Menus kept by Chef Sakae
Disappearing cause
The taste has changed
Chef Boss
■ "Now the Chef of Sichuan Cuisine has been discontinued, and young people have not eaten the original Sichuan cuisine, thinking that Sichuan cuisine only has a spicy taste"
■ "Now the old brand, the quality has changed, the taste has changed is the biggest weakness, and the original taste is completely different"
■ "Chengdu people are not willing to eat the current old brand, the taste has not caught up"
Not innovative enough
The last head chef
■ "For the citizens of Chengdu, Rongyuan is too old. For so many years, the taste of dishes has not changed, new competition has come, and it has gradually become less and less."
■ Rongyuan "disappeared" because it was not innovative enough, "it has always been that taste, everyone is tired of it for a long time, and it is even less attractive to young people"
Remember Vinh Paradise? This is one of the 21 Chinese time-honored brands in Chengdu identified by the Ministry of Commerce. Recently, a group of former Rongyuan chefs are preparing to open a shop to sell "Rongpai cuisine" and revitalize Rongyuan cuisine. "We want to bring in capital to launch Rongyuan." A person from Chengdu's restaurant industry said. However, Chengdu Catering Company, the holder of the Rongyuan trademark, has a wait-and-see attitude toward capital operation: "Some people also talk to us and want to cooperate in the operation of Rongyuan, but we are worried that they have smashed the brand." ”
Former chefs want to open a shop to sell "Rongpai cuisine"
Chinese culinary master Jiang Xueyun was a snack chef at Rongyuan. He joined the park in 1960. "At that time, it was not called Rong Paradise, it was called Jade Dragon Restaurant." In the industry, the Rongyuan cuisine department is called "Blue School", and in Jiang Xueyun's circle, it is more accustomed to calling it "Rongpai", and they have also established a "Rongpai Cuisine" research institute.
"Now the Chef of Sichuan Cuisine has been discontinued, and young people have not eaten the original Sichuan cuisine, thinking that Sichuan cuisine only has a spicy taste." Hu Xianhua and Jiang Xueyun, 75, have both worked at Rongyuan For more than 20 years. Around 1985, the two left one after another, but they have been paying attention to the rise and fall of RongYuan. After retirement, the chefs of Rongyuan often get together and sigh the original taste of old Sichuan cuisine, and the topic of "Rongyuan disappearing" often cannot be bypassed.
"Last week we talked about a plan." Hu Xianhua excitedly told the Chengdu Business Daily reporter recently that the former Rongyuan chef will get together and prepare to open a shop to sell "Rongpai dishes". "Each of us has our own expertise. Ready to make a courtyard model, two or three tables is good. ”
The registered trademark of Rongyuan belongs to Chengdu Catering Company. However, Hu Xianhua and Jiang Xueyun believe that taste is the core of their group of chefs, "We are in the craftsmanship, and the sign of not playing RongYuan is also competitive." ”
"Now the old brand, the quality has changed, the taste has changed is the biggest weakness, and the original taste is completely different." More than 90% of it is eaten by outsiders. "Hu Xianhua said that most of the long-established brands in Chengdu are not in good condition, and poor management and change in taste are the most important reasons." Chengdu people are reluctant to eat the current old brand, and the taste has not caught up. We can only achieve the taste of the year in terms of taste, and the texture may not be achieved. ”
Teresa Teresa entered the New York branch of Rong Park
"At the best of times, the manager of the New York store in Rongyuan is paid $5,000 a month." RongYuan Park was originally named Zhengxing Garden, which has risen and fallen several times. In 1912, RongYuan Park opened in the current Dongfeng Road, one of the founders is the "founder of modern Sichuan cuisine", known as the Blu-ray Jian, he and his younger brother Guangrong, Guangbi and uncle Qi Lezhai partnership, quickly became a rookie in the catering industry. In 1933, RongYuan built a new store in Buhou Street, and the restaurant was rebuilt into a first floor and a bottom, which can hold 100 tables and banquets. It closed in the autumn of 1948. In the 1950s, Chengdu City Catering Company brought together Chengdu chefs to set up The Jade Dragon Restaurant. In 1970, Yulong Restaurant was relocated to Luomashi Street And renamed "Hongqi Restaurant".
"The name of the restoration of Rongyuan Was in 1980, and it was necessary to open a branch in New York, the United States, and everyone realized that the name of the Chengdu store was 'Hongqi Restaurant'." Hu Xianhua was one of the first chefs to visit the U.S. branch. This was also the most influential period of RongYuan. A table of banquets is thirty or forty yuan, often like a city. The New York store is only a few hundred meters away from the United Nations building, and singer Teresa Teresa and then US Secretary of State Schultz have all eaten.
In the 1970s, The Park held several training courses. In 1978, Rongyuan held the 721 School, which passed the examination and selected the best employees of each store of the catering company for training. "Two sessions, nearly 100 students." Jiang Xueyun is the snack teacher of this training class, and Hu Xianhua is the teacher of the red and white case. Hu Xianhua still retains the courseware of that year - handwritten weekly teaching content. Many of those students are now masters of Sichuan cuisine.
Last restart The contract closes before it expires
RongYuan Park has been restarted many times, the last time, was around 2003, opened at No. 169 Liangui South Road, signed an 8-year contract, and quietly closed the store in the 7th year.
The previous generation of chefs believed that poor inheritance and changing tastes were the main reasons for the disappearance. The new generation of inheritors has other feelings.
"At that time, another restaurant was opened not far away, and for the citizens of Chengdu, Rongyuan was too old. For so many years, the taste of dishes has not changed, and when new competition comes, it gradually fails. "Wang Qinrui is the last head chef of RongYuan. Born in 1979, he is now the deputy manager of the husband and wife lung film store. He said that Rongyuan "disappeared" because it was not innovative enough, "it has always been that taste, everyone is tired of it for a long time, and it is even less attractive to young people." "There's hardly anybody." In 2007, Wang Qinrui went to Rongyuan As a head chef, and the business was already dismal, and at its worst, the daily flow was only thousands of yuan.
"It's a pity." Chengdu Catering Company has also repeatedly discussed the restart of Rongyuan Park. The relevant person in charge of the company said that in recent years, the company's high-level meetings have repeatedly discussed and reopened the topic of Rongyuan, but have not reached a final conclusion. "The decoration pattern and positioning of Rong Park are relatively high-end, and it costs at least tens of millions of dollars to restart."
China's time-honored Rong Paradise
In 1912, it opened on the current Dongfeng Road
In 1933, Rongyuan Built a new store in Buhou Street
In the autumn of 1948, it was closed
In the 1950s, the Jade Dragon Restaurant was established
In 1970, Yulong Restaurant moved to Luomashi Street And changed its name to Hongqi Restaurant
In 1980, the name of Sakae Land was restored
Around 2003, the last reboot
In 2009, the store was closed
Keeping the tradition? Innovative development?
The old brand is in a dilemma
The Ministry of Commerce has twice rated China's time-honored brands, and Chengdu has been selected as one of the 21. There are 37 long-established brands in Sichuan recognized by the Provincial Department of Commerce in Chengdu. Among the 21 chinese time-honored brands, 9 are under the umbrella of Chengdu Catering Company.
As far as the overall operation of the old brand is concerned, Chengdu Catering Company is not bad. "We are a group company, husband and wife lung tablets, dragon copyers, etc. are profitable, which can supplement the losses brought by Jin Furong and so on." The relevant person in charge of the company said. More than half of the more than ten long-established brands interviewed by reporters clearly stated that they would not make money. "Just enough to feed the staff." The relevant person in charge of Chengdu Tongjinda Trading Co., Ltd., the operator of the hard meal, said that the company's 3 brands were selected as time-honored brands in Sichuan, and two of the directly operated stores were breakeven, and the Zhide number was difficult to find.
People in Chengdu's restaurant industry said that many of Chengdu's long-established brands are gradually disappearing and marginalizing. "As more and more post-80s and post-90s become the mainstream of eating out, the old brands have no influence at all." "For a while, we improved the taste of Lai Tangyuan and reduced the oil content, and immediately some old customers said that Lai Tangyuan had changed, but it did not change and could not cater to the habit of modern people eating low oil." The relevant person in charge of Chengdu Catering Company said that retaining tradition and innovative development is a dilemma.
Chengdu Business Daily reporter Ye Yan
Original title: Restart the vanished Rongyuan, the chef has more than enough heart, and the company's strength is insufficient