After graduating from middle school, he devoted all his time to working in the family catering and banquet business. Even though his father was the boss, Chen Chao-lin was treated the same as other apprentices, starting with basic tasks like washing vegetables, butchering chickens, and killing fish.
國中畢業後，正式加入家族的辦桌事業，儘管老闆就是父親，但是陳兆麟還是與一般學徒相同，從洗菜、剁雞、殺魚等基本功做起。