Chapter 103 - 94: Explosive Weekend

Chapter 103: Chapter 94: Explosive Weekend

If even someone with her firm willpower couldn’t resist the temptation, it was easy to imagine how others were faring.

Liang Hui stood at the snack stall at the end of the buffet line. She had already eaten three small fried dough sticks and was waiting for the server to bring out the next batch.

Mr. Rochester was standing next to her.

It seemed they were both captivated by the snack, which looked perfectly ordinary but became unbelievably crisp and fragrant the moment they took a bite.

Doctor Lister had put on gloves. He carefully savored a savory crepe filled with a crispy cracker and pickled mustard greens.

The red-haired young man stared wide-eyed at the vegetarian "chicken" cutlet, seemingly in disbelief that it was made from soy.

After trying the radish balls, Lisa got up to get another seven or eight. In the end, she ate nearly twenty before she finally stopped.

While they were lost in the delicious food, the number of customers in the restaurant was gradually increasing.

Mrs. Leitel arrived with her friends, followed by a dozen or so members from the online group and various other customers.

Everyone was awestruck by the spread of fresh delicacies lined up before them. Their only regret was that their stomachs were too small; they were full after sampling just a little of everything.

This was actually thanks to a little trick Ning He had up her sleeve.

With ingredient costs so high, she had to find ways to lower her expenses, and increasing the proportion of staple foods in her dishes was an excellent way to do it.

A stomach full of cheap, hearty starches meant customers would feel full without having to eat a lot.

The many kinds of pancakes, the ball soup, the corn fritters, the fried dough sticks, the sweet rice cakes, and the assorted onigiri—all of it was part of Ning He’s brilliant, unconcealed strategy.

Even marking the calorie counts on the placards was a subtle tactic to encourage customers to eat in moderation.

Of course, the customers knew that starchy foods were filling. But every single dish offered a flavor they had never experienced, and each was prepared with care and generous ingredients. Salty, sweet, crispy, fragrant—every item had its own unique appeal, and they couldn’t bear to pass up a single one.

Outside, the rain was still falling, but inside the restaurant, the lights were bright and the air was filled with a pleasant aroma. Everyone chatted as they ate, and all were in high spirits. ℯ

Except for the four middle-aged men in the corner.

These men were head chefs and managers from Gates’s restaurants, all of them well-known figures in Beiluo City’s culinary scene.

However, that afternoon, their boss had suddenly summoned them to check on the progress of their menu improvements.

What could possibly be improved in less than a month? Naturally, they had made very little progress.

They had been harshly scolded to their faces and ordered to come to this new restaurant to observe and learn.

Before arriving, they had all been nursing a grudge.

In Beiluo City’s culinary world, the restaurants they managed were second to none.

’Learning from some little girl’s new restaurant? If word got out, they’d be a laughingstock.’

But after they arrived, the four of them could only remain silent.

They were using the same ingredients, yet they had never imagined—or even seen—such cooking methods.

It must be due to her wide array of seasonings. However, their own restaurants had a far greater variety of seasonings than the average competitor. They never lacked for even the ’meat’ and ’hay’ aromatics that sold for their weight in gold on the market. This was the very reason their dishes always surpassed their peers’ in fragrance.

’And now, some unknown little girl could wield these complex spices with such masterful skill, and even create so many new kinds of dishes?’

’And they were all vegetarian?!’

It felt like a massive slap in the face to them, the old veterans of the industry!

"Tomorrow, arrange for all the chefs from the restaurant to come here and learn. We must decipher the secrets of these dishes!" said Jose, the general manager of the Holy River Restaurant, his face grim as he clenched his fist.

"I understand. What should we do now, then?" asked his partner, the head chef.

Jose glanced at the spring roll on his plate, filled with dried tofu and mixed vegetables.

’It’s just a thin dough wrapper filled with stir-fried shredded vegetables, some dried tofu, and a bit of sauce,’ he thought. ’How can it be so soft yet resilient, savory yet sweet, refreshing, and even a little crispy?’

He narrowed his eyes and divided the spring roll on his plate among the others.

"Eat! Especially the recommended dishes. Try more of them. With our experience, we can definitely figure out the source of these flavors!"

The other three nodded in agreement. They quickly became the most serious table of eaters on the entire floor.

That night, the vegetarian buffet served seventy-eight guests. Without exception, they all left feeling utterly satisfied.

After Lisa returned home and put Little Bu to sleep, she immediately sent a group message to a vegetarian group she had once been a part of.

’This group isn’t large, but their spending power is considerable. This place is definitely worth a recommendation.’

Other customers, especially those who had heard about the restaurant online, rushed to post photos and share their experiences when they got home. Mia’s thread was once again bumped to the top of the food forum.

The number of customers for Sunday’s buffet doubled. At one point, Ning He had to run home to ferry over more ingredients just to keep up. By the end, nearly everyone on staff was completely wiped out.

Thinking about how she had to go to her cafeteria job the next day, Ning He felt like crying.

That is, until Connie leaned in and whispered a number in her ear. Instantly, she was full of life again.

"Really?"

Connie nodded. "Of course. I calculated it several times. There’s no mistake."

The revenue for the two days was 43,089 original coins. The buffet made up the lion’s share, bringing in nearly 37,000 original coins.

She had initially set the prices based on a 20% profit margin. Since there were no extreme eaters and customers generally didn’t waste food, the average consumption per person was close to Ning He’s estimates. The rough profit was around seven thousand.

The malatang brought in another thousand or so.

After deducting expenses like utilities and labor, Ning He’s net profit for the weekend was 5,000 original coins.

Plus, with the portion of the ingredient fund she had pocketed for herself, the total was nearly ten thousand!

’At this rate, it won’t be long before I can start my next project!’

Ning He was absolutely thrilled.

But she quickly calmed down.

’Making money is great, but I can’t exploit my staff.’

Everyone on staff had worked more than twelve hours today, and she had no desire to become a ruthless boss.

"The weekend was too tiring. We’ll be closed on Monday so everyone can rest up. From Tuesday to Friday, we’ll only be open for dinner service, and everyone can pick another day to take off in rotation. We’ll be open all day on weekends, with all hands on deck. Everyone’s wages for these past two days will be doubled!"

"Yay!"

Enthusiastic cheers erupted in the restaurant.

Everyone was exhausted, every muscle fiber screaming with soreness, but they were all overjoyed.

’Their business was only going to get better from here!’