Chapter 741 - 743: Price War
Chapter 741: Chapter 743: Price War
The Tianfu Restaurant’s Grand Customer Appreciation Sale.
A massive sheet of red paper, as large as a wall, was displayed on the storefront. A crowd gathered around it, everyone curious about what was written on it.
A waiter stood beside it, patiently explaining the contents to the onlookers, as many of the common folk could not read.
"Is it really true that whatever amount we deposit, we get the same amount free?
"If I top up one hundred taels of silver, does that mean I can eat two hundred taels’ worth of meals in the future?"
"Yes, indeed! Our restaurant has a dedicated ledger to keep track of it all. If you’re interested, you can step inside to set it up.
"If that feels like too much of a commitment, you can also spend a few taels to buy a discount card. For every tael of silver you spend on a meal, you’ll save hundreds of copper coins," the waiter explained. He kept a polite smile on his face, his words clear and organized.
"What if we don’t spend that much silver? Do we not get a discount then?"
"How could that be? Look here, sir. If you order four dishes, you can pick an additional dish for free as a gift.
"And look over here—the free dishes are all premium options. It’s an incredible value."
"No matter how you look at it, it’s a great deal." Some people in the crowd were tempted. Who wouldn’t want to get a bargain while dining out?
One man immediately turned to his friends. "Let’s order four dishes today and see how the food tastes. If it’s actually good, we can go ahead and top up our account."
The waiter happily ushered the group into the restaurant before returning to his post to explain the promotions to the next customer.
But before he could speak to a few more people, the Tianle Restaurant—situated diagonally across the street—also put up its own red poster.
They even began beating a brass gong at their entrance, the CLANG CLANG CLANG instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
"Grand promotions at Tianle Restaurant! Come take a look!" The rival waiter cast a provocative glance at Tianfu Restaurant while shouting about their new deals. "Top up fifty taels and get eighty taels free! Top up ten taels and get six taels free! Buy one dish, get one free!"
The crowd that had been gathered outside Tianfu Restaurant immediately surged across the street.
The waiter from Tianle Restaurant threw a smug look over, leaving the Tianfu Restaurant waiter seething with anger.
Even the customers who had already gone inside and set up their accounts could no longer sit still. They turned to Minghai and complained, "Shopkeeper, look at the place across the street! Their deals are way better than yours. Either you match their offers, or you refund our silver so we can go over there."
"How can you..." A nearby waiter was about to argue, but Minghai stopped him.
"Everyone, I am truly sorry," Minghai said. "Since we haven’t received any new promotional instructions from our boss, if you feel like you’re losing out, how about we just refund your silver?"
Although the customers felt a bit guilty for being so fickle, no one was going to argue with their own wallets. They took their refunds right then and there and hurried across the street.
"Shopkeeper, are we really just going to let them do this?"
Minghai chuckled and shook his head. He turned to the waiter beside him. "Go tear down the red poster at the door. We’ll put up a new one."
"Are we lowering our prices too? How will the restaurant make any silver at this rate?"
"For now, just match their deals exactly," Minghai replied.
"Shouldn’t we check with the boss first? Shopkeeper, if you make this call on your own, what happens if the boss blames you later?" The waiter was getting anxious. He had been personally hired by Shopkeeper Minghai and naturally didn’t want to see his superior replaced.
"Just sit back and watch the show," Minghai said, a double meaning hidden in his words.
As soon as the waiter put up the new red poster, the restaurant across the street changed their offers again.
This time, they went all out: top up ten and get twenty free, buy one dish and get two free.
Watching the flood of customers swarming into the rival establishment, Minghai stroked his chin, smiling with exceptional satisfaction.
The young waiter beside him was completely baffled. Their restaurant had absolutely no business, and even their old regulars had run across the street right in front of the shopkeeper’s face. How could he still be so happy?
Minghai didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he ordered the kitchen to prepare several banquets to be delivered to the estate, and to cook a lavish meal to reward the staff for their hard work over the past few days.
Throughout the entire day, barely any customers showed up, but the staff themselves feasted on excellent food. Everyone in the restaurant felt uneasy, suspecting that Shopkeeper Minghai had lost his mind from the shock of losing their business.
Meanwhile, across the street, Manager Huang’s heart was bleeding as he looked at the packed tables.
He hurriedly sought out his boss. "Boss, we can’t keep this up. Too many people are depositing money. It means the more they top up, the more we lose."
Wu Kun stared at the rival’s red poster, which still hadn’t been taken down. "I can afford to lose this much," he said through gritted teeth.
"Hurry to the kitchen and check on the supplies. If we’re running low on ingredients, send someone to buy more immediately. This is only the first day of our price war. Don’t let the other side make a joke out of us."
Initially, he had impulsively wanted to steal all of his rival’s customers. Now that he had come to his senses, it was too late for regrets.
If he was the first to tear down the red poster he had just put up, wouldn’t that be a direct admission of defeat?
Seeing that his boss was stubbornly holding his ground, Manager Huang could only grit his teeth and head back down.
Now, every time a new customer walked in, he felt a pang of agony. Not only were these people here to eat, but they were also depositing silver. If this continued, the restaurant would essentially be working for free, or worse, subsidizing the customers’ meals out of their own pockets.
Back at Tianfu Restaurant, Minghai raised his cup. Before him, in the empty dining hall, sat the only two occupied tables—filled by the restaurant’s chefs and waiters.
"Since our grand opening, it’s rare for us to have such a leisurely day. Let’s take this opportunity to have a nice get-together.
"Usually, we’re the ones serving others. Today, we’re our own guests. Let’s enjoy a good meal together. The future of this restaurant still relies on everyone’s collective support."
Everyone present hesitated. No one raised their cups.
They were all worried. If the restaurant had no business, would they even have a future?
Some of them had followed their master all the way from Shangjing. They knew their master had deep pockets, but surely she wouldn’t just pay them to do nothing.
"Shopkeeper Minghai, this isn’t a sustainable solution," one of them spoke up. "We can’t just sit around doing nothing and freeloading every day. Why don’t we go out onto the street to pull in customers too? We could lower our prices even more. Even if we end up working for free, at least we’d have some peace of mind..."
Minghai raised a hand to cut him off. "Relax, this situation won’t last long. Eat and drink as you please. Rest up and gather your energy, because we’re going to be incredibly busy very soon."
「At the estate.」
Jin Qianqian looked at the banquet that had been delivered and invited the nannies to sit down with her.
"You have all traveled thousands of miles to get here," Jin Qianqian said. "Today, using this feast delivered from the restaurant, consider this a welcome banquet in your honor.
"I’ve been quite busy these past few days and couldn’t find the time sooner. Please forgive me, nannies."
"Madam, you are too kind," Wei Jinhua replied. "It is a blessing for us sisters to have the fortune of serving by your side and being valued so highly."
Jin Qianqian warmly encouraged them to eat and drink. Knowing that they wouldn’t feel completely at ease with her sitting there, she made an excuse to leave, bringing some servants with her to the backyard to dine with Gu Ben Can instead.