Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 185 - 142: Setting the Menu and Promoting Great Xia Cuisine Culture

Tomorrow, the breakfast buffet menu for next week needs to be provided to the hotel, which will then recommend it to the guests and tally the daily reservation counts before reporting back to him and Jonathan.

The two chefs will decide on the quantity of food to prepare, since they're two teams with different styles.

Without knowing the supplier's inventory, it's impossible to create an accurate menu.

The hotel decided to release such crucial information on a Saturday, presumably to test the two head chefs' ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

When the pre-conceived menu doesn't match what the supplier actually offers, coming up with a new menu on short notice is no simple task.

"It's odd; the hotel manager hasn't shown up yet, and no one's reaching out to me. Am I supposed to find someone to ask all by myself?"

The more he thought about it, the more restless he became, so he took a quick shower, dressed in clean clothes, and headed straight to the first-floor lobby.

"Good morning, chef!"

Elise was still at the front desk, with dark circles glaringly visible on her face, clearly another unfortunate case of a night shift victim.

"Good morning."

Lin Chen approached, "When is the hotel manager coming? Do you know where to get the restaurant supplier information?"

"Manager? Oh, are you referring to our general manager? He arrived yesterday and had meetings all day. He said he'll email both chefs at ten o'clock this morning, so there's no need to worry~"

Ten in the morning?

Guess I should go back and continue lounging in bed.

Exactly ten o'clock.

Sure enough, an unfamiliar email arrived on time.

The content was straightforward, just his platform account, password, and related links.

With multiple suppliers collaborating on providing goods through such a platform, it typically requires an introduction from a familiar face or from the suppliers themselves; these platforms aren't usually well-known.

After logging in, he changed the password first, then returned to the main page and scanned the names of several major suppliers.

Generally, a supplier's name relates directly to the type of goods they offer—simple and direct.

Seafood sellers have names like xx Seafood or Fishery; meat sellers might be called xx Meat Products or Farm Factory, all following a similar format.

"Hmm?"

He actually spotted a familiar name.

"Shunfu? Seems like they don't have a supermarket here. Can they supply?"

Shunfu Supermarket was the large-scale Chinese supermarket he used to source from daily back in Amiens, with goods overabundant beyond imagination, even keeping up with domestic trends.

Without hesitation, he clicked in for a quick look at the product listings, which were even more comprehensive than what he saw in the supermarket.

To be safe, he made a direct phone call.

"Ring... ring..."

"Hello? Who's this?"

"Hi, my surname is Lin. I'm one of the head chefs at the Dieppe Radisson Hotel restaurant..."

"Oh, so it's Chef Lin! My surname is Wang, and I'm the head of Shunfu's Romantic Area branch. It's a pleasure to meet you! How can I assist you?"

"I wanted to ask, there's no Shunfu supermarket here in Dieppe, right? What's the supply method?"

"That's correct, but Dieppe is within the Capital Circle; there are supermarkets and warehouses in several nearby cities, so door-to-door delivery only takes about an hour and a half—it's quite convenient."

"Initially, we didn't plan to expand business there due to the scarcity of Chinese restaurants, but Radisson reached out to us, and after brief talks, we decided to offer services anyway. With so many suppliers, they may or may not choose us."

The man's tone was somewhat surprised; evidently, he hadn't expected the restaurant's head chef to be a fellow countryman.

Lin Chen was equally surprised.

Shipping goods from nearby warehouses?

An hour and a half does seem quite convenient.

Normally, orders are sent the afternoon or evening before, and suppliers deliver the next day.

Given how close they are, it's possible he might receive delivery on the same day, a pleasant surprise indeed.

The two had a brief chat, agreeing on timely delivery, and even early shipments if possible, then Lin Chen began carefully browsing their product pages, adding all needed items to the cart.

Brother Renwang clearly stated that if he placed the order before afternoon, they could deliver it the same day; if it was in the afternoon or evening, it would depend on the situation.

Usually, it's the next day, but for rush orders, there's express delivery at an extra cost.

It was precisely ten in the morning, with two hours until afternoon, so barring any unexpected circumstances, he could receive his order by the afternoon or evening.

He first selected various basic condiments, dry goods, and spices, then foods with long shelf lives like frozen and pickled items—century eggs, pickled vegetables, and sauerkraut, for instance.

He planned to order fresh ingredients the next day for easier organization, avoiding unnecessary time consumption.

After half an hour spent finalizing the order and checking it twice, he sent it out, then began formally crafting the menu.

The preliminary draft now seemed too ordinary, lacking anything remarkable. You'd find similar fare casually offered at any Great Xia hotel.

This is a high-end restaurant after all; even for a buffet, it can't be too perfunctory.

"Foreigners dislike making choices; too many menu items lead to indecision, so it's best to select two to three options per category."

He first sketched out four sections on paper—appetizers, soups, main courses, and desserts/beverages.

"No need to make desserts for breakfast; freshly ground soy milk is a must-have, then what else? Maybe red bean soup, universally accepted worldwide."