People who go to Beijing Haidilao for hot pot usually have to wait for two hours, but there is no fidgety expression on their faces. Waiting people are not idle, surfing the internet, playing cards, shining shoes, manicure ... these leisure projects that seem to be far away from the hot pot are not available in other restaurants.
Many people go to Haidilao, firstly because of its service, and secondly because of the taste of hot pot. The waiter wears a standard smile on his face, wiping oil drops, dishes and fish, and handing customers rings and drinks; Master Lamian Noodles performed live, and a lasagna waved into various beautiful arcs in the air, up and down or so; There is an amusement park on the first floor, and special people are arranged to look after the children.
In 2006, Yum! McDonald's Group, which owns Pizza Hut and KFC in China, organized more than 200 regional managers to go to Haidilao to learn from them.
Zhang Yong, the helmsman behind Haidilao, is a native of western Sichuan with a strong accent. I like to travel alone with my bag on my back. I am spontaneous and never make any deliberate arrangements in advance. Speaking of Haidilao's services, he told us frankly: "I didn't do many services in Haidilao on purpose, and now I find that this is innovation."
Service pays attention to details.
1994, Zhang Yong decided to go into business because he didn't get the housing allocation quota of Sichuan tractor factory. Considering the low cost of hot pot and Sichuan people's love, Zhang Yong opened a hot pot restaurant called Haidilao. Four tables and four guys. This is the first hot pot restaurant opened by Zhang Yong in Jianyang, Sichuan. Here, Zhang Yong plays multiple roles: charging, serving, and cooking. Just opened, business is deserted, and there are no guests for several days.
Finally, the hot pot restaurant welcomed the first guests: the neighbors opposite the hot pot restaurant. They have different views on the taste of hot pot. However, Zhang Yong's service has been unanimously affirmed. Since then, they have become frequent visitors to hot pot restaurants. Gradually, the hot pot restaurant began to operate normally.
One day, a local cadre came back from the countryside and went to Zhang Yong's shop to eat hot pot. Zhang Yong found his shoes dirty, so he arranged for a waiter to clean them for him. This small move moved the guests very much. From then on, Haidilao had the service of shoeshine, and Zhang Yong directly arranged full-time staff to shoeshine the waiting guests in the store.
The live dance performance in Haidilao has made many people talk about it. Zhang Yong told us that this was because of a technical competition in Haidilao. At the scene of the competition, a player performed Lamian Noodles. But instead of standing in the same place and working on the table mechanically, he danced on the spot, which was very ornamental and won the first prize. After the game, Zhang Yong felt very good, so he specially asked someone to train Master Lamian Noodles. This has also become another feature of Haidilao today.
For many other innovations, such as hair bands, manicures, glasses cloth and free telephone booths, Zhang Yong has been unable to find a "sponsor". Zhang Yong said: "Sometimes employees put forward new suggestions, and they will implement them after discussion." Services are large and small, and the details are often the most touching. There is no need to rack your brains for innovation, but you should be good at finding it.
The practice of sea fishing has caused quite a shock in the catering industry, and many restaurants have begun to follow suit, and even "fake sea fishing" has appeared. Does Zhang Yong have a sense of crisis?
Zhang Yong said frankly that the catering industry has low threshold, low technical content and is easy to imitate. But he firmly believes that it is easier to look like it than to look like it. The standardized management formed by Haidilao for many years cannot be easily imitated.
The unexpected harvest of SARS
1999 One day, a guest from Xi 'an came to the hot pot restaurant in Zhang Yong, and it was because of him that Zhang Yong brought Haidilao to Xi 'an. After eating the hot pot, the guests thought it was delicious and said to Zhang Yong, "Let's open a restaurant in Xi 'an. There are many people who love hot pot in Xi 'an. " To Zhang Yong's surprise, the next day, the guest bought two air tickets and took Zhang Yong to visit Xi. Zhang Yong recalled that he didn't want to open a shop in other cities at that time, and Xi 'an was an accident. It was this accident that made Zhang Yong and his Haidilao go further and further.
Through on-the-spot investigation, Zhang Yong found that Xi 'an's hot pot business was really hot. On the second day in Xi 'an, he took over a storefront in Yanta District that was eager to sublet. The contract was signed for three years. Haidilao officially expands the market outside Sichuan.
In 2003, the catering industry fell into a trough because of the SARS incident. Haidilao was not spared, and its turnover dropped by 95%. In the past, hot pot restaurants that were full became deserted, and Zhang Yong began to look for countermeasures. He thought: guests don't want to eat in the store, I can deliver it to the door. Then, Zhang Yong published a message about hot pot takeout in Haidilao in Xi Evening News. It's fresh to send hot pot to your door, and the telephone for ordering food in Haidilao keeps ringing. In order to facilitate delivery, Haidilao replaced the traditional gas tank with a portable induction cooker. Deliver meals the day before and pick up equipment the next day.
The sudden "SARS" made Haidilao have unexpected gains, and its brand awareness was greatly enhanced. CCTV focus interview came to Xi 'an to give a special report on Haidilao.
Zhang Yong told a short story during the SARS period, and Zhang Yong enjoyed it.
One day, Haidilao received a takeaway order and sent an employee to deliver it. Under normal circumstances, it will definitely be delivered within two hours. But the customer waited for three hours and didn't wait, so he called to ask. Because the delivery staff could not be contacted, the store sent another employee to deliver the goods. At 12 pm, the former food delivery staff knocked on the customer's door, and the customer had already finished eating the hot pot. It turned out that the delivery staff took the wrong road because they were not familiar with the road section. The customer was very moved and asked the delivery staff, "Why don't you just go back to the store if you can't find a place?" The deliveryman replied, "It's my duty to finish the task given to me by the company."
In July, 2004, Haidilao officially entered the capital and opened the first hot pot restaurant in Beijing Dahui Temple. From June 5438 to February 2006, Haidilao opened the Shanghai market. All the shops in Haidilao are directly operated. Zhang Yong is more confident. "I want to open Haidilao to all corners of the country and become the first brand of hot pot in China."
Haidilao's "* * * productism"
Some people joked that Haidilao had entered "* * * productism". In Haidilao, waiters live in apartment suites like managers; In Jianyang, Zhang Yong built a private school, and the children of Haidilao employees can go to school for free. ...
Zhang Yong said: "Equality consciousness will encourage employees to be more enthusiastic about their work and take Haidilao as their own career." "Everyone is equal" is what Zhang Yong often says to his employees. Sometimes, Zhang Yong washes the dishes himself, hoping to infect every employee by setting an example.
The managers of Haidilao all start from the bottom. "Only leaders who start from the bottom can truly blend in with ordinary employees." Zhang Yong said. Yuan Huaqiang is the general manager of Haidilao in Beijing, managing Beijing 10 branches and 1600 employees. Who would have thought that he used to be in charge of opening the door?
"I want my employees to work happily, so I will try my best to do what I can think and do for my employees." Many restaurant employees live in the basement, but Haidilao is not. Zhang Yong said, "The basement is dark and humid, and employees are prone to illness." Haidilao employees all live in comfortable apartment suites, with air conditioning, bath, TV and computer, and also arrange a special cleaning room, and all employees' work clothes and quilts are outsourced to dry cleaners.
"The boss thinks of us everywhere. Can we not work hard? " An employee of Haidilao told us.
The wisdom of "receiving" and "releasing" is reflected in Zhang Yong's seemingly random nature.
In general restaurants, the equipotential area is very small, but there are many equipotential spaces reserved in Haidilao, and these places can be completely opened up as dining areas. Zhang Yong is not upset: on the one hand, it reduces the anxiety of customers waiting through various entertainment projects; On the other hand, the spectacular equipotential army created momentum for Haidilao for free. This is a strategy for Haidilao to win the market, but it is a waste of time for customers.
In Haidilao, the so-called "* * * productism" is just a form, but it gives employees at least respect. It is worth pondering that it is through this form that Zhang Yong won the trust of employees, stimulated their enthusiasm for work and realized his own management.