South Beauty has standardized kitchen administrative construction, and the open central kitchen makes customers feel more at ease and satisfied.
first pot of gold
When I was a child, Zhang Lan's dream was to be a surgeon. Years later, when the childhood dream faded away, Zhang Lan, who didn't become a doctor, plunged into the catering industry.
Zhang Lan is a standard bearer, and his father used to be the owner of Tianjin Old Plum Blossom Shoe Store. Although the older generation has declined, the traditional aristocratic lifestyle has a deep-rooted influence on her.
"The family is delicious and eats well." Zhang Lan said. In those days when people in China were short of food and clothing, Zhang Lan's dining table was so good. Even if there are only three kinds of pickles, set three dishes and cut different leaves and flowers to match the collected petals. At that time, life was hard, and parents who were sent to work were often depressed, which made their parents very happy.
Following the usual lifestyle of that era, Zhang Lan followed his parents back to Beijing, went to college, married and had children after graduation, and lived a life of two points and one line, monotonous and comfortable.
Later, the tide of going abroad began to sprout under the "commodity economy", and Zhang Lan became one of them and went abroad. However, Canadian life is called "just to earn money" by Zhang Lan, and her goal is "20,000 dollars, and return to China as soon as she earns enough". The first black job was washing dishes, with an hourly salary of $3.50. At most, she works in four restaurants a day, working continuously 16 hours. When he earned enough $20,000, Zhang Lan resolutely returned home with money on his back.
Twenty thousand dollars is not the end, but the starting point. Zhang Lan's goal is very clear, to rely on this $20,000 to earn the first bucket of gold in the future. As for the future, who knows? At that time, this China woman, who could carry a whole piece of pork like a man, naturally didn't expect that after more than ten years, she would sprint to international catering brands.
Low threshold, familiar with the catering industry, naturally became Zhang Lan's first choice. 199 1 year, Zhang Lan opened Alan restaurant in Dongsi.
The May 7th Cadre School was located at the junction of Sichuan and Hubei when parents were decentralized, and it was a place with a large bamboo forest. Bamboo grove became the first choice for Zhang Lan to decorate Alan's restaurant. She went to Pixian county, Sichuan province alone, took bamboo workers up the mountain to cut bamboo, and then transported these 13 meter long thick bowls to Beijing by train. As a result, "Alan Restaurant" became a bamboo building in the south.
The combination of novel decoration and dishes made her hotel quickly famous, and diners came here and the business was booming. But Allen's restaurants soon failed to meet Zhang Lan's increasingly "inflated" career ambitions. 1995, the address is at the fishbone seafood restaurant near the Asian Games Village. The decoration is designed by Zhang Lan, and the style is China garden style, creating an atmosphere of flowers and birds everywhere. This time, Zhang Lan spent a lot of money to decorate it magnificently.
"All the guests are here, all by mouth." Opening restaurants has been a "Jianghu" business since ancient times. "Both Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li are here. It's all about saving face, and you have to respect it when you propose a toast. When this house is finished, respect that house. " Zhang Lan said that his capacity for liquor at that time was "two Jin not drunk". At that time, the proprietress "Sister Lan" of the seafood restaurant had already gained considerable fame.
1by the end of 997, seafood restaurants reached their peak, with a daily turnover of over 500,000. At this time, Zhang Lan, who has always dared to say and do, suddenly fell into a great contradiction: "Is it to continue to make money or to be a brand?" After some thinking, Zhang Lan made a crazy move in the eyes of others: more than 60 million people sold the seafood restaurant. "I know my personality. I am an arbitrary person. " Zhang Lan said.
The dance steps of South Beauty
Zhang Lan, who sold the restaurant, has made up his mind to dream of a bigger restaurant brand. "I want to create an international brand that represents the characteristics of China. People will know that it comes from China as soon as they hear it." In 2000, the entrepreneurial Zhang Lan named the new enterprise "South Beauty", because in the eyes of many foreigners, the small bridges and flowing waters in the south of the Yangtze River have the most China characteristics.
The positioning of South Beauty is to specialize in the office business crowd market. Zhang Lan has his own idea: among all consumers, white-collar consumers are the most rational. If the food meets their tastes, they will come together. The first shop of South Beauty is in Guo Mao, with typical Jiangnan style decoration: an arch bridge slab at the door, two bamboos hidden by the bridge, exquisite rattan chairs and hand-woven bamboo curtain ornaments; Colorful American ice bars and simple Italian chandeliers add a touch of western modernity to Chinese restaurants. The names of the private rooms are even more exquisite, all taken from the names of the word cards in the Song Dynasty: Xijiangyue, Zuihuayun, Niannujiao? The combination of Chinese and western cultures has no sense of reluctance.
"White-collar workers have petty bourgeoisie." She firmly believes that this approach is right: the beauty of food must be beautiful first, and she will decorate every store at all costs. Zhang Lan's "adventure" succeeded again, and relying on word of mouth, South Beauty with "good environment and low price" quickly became popular.
Branches in South Beauty opened one after another. Zhang Lan's idea of being a century-old shop has made a good start. However, Zhang Lan's business ideal began to ferment again. This time, she wants to create a "Blue Club", a business exchange club tailored for the elites.
In order to achieve the "best", in 2006, Zhang Lan invited Philippe Stark, a French designer who designed the Paris Baka Mouse Crystal Palace, at a price of 6.5438+0.2 million yuan, and paid a staggering fee. People ask, what is Zhang Lan going to do? Only Zhang Lan knows what her ideal orchid club should look like.
Orchard club is a crazy "burning money" move. It is extremely luxurious. A crystal cup with a price of 10,000 yuan, a chandelier with a price of several hundred thousand yuan, and a the world famous paintings inlaid on the roof, decorated it magnificently. It is not like a place for leisure dining, but more like an exhibition hall for works of art.
Recalling this passionate time, Zhang Lan said that the establishment of the Orchard Club is still a part of her business ideal, and she firmly believes that this is the need of the market. Orchard club is no longer a new Chinese food, nor is it an improved Sichuan food. Instead, it combines the cooking techniques of various cuisines in China, as well as the sharing and setting of western food, so as to better package Chinese food with western food.
Just like when she founded South Beauty, she decided to set up Orchestral Club, and she still has doubts and doubts about her adventure. Zhang Lan said: "When a boss asked if it was ok and took the proposal to the shareholders' meeting for discussion, he was already not confident. My confidence is based on my deep understanding of the catering industry, not Hu's confidence. " Zhang Lan said with a smile, sometimes her thoughts and practices are always carried out at lightning speed, even the internal staff feel incredible. But now, Zhang Lan also admits that this is only the practice in the start-up period. Next, South Beauty will become a joint-stock company and a public company. This "randomness" will be replaced by scientific and standardized procedures.
Golden egg under crisis
"Since the establishment of South Beauty in 2000, our positioning has always been to make it a world brand. South Beauty wants to change the world's view and understanding of Chinese food. This is our original intention and our goal of operating this brand. " Zhang Lan never concealed South Beauty's ambition to enter the international stage.
Zhang Lan hopes that her beauty can change the world's prejudice against Chinese food. "Chinese food is not recognized by the world because Chinese food in Chinatown cannot represent Chinese food. Foreigners often think that Mapo tofu and goo old meat are Chinese dishes, but they don't know the cultural connotation of Chinese dishes with thousands of years of history. " Zhang Lan resents that Chinese restaurants have blossomed everywhere in foreign countries, but they have become synonymous with cheapness and unhealthy.
In order to change foreigners' prejudice against China food, Zhang Lan lost no time in promoting her South Beauty. During the Beijing Olympic Games, world leaders gathered in South Beauty. In the summer Davos Forum in September, the heads of more than 40 countries once again gathered in South Beauty; In June 5438+10, South Beauty was invited to make a presidential luncheon for Bush at the White House. These intensive leadership public relations not only promoted China catering, but also enhanced the reputation of South Beauty.
The financial crisis now sweeping the world is regarded by Zhang Lan as a rare opportunity to join the WTO. "The financial crisis is not an economic crisis. I think it provides South Beauty with an opportunity to enter the international market. For example, we are about to enter Britain and America. Now the house prices in European and American markets are falling. Doesn't this provide us with an opportunity? " Zhang Lan said that the company found a good project by the Thames, and the house price dropped by one third compared with this summer. "I think it will fall again at the end of the year, and we have to wait. By the end of this year, I will be able to attack quickly. "
Zhang Lan said that the first foreign branch of South Beauty will appear in London at the end of the year, and then Paris, new york and Zhang Lan will open her Chinese food "DreamWorks" all over the world. Why go to London first? "The first is the London Olympic Games, and the second is South Beauty, which won unanimous praise from leaders and athletes of various countries during the Beijing Olympic Games."
In fact, in order to enter the international market, Zhang Lan has made careful preparations. For example, South Beauty introduced professional managers from McDonald's and Coca-Cola several years ago; Vigorously promote the standardization of Chinese food, such as fish-flavored shredded pork, accurate to the main and auxiliary materials, how many grams of salt, how many milliliters of soy sauce, and how many chopped green onions. Then go further, including mastering the temperature is also improving. Even if there are artificial differences in operation, Zhang Lan still believes that "as long as the technology is fine, the dishes cooked by South Beauty's branches all over the world will taste the same".
"In the financial crisis, let customers feel that our first choice is South Beauty, because of South Beauty's environment, because of South Beauty's food safety, because of South Beauty's service, because of South Beauty's dishes and so on." In China, in order to cope with the impact of the economic crisis, South Beauty, which is positioned in the middle and high end, lowered the menu price by 20%.
Artists or entrepreneurs
"Good entrepreneurs can also be artists." Zhang Lan's words are always surprising. Her generosity in painting and art made her famous in this field.
"In the world of art, you are a person who is not bound by objective conditions and can think freely." Orchid Club is an enterprise that operates with the artist's thinking. In Beijing 798 Art Zone, Zhang Lan will build its own artist hotel. "I want to invite some very creative young designers from all over the world to design it. The positioning is at least seven stars, and the investment scale must exceed the Orchard Club. "
But she also said that the dream must come true, but not now. "I will wait until the bubble bursts to realize my dream." I don't know whether the above remarks look at art with the rationality of entrepreneurs or the ideal with the mentality of artists.
Zhang Lan's friends are entrepreneurs and artists. Many of her friends are painters, and her friend Zhang Lan will definitely go to the exhibition. She is a fan of painters such as Chen Danqing and Liu Xiaodong. Liu Xiaodong's giant oil painting "New Immigrants of Three Gorges" was sold at the autumn auction of Poly in Beijing in 2006 for 22 million yuan, setting a new record for contemporary art auction in China, and Zhang Lan finally put up a sign.
An artist? Or an entrepreneur? Zhang Lan never stopped dreaming. SUBU, a fashion concept brand restaurant, also opened last year, and its bold and avant-garde surprised her colleagues. What kind of life experience can the restaurant have in Zhang Lan's hands? Only Zhang Lan knows the answer.
"I am very lucky to catch up with a good era and push myself to this step." Having dreamed of Chinese food for 20 years, she saw a Chinese food brand quickly stand on the world stage. She compared herself with ray kroc, the founder of McDonald's, saying that ray kroc never reached the scale and glory of McDonald's in the future. I can see her grow up and stand up in my lifetime. Compared with him, I am very happy!
"artistic creation" completed by "market genius" This is a madman's quotation belonging to Zhang Lan.
20 1 1, Wang Xiaofei and Big S joined forces to push South Beauty into the spotlight of the media. Founded in 2000, this catering company currently has more than 50 stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chengdu. On June 17, another new store in Yantai opened and is now ready to go public.