After Feng Yifan came back from vacation, he could still feel everyone's desire to get three stars.
Maybe everyone doesn’t care whether they can get three stars, but everyone must be holding their breath and hoping to get some recognition.
After all, every chef hopes to be recognized after working hard for a long time.
Recognition from diners is one aspect.
Although many chefs may look down on some food critics, they still hope to receive praise from those critics, and even hope that their restaurant can be popular.
However, some of the rules and standards that Feng Yifan mentioned when he came back also made everyone very worried.
According to Feng Yifan, with that whole set of rules and standards, it is obvious that neither Su Ji nor Ruo Restaurant can get stars, and it may even be difficult for them to receive praise from food critics.
This made the kitchen staff and waiters feel somewhat disappointed.
Feng Yifan saw everyone's disappointment, so he encouraged everyone again.
And although he originally didn't really want to fight for it, he once again made up his mind to fight for it.
However, even though Feng Yifan had given everyone a vaccination in advance, he had already explained all the possible difficulties that might be faced.
A few days later, the restaurant reviews in a well-known foreign food magazine on the Internet still hit everyone hard.
Even Ma Xiaolong, Catherine, Hans and Tom found it difficult to accept the result.
Hans cursed directly and shouted in his native language: "Are these bastards tongues broken? Why did they give such a low rating? They actually said that our restaurant should not exist and that eating in our restaurant is a blasphemy to the food?"
Tom was relatively calm, but still very annoyed: "These people really dare to write anything."
Catherine and Ma Xiaolong looked at each other, both of them were full of anger, but they didn't say anything, but looked at Feng Yifan together.
Seeing Catherine and Ma Xiaolong looking at Feng Yifan together, everyone else also focused their eyes on Feng Yifan.
At this moment, everyone was expecting Feng Yifan to come up with a way to fight back.
Feng Yifan did not respond to the crowd. Instead, he was carefully reading the report that was reposted on the Internet, and was also reading some of the comments below the repost.
"So Chef Feng's restaurant is so low-class?"
"That's right. The foreign professional gourmets have put it very well."
"But why do I feel like this is just a deliberate attempt to provoke me?"
"Yeah, you're deliberately picking on me, right?"
"It's not objective at all. There's not a single thing about the taste of the food in the whole article. It's all about the location of the restaurant, the restaurant's specialty, the tables and chairs used in the restaurant, the tablecloths used in the restaurant are not of a certain brand, and the tableware is not from a certain place."
"Of course, it's their own restaurant. Isn't it their freedom to use whatever they want?"
"Yeah, why do we have to use those brands of tablecloths and tableware?"
Some people on the Internet seemed very happy to see Feng Yifan’s restaurant being criticized, and they didn’t care what the other party’s review said.
But some more rational people began to question and point out some problems in the comments.
Many people ask questions when commenting.
"Isn't the taste of the dishes the key to whether a restaurant is good or not? Are the brands of tables, chairs, tablecloths and tableware so important?"
"Yes, it's enough if the food is delicious and tasty. Why do we need to care about the restaurant's location, interior decoration, and the brands of the food used in the restaurant?"
…
When I saw someone asked this question in the comments, someone quickly gave an answer.
"According to the judging criteria for star-rated restaurants, the restaurant's location and interior decoration are indeed considered, including the tables and chairs used in the restaurant, the brand of tablecloths, and whether the full set of tableware is from a few designated brands."
After someone came out to explain, everyone naturally understood.
Reading the commentary article from abroad again, I seem to be able to understand the problems pointed out by the other party.
Because according to the standards of star-rated restaurants, it seems that neither of Feng Yifan’s two restaurants meets the standards.
Some people expressed regret in the comments, while others spoke up for Feng Yifan.
But there are still some people who start to add insult to injury.
Looking at the various comments, Feng Yifan suddenly laughed.
Hearing the chef's laughter made everyone feel a little strange. They couldn't understand why the chef could still laugh at this time.
A group of people looked at Feng Yifan seriously with puzzled expressions.
I really want to ask, what's so funny at this time
But no one dared to interrupt Feng Yifan directly.
Finally, after a burst of laughter, Feng Yifan slowly calmed down.
Looking at the surprised expressions of the others, Feng Yifan asked, "What's wrong? Are you discouraged? No way? Could it be that I told you many times before about the difficulties we might face, but you didn't listen?"
After hearing Feng Yifan's words, everyone looked at each other, still not knowing how to respond.
After a long while, Shi Jiahui finally spoke up: "Yifan, we have been criticized like this this time. Does that mean we have no chance?"
Feng Yifan looked at the senior sister, then looked at the other people present.
Everyone looked a little lonely.
Obviously, no one wants to see such an outcome.
I haven't even started to work hard yet, but I was rejected without even a chance to compete fairly.
I really can't accept this.
Feng Yifan saw everyone's reluctance and the loneliness on their faces.
Instead, he laughed again: "Why do you all have such expressions? Haven't you ever thought that this would be the result? Besides, this is just an article in a food magazine. It doesn't represent the final result."
The first half of Feng Yifan's sentence does make people feel a little pessimistic.
But the second half of his sentence, especially the last sentence, seemed to give everyone hope.
Lin Ruifeng quickly asked: "Master, is it true? Do we still have a chance?"
Everyone looked at Feng Yifan with anticipation.
Facing everyone's expectant gazes, Feng Yifan nodded and said, "Although it may be difficult, there is still a chance. We haven't lost everything. We can still strive to become the recommended restaurant of the year and still have a chance to enter the star restaurant selection."
Catherine suddenly said at this time: "But chef, this food critic, he is Fiteli."
Everyone was a little surprised to hear Catherine's words.
Only Ma Xiaolong, Hans and Tom did not feel much surprise when they heard the name, and there was some disappointment in their expressions.
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "So what if it's Fiteli? He's just a popular food critic. Even if he has the qualifications to make the rules, can't we overturn the rules he made?"
Then, Feng Yifan said seriously: "Who stipulated that the restaurant must be located on a designated road? Who stipulated that the restaurant's decoration must be in a certain style? And why must the tables, chairs, tablecloths, and tableware be of certain brands?"
Hearing this, everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment.
But when we think about this, we still feel a little desperate.
Because if these are rigid regulations, then no matter how hard everyone tries, Su Ji and Ruo Restaurant will probably be doomed to have difficulty getting shortlisted and selected.
Feng Yifan said seriously: "Have they forgotten that these porcelains were invented by our ancestors? Why do we have to use their designated brand tableware when we open restaurants in our own country? So we must reverse all this."
Hearing this, everyone's fighting spirit was rekindled.
Maybe Catherine, Hans and Tom didn't feel anything.
Even Ma Xiaolong may not have that kind of sense of family and country.
But Shi Jiahui and others feel very excited, even Chen Xu and Luo Yu are very much looking forward to it, and are ready to fight.
Feng Yifan went on to say: "Next, we will still do our best. No matter what others say, we still have to do our best and make every dish well to ensure that the diners in our restaurant are satisfied."
Feng Yifan said seriously, "I don't care what others say, and I don't care what those so-called food critics say. I still say that our Su Ji and Ruo restaurants must prioritize the quality and taste of our dishes. Do you understand?"
Immediately, everyone responded in unison, "Understood, Chef."
Seeing the fighting spirit on everyone's faces, Feng Yifan nodded with satisfaction.
He then continued, "After the article appeared, our business will definitely be affected, especially the restaurant orders, but that doesn't matter, as long as we stick to our own character."
After hearing this, everyone was still somewhat worried.
But Catherine suddenly smiled and said, "We don't have to be like this. At the beginning, we just wanted to open our own restaurant. We didn't think about competing for fame and fortune. We just wanted to make ourselves happy, right? Now we are very happy, and we have the opportunity to strive for a star restaurant. What else can we be dissatisfied with?"
After Catherine said this, Hans and Tom looked at each other and smiled.
They both felt that what Catherine said was correct.
Originally, Catherine, Hans and Tom came here just to open a small restaurant together. They didn't think about how popular it would be. They just wanted to be closer to the former chef and work with him to develop new dishes.
But now that the restaurant has a chef in charge, it has gained a lot of attention.
Even the famous food critic Fiteli commented on it.
This was something Catherine, Hans and Tom had never thought of before.
It can be said that the current results have far exceeded their expectations.
So what was the final result of this fight? It really doesn't matter anymore.
Feng Yifan looked at the three of them, smiled and said, "Don't give up now. I told you that we still have a chance. Besides, this isn't the first time that Fiteli and I have fought each other. We are all old friends. I think we should have a serious fight."
Shi Jiahui smiled and said, "That's great. The chef has said so. We should also cheer up."
Su Jinrong, who had been listening nearby, had not spoken a word until now.
"I hope you can show your strength. No matter what the result is, at least we have worked hard together. We may not be able to get praise from foreigners, but I believe that people in China will support you."
After hearing this, everyone clenched their fists and nodded very seriously.
Luo Yu then asked, "Chef, how do we deal with that review?"
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. Let those people make a fuss for a while. We will continue business as usual. We won't explain or argue. Let everything take its course."
Luo Yu hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "But if that happens, will our business be affected in the future? If business gets worse and worse..."
Having said this, Luo Yu did not continue.
Feng Yifan still smiled and asked: "What's wrong? Have you lost confidence in yourself? Do you think we will lose to an article like that?"
Luo Yu hesitated for a while, but couldn't help but nodded.
Seeing this, Chen Xu quickly said, "What are you imagining? How is this possible?"
Feng Yifan waved his hand: "Don't be nervous, Luo Yu's idea is normal. In fact, I can't guarantee that our business will not be affected, but I still want to say that we must stick to our own things and not be manipulated by others."
Chen Xu said: "That's right, we can't let others manipulate us."
Feng Yifan continued: "So, we don't need to read those comments. We just need to do our best and let time prove everything."
After hearing this, everyone agreed with this point, and even Luo Yu said that he would work hard.
At this moment, under the external pressure, Su Ji and Ruo restaurants became united as one.
Seeing that everyone was united, Feng Yifan suddenly felt that everything would be solved.
At Su Ji and Ruo restaurants, everyone worked together to prepare for the challenge.
Many people who have a close relationship with Feng Yifan have also seen this article reposted on the Internet and learned about many people's comments on Feng Yifan and his two restaurants.
Among them, the two elderly people, Lu Xihe and Quan Chengping, were the first to become anxious.
The two old men did not hesitate and immediately used their connections to contact other food critics, hoping to find someone to help support Feng Yifan.
However, perhaps because the article was written by Fitli, a very well-known food critic, many other food critics did not want to get into trouble.
Therefore, Lu Xihu and Quan Chengping were unable to find anyone influential to support Feng Yifan for a while.
But when the two old people were getting a little anxious, a phone call found them.
After talking to the other party on the phone, the two elderly people reached an agreement and were happy that Feng Yifan still had many people willing to help him.