As Cheng Su’s words fell, everyone fell silent, looking at her with a mix of respect and awe.
"Food is meant to go into people’s mouths and down their stomachs. If we turn a blind eye to this cockroach out of a guilty conscience, letting it contaminate the marinade and continue using it, what if customers get stomachaches from it? Even we eat these marinated dishes during our staff meals from time to time, don’t we? Now that we know the marinade is contaminated by the cockroach, would any of you still want to eat it?" Cheng Su indifferently swept her gaze over the employees below.
Naturally, they wouldn’t want to. Ignorance is one thing, but once they knew, who could eat the marinated dishes without thinking of that cockroach? It would inevitably turn one’s stomach.
"At Joy Soon Loy, we might just be a small establishment for now, but a good reputation starts small and from paying attention to the details. I demand that Joy Soon Loy sources fresh ingredients, maintains a hygienic environment, and provides excellent customer service. Meeting these standards gives us a small reputation and earns us fame. Therefore, this marinade must be discarded, no matter its value!" Cheng Su spoke again, "Everyone must remember, especially the kitchen staff, once an ingredient has spoiled, gone off, or is no longer fresh, it’s better to throw it away than serve it. Don’t try to mask it with strong flavors. Once spoiled, it remains spoiled, and no matter how you try to process it, it cannot be concealed."
Old Song nodded in approval and said, "President Cheng is right. We in the kitchen will certainly take this as a warning for the future."
Cheng Su smiled faintly and then continued, "To prevent such an incident from happening again, we must pay attention to the details and inspect our food closely. Being careless is unacceptable. Have you all understood?"
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.
"Er Tong, take Xiao Xiao with you to dispose of it. Make sure the container is scrubbed clean and disinfected with boiling water before use," Cheng Su instructed Er Tong and another kitchen worker.
"Yes!"
After sending everyone else off to work, Cheng Su called her and Qiulan to the cash register to speak, with a stern face.
"I must say, I’m somewhat disappointed with how you’ve handled this situation." Cheng Su said gravely, "When such an incident occurred, you did not think to deal with it promptly, letting everyone continue their duties instead of hesitating and wasting time. If I hadn’t come, how long were you planning to stand around? Would we even be able to open for business?"
Old Song and Qiulan’s faces reddened from the scolding.
"In situations like this, there shouldn’t be any hesitation. Just dispose of it. If you don’t take care of it and instead dwell on personal blame, wasting work time, is it useful? The mistake has already happened; what’s the use of assigning personal fault? What should be done is to take it as a lesson and make immediate, decisive decisions. Dithering wastes time and could result in chaos if dragged on. Tell me, isn’t that a loss greater than the gain?"
"There’s no need to dwell on who’s responsible, yet timing is essential. You don’t have to shoulder the responsibility alone. In an event like this, you’re all responsible. Qiulan, as the floor manager, you have the authority and responsibility to check everything in the restaurant. Old Song, as the head chef, it’s indisputably your duty," Cheng Su said with a serious face: "I’ve placed the store in your hands because I expect leadership from you, not mutual deferral of blame or self-pity. That is useless."
"Sister Su, it’s my fault. I will be more attentive in the future!" Qiulan, being younger, had red-rimmed eyes from the rebuke.
"I’ll have the loss deducted from my wages!" Old Song said to Cheng Su.
Cheng Su shook her head and replied, "Let’s not worry about it this time, but if it happens again, there will be no mercy."
Old Song pursed his lips.
"Although it pains me to lose this batch of marinade, I hope this will serve as a wake-up call for you all. In any matter, you can’t be careless. As human beings, we must be responsible. The wages you draw must be earned in a way that honors your employer, myself. Do you understand?" Cheng Su said slowly.