September 2003, a business Long cuisine as the main hotel --- Xiangmanlou Hotel in the diners gathered in the mass of the Lane debut. "Although Xiangmanlou has not been open for a long time, it represents the advent of a new era in the operation of Long cuisine." A person in charge of Gansu Cuisine Association commented on Xiangmanlou.
Always for the sake of the customer tree integrity flag
Wang Xilu, who lives in Yongchang Road, is over 70 years old this year, the old man used to work in a state-run canteen in the city when he was young, and over the years he has been fond of Lanzhou cuisine. "Although there are more and more restaurants in Lanzhou in the past few years, there are not many that can really make the old Lanzhou flavor. The Lanzhou specialties of Xiangmanlou are the best dishes I have eaten over the years." Wang Xilu told reporters that the reason why Xiangmanlou is attractive to people, in addition to their special Longzhou dishes, the main thing is still here "very affordable".
Consumers in the mind of the "affordable" concept is also a deeper reason why Xiangmanglou opened in just three years of customers rolling. The reporter learned that in early December last year, the 2007 New Year's Eve dinner has been fully booked. "A friend of mine called before New Year's Day and said he wanted to book a table for New Year's Eve dinner here, and I was clueless." Xiao Xu, the lobby manager of Fragrant House, put it this way.
"All the customers who come to Xiangmanlou are the same, no matter whether they are individual consumption or group consumption, all we can do is to enable them to get the most affordable service." Xiangmanlou hotel general manager Liu told reporters that honesty is the catering industry, "the foundation of the business". "We are facing the ordinary mass consumer groups, many people are rushing to the Lanzhou home cooking of the Xiangmanlou. Let them spend the least amount of money to get the most benefit is the main theme of our business."
Based on this philosophy, ordering food at Xiangmanlou is often different from other hotels, with waiters always reminding diners not to order too much. "Do not rip off customers, not blindfolded, the only way to let more customers feel free to come back." The reporter learned that over the past few years, more than 95 percent of the consumers of the Xiangmanlou are repeat customers.
"From the point of view of the catering industry itself, the increase and fixation of repeat customers reflects the improvement of the overall service characteristics of the hotel." Liu general manager said.
Lanzhou "complex" brilliant Xiangmanlou
In Lanzhou, the catering industry can be used to "in full swing" to describe its prosperity. "Popularity is to rely on the characteristics and services operated out." General Manager Liu told reporters that in general, their hotel's 28 boxes are full every day, and can open 50 tables at the same time the big spirit also makes the Xiangmanlou become Lanzhou people's first choice for weddings, funerals, banquets and guests. "We are now worried about is not no source of customers, but sometimes a down too many guests, the hotel can not receive."
"We have our own characteristics, which is the main reason why many people love to come." General Manager Liu said, to Xiangmanlou dinner people have a deep Lanzhou "complex". And this "complex" has now become an important part of the Xiangmanlou Hotel's specialty food and beverage.
Warm pot is a very rich Lanzhou local flavor, Lanzhou people in the early years of the wedding are indispensable, then called "family portrait". And the current popular dietary fashion theme, Lanzhou warm pot especially pay attention to nutrition and nourishment. "The Lanzhou warm pot of Xiangmanglou is carefully prepared by the current "master" --- national special chef Yan Keduan, so the taste is better and the nutrition is more abundant. " The reporter learned that the Lanzhou warm pot ingredients are meatballs, crispy meat, sand, squid, crab meat, sea cucumber, winter melon, cabbage, vermicelli, etc., all the raw materials are fragrant building self-picked their own processing, to ensure that it is safe and hygienic high quality.
In addition, Xiangmanlou's signature dish "almond braised tofu" has also conquered countless discerning diners in the Golden City with its white as jade tofu with cool almonds and refreshingly tasty gravy. The crispy meat and rich flavor of "Xiangmansauce Pork", coupled with the beautiful shape created by superb knife work, has made it become a well-known signature dish of Lanzhou's Longlong cuisine.
The generous Yan Keduan teacher is the chef of Xiangmanglou, although Xiangmanglou do is home cooking, but with Yan's outstanding skills in the Golden City of Long dishes, Xiangmanglou launched a series of Long-style home cooking, are noteworthy. Xiangmanlou in today's impetuous age and not like other hotels as pompous to seek Long cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Szechuan cuisine, a swarm of business methods, but down-to-earth to do a good job in the Long dishes of their own discovery work. Xiangmanlou with exquisite fragrant dishes and affordable and intimate price, sincere service to the people of Lanzhou, in the words of the consumers themselves is: "Here exquisite Long flavor home cooking is both delicious and cheap, so of course by the people of Lanzhou we love."
Shangmanlou lily feast for the color of Long cuisine
In fact, Long cuisine has also had a time of extreme scenery. Lily feast in 1986, such as a gust of wind blew the domestic catering industry "lake". The following experience we may wish to see it as a Long Cuisine "breakthrough" a witness.
Yan Keduan told reporters that in the mid-80s of the last century, Lanzhou lily from the initial "tribute" into the trough. The then Lanzhou City, the main person in charge of the organization of special meetings, and finally determined the Beijing held a "lily feast" concept. "Led by the catering company, the organization in Lanzhou has a well-known several famous chefs go to Beijing to dedicate their skills."
Gansu famous chefs composed of "Lily Banquet" group in Beijing, "a feast" popular. "First in the capital hotel did 5 tables, and then in the Beijing Office once opened 32 tables. At that time, the banquet were all the leaders of the central ministries and commissions, and everyone gave a high evaluation of the Lily Banquet." In the efforts of the parties concerned, "Lily Banquet" group went to Zhongnanhai to perform, the main leaders of the State Council at that time came to the banquet to taste, after the meeting gave a very high evaluation. Subsequently, they went to Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, where they were treated with unprecedented courtesy. "At that time, when we first went to Shanghai, the hotel orderlies did not recognize the lily, called it Gansu daffodils. When we made it, the Shanghainese said they didn't realize Gansu had such a good dish."
"This is the characteristics of the Long cuisine, we are now missing is this outward boldness and opportunity." Yan Keduan told reporters that most of the lily series of dishes in Xiangmanglou are famous dishes that they went to Beijing to dedicate that year, and the selected lily raw materials are the special supply of Longcui Hall boutique. "In the future is to highlight the characteristics of Long Cuisine, so that ordinary consumers can also fully enjoy the charm of tribute dishes."
Let the Long cuisine out of the "provincial door"
The Xiangmanlou many Lanzhou fine specialties from the national chef Yan Keduan's hand. Yan Keduan from 1971 to start learning art, first in the Yuebin building to learn Beijing food, after the Dunhuang building to learn the long dishes. 36 years time past, Yan Keduan cooking witnessed the change of the long dishes. And for the moment the Long dish in the domestic catering industry in the embarrassing situation, but also become Yan Keduan think most of the problem. "Seriously, Long cuisine is now facing the biggest problem is how to explore and protect. Although Long Cuisine in the local relatively hot, but put it in the domestic catering industry in the environment to see, Long Cuisine is still in an embarrassing situation." Yan Keduan told reporters, Lanzhou cuisine, for example, in recent years for the folk private food excavation is still very slow, at the same time for the development of real estate specialties and promotion work is not satisfactory. "Now many hotels and restaurants in the promotion of local specialties, often pay attention to some of the image of the dish and ignore the traditional, folk characteristics of the excavation."
Yan Keduan told reporters that, in the strict sense, Gansu cuisine is not out of the "province", which in addition to insufficient publicity, the biggest reason is the concept of factors. "The overall strength of Gansu catering in the country should be at the forefront of the income situation is also good, but is not going out, the key is still the traditional concepts at fault." Yan Keduan said, since the opening of Xiangmanlou, many foreign tourists tasted the authentic Lanzhou dishes after the praise, but also on the traditional Longcai this "corner" of the situation feel puzzled.
"Long cuisine has come to the revitalization and breakthrough of the critical period, we all operators have this responsibility and obligation." Yan Keduan told reporters: "Let the Long cuisine ultimately bigger and stronger, out of the province, but also need to Gansu all the catering industry knowledgeable people *** with efforts."