Chapter 740 - 742: Stealing Customers
Chapter 740: Chapter 742: Stealing Customers
Ming Yuan puffed her cheeks in anger as she carried the ledger inside. Before she even reached the door, Ming He grabbed her arm.
"What is wrong with you? Who are you pulling that long face for?" Ming He reached out and poked her forehead. "Don’t forget your status."
"Sister Ming He, I’m just so furious!" Ming Yuan stomped her foot. "You don’t know this, but another restaurant opened diagonally across from ours today. Aren’t they openly challenging us? These people are absolutely shameless. How could they do this?"
"You silly girl, Madam already anticipated this possibility. We didn’t buy up the entirety of East City, so how could we possibly stop others from opening their own businesses?" Ming He looked at her sternly. "You need to rein in your temper. When we step outside, we represent Madam’s reputation. If outsiders saw you yelling and shouting like this, what would they think?"
Ming Yuan lowered her head, looking wronged. "Sister Ming He, I know I was wrong.
"It’s just that the restaurant across the street opening today will definitely affect our business. I just couldn’t hold it in..."
"You..." Ming He felt angry too, but what could they do? Just as Madam had said, could they really run over there and beat people up?
For unavoidable situations like this, they could only focus on doing their own jobs well.
"When a new restaurant opens, they run promotions. It’s perfectly normal for them to siphon away some customers." Jin Qianqian was also discussing the matter with Lichun in the inner courtyard. "Go back and tell the staff not to panic. They just need to do their jobs well and ensure the ingredients are fresh every day. Leave the rest to time."
Jin Qianqian was very confident in the team she had brought with her. Since she held the indentures for all these chefs and waiters, she wasn’t the least bit afraid of them betraying her.
She naturally knew the background of the newly opened restaurant across the street. It belonged to an old, local aristocratic family whose younger generation was also involved in commerce. This time, they had simply rented Governor Liang’s storefront.
"Madam, I’ve already sent someone to try their food. It’s quite different from ours, mostly focusing on the local Yi Province cuisine," Lichun said, feeling a bit anxious.
The locals would naturally prefer local dishes, whereas Tianfu Restaurant offered a mix of cuisines from all over the country, which put them at a disadvantage.
Jin Qianqian said, "We will just stick to our own pace. Don’t let the sudden appearance of one restaurant throw you into a panic.
"When people go out to eat at a restaurant, aside from hosting banquets, it’s usually to treat themselves and break up the monotony of daily life. Over time, these local dishes actually lose their appeal.
"Besides, business always has its ups and downs. Can’t you handle this tiny little setback?"
Jin Qianqian knew that a new restaurant’s grand opening would inevitably cause some impact. The business had merely been slightly less booming than usual for the past two days, yet her subordinates were already getting antsy.
"We were just worried." This was Lichun’s first time managing such a large operation, and seeing the drop in revenue over the last couple of days had caused a moment of panic. Now, finding comfort in Jin Qianqian’s reassurance, the initial restlessness calmed down significantly. "Madam, so we’ll just ignore them for now?"
"Not exactly," Jin Qianqian replied. "Have the staff maintain strict quality control over our service and the taste of our food.
"However you treated guests before, just continue doing exactly that."
Over at Tianle Restaurant, Manager Huang was also discussing this matter with his boss.
"Boss, why has Tianfu Restaurant across the street been so quiet these past few days?" Manager Huang had been on edge lately, terrified that people from the other side might rush over to smash up their venue.
Wu Kun scoffed, "Isn’t it a good thing that they are quiet? What? Do you want our restaurant to get into an all-out brawl with them?"
"I wouldn’t dare harbor such thoughts," Manager Huang quickly expressed his loyalty. "It’s just that our business has been booming these past few days, and I’m worried they might get jealous."
If it were his own business being poached like this, he figured he wouldn’t be able to stand it for even a single day. It had been several days already, yet everything remained perfectly calm, leaving him completely baffled.
"Just put your mind at ease," Wu Kun said. "These government officials are exceptionally protective of their reputations.
"Besides, the law doesn’t dictate that only they are allowed to open restaurants, forbidding us from opening one too.
"HMPH, these officials are certainly cunning. They thought that by monopolizing the land in East City, we would be helpless against them. But it’s nothing more than paying a bit of rent; our families can still accomplish whatever we set out to do."
Wu Kun’s eyes narrowed at the thought of such a massive piece of land in East City, yet none of the aristocratic families had managed to get a slice of the pie. For now, he could only rent a storefront here, but he believed it wouldn’t be long before this land belonged to them too.
Running a restaurant wasn’t something only the Gu family could do. Even if the man held a high official rank, now that he was in this region, could he really outmaneuver the aristocratic families that had been deeply entrenched here for centuries?
"Keep a close eye on them. If they make even the slightest move, we report it to the authorities immediately and blow the whole thing out of proportion." Wu Kun stared at the restaurant and inn across the street, the corners of his eyes reddening with greed.
Such a huge plot of land—if it fell into his hands, he could certainly put it to much better use.
Manager Huang nodded repeatedly in agreement. "It’s just that since they haven’t made any moves, it’s hard for us to proceed."
The boss had devised several schemes beforehand, but after all these days, no matter how many ideas he had, they all amounted to nothing if the other side simply refused to take the bait.
"Then turn up the heat. Keep running the grand opening promotions. Tell the waiters to be sharp—whenever they’re free, they should stand by the entrance to welcome guests and do their best to drag customers into our shop."
Manager Huang understood his boss’s intention; he was planning to poach customers in broad daylight. "Would that be inappropriate?"
"Didn’t you just say they weren’t taking the bait? Then make it even more obvious." Wu Kun didn’t care in the slightest. If they stole customers, so be it—he was just waiting for a good show.
Manager Huang hesitated, "If a conflict breaks out..."
"Relax, they wouldn’t dare..."
「A short while later.」
Jin Qianqian had only just finished reassuring Lichun when Minghai arrived at the residence.
"They’re blatantly pulling people in at the entrance now, dragging guests who were about to enter our restaurant over to theirs."
Jin Qianqian tapped her fingers against the table. "Since that’s the case, I want you to..."
Upon hearing her instructions, Minghai immediately understood his master’s intentions. He nodded and hurriedly left with his men.
Ming Shi spoke up, "Madam, these people are going too far. They’re pushing their luck. Why don’t we show them what we’re made of and run over there to steal their customers right back?"
Jin Qianqian chuckled. "How terribly impolite it would be to treat our guests like that. Besides, all that pulling and tugging is simply too unsightly.
"For now, let’s just see how Minghai handles things on his end. We’ve been here for quite some time, so it’s about time we provided some benefits for the people of Yongchang County."
Ming Shi still couldn’t figure out what her madam had up her sleeve, but her greatest virtue was obedience. Since Madam could sit so calmly in the residence, the situation was clearly nowhere near as serious as they thought. With that in mind, she returned to her tasks.