Taste.
Marketing.
Both are extremely important.
They are like the left and right hands of a person, with no hierarchy, only a sequence!
Good taste is just the foundation, while marketing determines whether a restaurant can be profitable. In other words:
The dish must taste good before discussing marketing.
After all, no matter how great the marketing is, if the food is bad, it can only draw a wave of customers before eventually facing closure.
For example, 95% of restaurants on the market serve food that is neither too bad nor exceptionally good.
Therefore, the hardest part of running a restaurant is attracting and retaining customers with a single flavor, thereby generating profit.
...
"What a beautiful name! It has the elegance of a Tang dynasty poem."
Eizan read the words on the white paper aloud, his face showing amazement.
It's quite sad to say.
Japanese cuisine is famous worldwide.
Especially the three-star restaurants recognized by the WGO, which have long held the top spot globally.
But no Japanese food enterprise has reached the level of global chains like KFC, McDonald's, or Starbucks.
The reason might be that Japanese cuisine is generally small and exquisite.
Single dishes that are simple yet varied, such as:
Japanese ramen shops.
Sushi restaurants.
Taverns.
Late-night diners.
Themed restaurants.
These can all be considered single-item specialty shops.
For the business-minded Eizan, his biggest dream is to create a food company.
Then open chain restaurants around the world, making them globally popular!
...
"Since 2004, sushi has gradually replaced the Western favorite, hamburgers, with a slight advantage."
Eizan glanced at Zane and continued, "But so far, no sushi chain in Japan has matched KFC in popularity!"
"Sushi is indeed a luxurious food."
"And it's more balanced and healthy in terms of nutrition, allowing it to quickly gain global popularity in this fast-paced era."
"But why hasn't it competed successfully? I think it's because of positioning."
"Small portions, high prices, and too many plates to barely get full."
"If it includes high-end ingredients like wagyu or lobster, many people simply can't afford it."
Zane thought for a moment and then shared his perspective.
Eizan was stunned and fell silent.
"Interesting. Do you mean the more accessible it is, the more likely it is to dominate the mainstream?"
Eizan asked.
"The restaurant industry is developing in two major trends."
"One is more segmented categories, and the other is more integrated categories."
"At a certain stage, most will move towards multi-brand and multi-category paths. Only by removing high prices and high-end positioning can sushi become more accessible and widely available!"
...
A solitary drink under the moon, a name with a lot of charm.
As Eizan left the tavern, he couldn't help but glance back at the sign.
He guessed that no other tavern in Tokyo had such a beautiful name.
Initially, he wanted to collaborate with Zane, but now it seemed unnecessary.
Because from their conversation, he realized:
This person.
Was incredibly strong!
In fact, when he returned to Totsuki Academy, he made an important decision overnight:
To close down and liquidate all five of his restaurants on this food street.
If Zane knew that his dish, "Whose Jade Flute Calls the Falling Plum Blossoms," had caused Eizan such a psychological impact and led him to shut down five restaurants, he would be speechless!
...
Meeting, understanding, and eventually "falling in love over time."
All regular customers at the tavern might say: "This is the place in my life where I can relax and feel healed the most."
People come to the tavern mostly to drink, but what they drink is less important than:
Meeting each other!
Customers always think of this place.
Just like Mana, the executive officer, who now really misses it.
"Annie, you don't have to come."
Just stepping out of the black car, Mana glanced at the tavern and then turned to the persistent Annie, sighing.
"Mana, have you forgotten about fainting from exhaustion this morning?"
"So during this time, no matter what happens, I will stay by your side, never leaving you."
Annie looked at Mana firmly and calmly said.
Mana was taken aback and shook her head, "Do as you wish."
She then turned and walked into the tavern in a few steps.
...
It was the peak time for customers.
But Zane, Sonoka, and Takumi were all performing their duties, working smoothly and efficiently.
As soon as Mana entered, she quickly spotted a familiar busy figure.
In the small world of the kitchen, he moved effortlessly among the pots and pans.
Every small motion, every focused expression, was like a silent movie, telling an exciting story in his unique way!
Unable to help herself, Mana watched, fascinated.
She only swayed her folding fan, stepping aside to wait and watch him cook with dedication.
After a while, Zane finally plated a dish and said, "Takumi, take this stir-fried beef to table 12, and bring a bottle of peach wine to table 7 from the wine rack."
"Got it! I'll take them over right away."
Takumi didn't dare to delay and quickly delivered the stir-fried beef and peach wine to the customers.
"Seems like you've hired new staff?"
Mana asked Zane with a smile after glancing at Takumi.
"I had to. We needed more hands."
Zane shrugged, walked over to Mana, and said, "You've been standing for a while. Let's sit down and talk."
Mana obediently sat down and brushed her hair back.
A mature woman always exudes a unique charm.
Even though the recent late-night cooking incidents had left her exhausted, her face pale, her inherent nobility and confidence made her uniquely captivating.
"How is Erina doing lately?"
She finally looked up and asked softly.
"She went back to Totsuki."
"I heard the Fall Selection has been scheduled, and as part of the Elite Ten, she has to take responsibility for it."
Hearing her mention Erina, Zane naturally recounted her time at the tavern.
"I can see she seems to rely on you."
"Maybe having a foolish and stubborn mother is the greatest helplessness for a child?"
"I don't know her thoughts, her interests, or her friends. I can't make her rely on me like you do!"
Mana sighed softly.
"Don't be so discouraged."
"At least she doesn't resent you."
"Some things can't be forced; they need time to fade."
Zane comforted her.
At this moment, he better understood Mana's pain as a mother. Perhaps her recent initiation of the late-night cooking incidents was for her daughter Erina?
Mana's eyes were teary, and she silently shook her head.
"Zane, please make a Fiery Ice Sea Bream Mountain."
She collected her emotions and remembered her purpose for coming to the tavern.
"OK! Please wait a moment."
...
A fresh, large sea bream was placed on the cutting board.
The first thing that caught the eye was its vibrant flesh and perfect texture, like a natural work of art waiting to be sculpted.
Stretching out his hand, Zane gently stroked the bream's body, feeling its texture and elasticity. He began his meticulous inspection.
At this moment, his eyes were sharp.
It was as if he could see through the fish flesh and bones.
In his mind, a cutting diagram of the sea bream quickly formed.
Then, he took out a knife, the [Unbreakable Northern Star Wolf Blade], which emitted a chilling aura, making everyone, including Mana, feel a cold atmosphere!
"Huh?"
"This knife seems different from the last time..."
Mana, with her sharp eyes, noticed this knife seemed even more unique than before!
Zane took a deep breath and raised the knife gently, ready to start the "dance" with the sea bream.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
At the moment the knife fell, the whole world seemed to stand still.
Only the smooth cutting sound, as if slicing through silk, was heard with each stroke.
Zane's fingers gripped the knife handle tightly, his wrist rotating flexibly. This combination of strength and skill made him like a dancer, gracefully moving on the stage of sea bream flesh.
Seeing this, Mana's eyes almost popped out.
Even Annie behind her covered her mouth, her expression filled with disbelief.
"Oh my!"
"What... what kind of knife skills are these?"
The last time Zane used the ice knife to handle the sea bream was still vivid in their minds.
Since then, Annie and Mana were convinced that Zane's knife skills were exceptionally refined, representing the world's top level, no exaggeration!
Not to exaggerate, this skill to cut sea bream into transparent paper-like slices was hard for anyone to surpass.
But who would have thought?
The one to surpass Zane was himself!
...
In just a few seconds.
Zane had completely cut up the large sea bream.
During this brief process, his gaze never left the Northern Star Wolf Blade in his hand.
Throughout, he used his heart to feel the sea bream, using his knife skills to interpret its value and life.
After finishing, he took a step back and carefully observed the Fiery Ice Sea Bream Mountain.
The sashimi on the small ice mountain was indeed a masterpiece of the world. Every cut transformed into the beautiful sight, making the entire dish seamless and harmonious in color!
Beautiful!
So beautiful!
"Why?"
"From him, I feel an unprecedented knife aura?"
"Could it be, Zane has reached the highest level of unity with the knife?"
Mana's mind buzzed.
It's well-known that an experienced chef can use the characteristics of food to bring out its best flavor and texture.
Simply put,
good dishes should "have wok energy."
Similarly, fine knife skills.
Often, they can make ingredients display extreme beauty, achieving the balance and unity of taste and appearance.
If a chef, while cutting meat or vegetables, can achieve the coordination of yin and yang, balance of softness and hardness, mastering the timing and strength, eventually reaching the so-called unity of man and knife.
Then, there's no ingredient in the world they can't handle.
...
In the pre-Qin period.
There was a chef named "Ding" who slaughtered cattle for King Hui of Liang.
He was extremely fast, only needing to touch parts of the cow to make sounds of separating skin from bone, and in the blink of an eye, the whole cow was butchered!
Later, he explained that after three years of practice, he could use his mind to contact the cow's body without needing to look, as if his sensory organs stopped working and everything was done by his spirit.
Following the cow's muscle structure, he cut through the large gaps between bones, maneuvering his knife through the hollow spaces.
In short, he always followed the natural structure of the cow, never touching where tendons were connected.
Yes!
In some ways, the phrase "Butcher Ding dissects the ox" represents the "unity of man and knife" Mana spoke of.
But reaching this godly skill is harder than climbing to the sky, many excellent chefs practice a lifetime and never achieve it!
And yet?
Zane, it seems...
...
"I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but the Fiery Ice Sea Bream Mountain I've made before was all defective."
"To reach perfection, there are three prerequisites: one, the sea bream must be freshly caught before dusk; two, the Northern Star Wolf Blade; three..."
"What you are seeing now, a knife skill."
"Arhat Crystal Slash!"
Putting away the chilling Northern Star Wolf Blade, Zane looked at the shocked Mana and the others and explained with a smile.
"Such a knife skill exists?" Annie was stunned and asked dumbly.
"Yes, using this knife skill makes the sea bream sashimi incredibly smooth, even reflecting your face like a mirror."
Zane continued.
"I underestimated you."
"I always thought your cooking represented the highest level, but it proves the old saying true, 'There is no best dish, only better chefs!'"
Mana quickly picked up the sashimi with chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
The fresh taste immediately spread in her mouth.
"This... this is..."
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