among the four waiters, apart from Wen Dongmei, the other three were illiterate. As for why Wen Dongmei had learned to read even when she previously could not even afford enough to eat, it was because she had been timid and submissive since childhood, never daring to play with peers of her age. Fearing she would grow dull staying home alone all day while Wen Chunmei frequently went out to work, Wen Chunmei clenched her teeth, took out her savings accumulated over several years, and hired a literate woman in the town at the time to tutor her for two hours every day.

Wen Dongmei actually had quite a talent in this regard. Within just a few months, she had learned a good number of characters. Because she herself enjoyed reading, the month Wen Chunmei received her wages, she bought her a copy of the *Classic of Thousand Characters*. Wen Dongmei read it back and forth hundreds of times, guessing the meanings, and circled all the characters she did not recognize to ask the tutor the next day.

Before long, she knew almost all the characters in that *Classic of Thousand Characters*. Later, Wen Chunmei bought her books such as the *Classic for Girls*, the *Analects*, and the *Classic of Poetry*, all of which she carefully preserved. No matter where they moved, those treasured books were always brought along, and she would read through them repeatedly when she was alone.

Zhen Mier felt that Wen Dongmei's literacy could play a vital role during food service. She proposed making Wen Dongmei the chief coordinator for food delivery.

She had noticed today that among the diners coming to the restaurant, there was always one or two literate people in every group, eliminating the need for waiters to introduce dish names and prices.

On the rare occasions when a group arrived where no one could read, Gu Qingsong and Gu Qingsuo, who managed the first and second floors respectively, could answer their questions.

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All that was needed was to partition a separate serving room near the back kitchen. From the ceiling of the serving room, two thin threads could be connected and led to positions on the first and second floors where the waiters could see them at a glance, with a bell hanging on each.

After taking the menu corresponding to a customer's table number, a waiter would use a feather pen to copy the options into two duplicates—one sent to the cashier's counter and one to the serving room.

Upon receiving the menu, Wen Dongmei would quickly announce the names of the dishes to be prepared, following the principle of first-come, first-served. If the same dish appeared on multiple menus, she would also announce the quantity of that dish.

Once Zhen Mier and the others finished cooking the dishes and plating them, Lin Huiniang would place the platters onto trays and pass them into the serving room. Upon seeing the dishes, Wen Dongmei would ring the bell for the corresponding floor and table number. The waiter from that floor would then come over, take the tray, and receive instructions from Wen Dongmei on which table the dish should be served to, crossing the dish off the corresponding menu.

With everyone performing these fixed tasks every day, mistakes would be less likely, and waiters would not need to run back and forth time and time again, wasting effort. Even if unexpected changes occurred, they could adapt on the spot.

After Zhen Mier finished speaking, everyone agreed this was indeed a good method.

Gu Qingsong suggested that a low cabinet could also be placed against the wall on each floor, stocked with bowls, chopsticks, plates, cups, clean towels, and the like.

Today, quite a few diners had repeatedly stopped waiters not only to urge for faster service or request extra bowls, chopsticks, and cups, but also because some guests had accidentally spilled food on themselves or the tables and needed towels to wipe clean.

If those items were available on the respective floors, the waiters would not have to run back and forth to the back kitchen.

Gu Qingsuo thought for a moment and said, "Eldest Brother's suggestion is excellent. Today, the complimentary pastries and plum juice retained many customers, and we can continue doing so in the future. Pastries require time, effort, and silver, so they must naturally be limited in quantity. As for fruit drinks, they are relatively much cheaper. We can select one fruit drink every day for queuing customers to enjoy freely. We can place a large vat right in front of the door; those who want a drink can ladle it out themselves, and after finishing, place their cups into a dirty bucket. The greeter can occasionally carry it to the back kitchen for the kitchen assistants to wash."

Gu Lizong chimed in, "The first and second floors will also need a vat. It makes no sense that people waiting in line get to drink while people eating inside the shop cannot."

Gu Qinghe scratched her head, looking a bit troubled. The volume would be quite large, and she needed to think about which fruit drink was both cheap and delicious.

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Gu Qingsuo considered that tomorrow he would need to make another trip to the employment agency to hire a cook and a kitchen assistant. Madam Zhou was getting older, and if she endured exhaustion like today's, her body certainly wouldn't hold up. Furthermore, Eldest Sister-in-law was now pregnant and should not overexert herself.

They would also need to hire two more waiters to replace the Wen sisters' positions today. Since Wen Dongmei would be in charge of serving food, he planned to transfer Wen Chunmei to the front of the restaurant to greet guests. First, this would help manage the moods of the queuing patrons by distributing pastries and fruit drinks to them; second, she could introduce the shop's dishes and promotional prices to passersby and hand out menus.

He shared his thoughts with everyone, and the whole family expressed their approval.

The family was full of enthusiasm, and the journey home was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.

When they returned to the Gu residence and before they could even open the door, Erbai trotted over to welcome them, whining aggrievedly through the door plank, while Yibai patted its turtle shell against the door, seemingly accusing their masters of abandoning the two pets at home and disappearing all day.

Once the gate was opened, Erbai first ran around the members of the Gu family several times, then nuzzled against Zhen Mier's lower leg. Next, spreading its front paws, it hugged Gu Tingzhi's calf tightly, refusing to let go. Wherever Gu Tingzhi walked, Erbai was dragged along a step at a time, looking entirely like it would follow its master wherever he went.

Yibai lazily glanced at it with a look of utter disdain, then turned its head and arrogantly followed in Gu Tingzhi's footsteps as well. However, with its short legs, its crawling speed could not possibly match Gu Tingzhi's walking pace. It hurried its four short legs *huncha-huncha*, its turtle shell swaying along, making the whole family burst into amused laughter.

The next day, Gu Qingsong rose at the Yin hour (around 3:00 to 5:00 AM). He needed to go to the early market to buy the ingredients the restaurant would need for the day. When he drove the carriage to the entrance of the Top Scholar Tower, Yang Fan and Zhang Gui were already waiting for him.

The three of them arrived at the vegetable market, where managers from other restaurants in the county were also arriving around this hour to make their purchases.