New Gods of North America.

Chapter 647 Echoes
That evening, everyone in the workshop enjoyed a big meal, something they hadn't had in a long time.
The ingredients for this feast were different from those in the past. The raw materials were beef cattle transported from Kansas—not the dairy cows that Wayne recently wrote to the mayor to bring over, but the first batch of fresh meat brought over by steam train after Connell's last trip to deliver the letter in person to "test the waters and go through the process".

The detective agency didn't take all twenty cattle back to the workshop at once. Instead, they had Doug contact the slaughterhouse they had already arranged, instructing them to slaughter one head of cattle each day starting the day after tomorrow for meat.
Slaughterhouse owners will charge storage and processing fees during this period, and will also bear part of the unexpected losses from the death of cattle.

The ultimate form of the workshop would, of course, be a streamlined production line from raw materials to various semi-finished products, but unfortunately, that's not possible at the moment.

Adding a cattle pen isn't difficult, but even if all the cattle are brought over, it will be hard to get feed during this period, and slaughtering them every day will be troublesome. Considering that the supply of beef cattle may not be able to keep up, and we may have to continue to buy high-priced meat locally at times, we are not in a hurry to expand our business.

The news came a little late, so tonight's meal couldn't wait for the slaughterhouse. The cow was brought directly back to the workshop, where the head chef and the remaining agents personally handled the butchering.

The way to eat it is according to Wayne's "Western recipe". The large steak, thicker than the palm of your hand, is simply marinated and then pan-fried on a hot plate. It is then drizzled with sauce and cut into pieces to eat. Even the tripe and some offal are cleaned with a look of disgust, blanched, and then mixed with seasonings and holy water.

As for the leftovers, some were pickled until the next morning to be used as raw materials for processing, while others were given to the slaves who helped out on weekdays.

Let alone the "softening" of the locals and the little black girl, even the chef expressed his incomprehension of such a rough cooking style.

However, some ways of eating are inherently impactful. Seeing a thick, large steak being seared on a hot plate until it's charred and sizzling with oil, regardless of whether it tastes good or not, most normal people would want to give it a try if given the chance.

"Fuck-"

The freshly seared steak was served on a hot plate and brought to the table. Wayne used a napkin to shield his face slightly, and the chef poured black pepper sauce over it as instructed. The steam rose, creating an appetizing aroma.

The agents sitting a short distance away at the dining table all wore expressions of "never seen anything like it before," observing and learning from Wayne's actions.
Lina, standing nearby, grew increasingly suspicious: "Do you really eat like this in the West? Why did I never see it when I was a bounty hunter in Kansas? And even they seemed unfamiliar with it."

“Just consider it the traditional way of Blackrock Town,” Wayne rearranged the napkins and began to demonstrate with a knife and fork to everyone. “Meat is not easy to preserve in the West, and there aren’t that many permanent residents in the town, so there’s always enough meat when there’s a slaughter.”

"Hmm—so this is how the Western landowners eat it. The meat is cut into such thick pieces, the outside is charred, and the inside is still oozing blood. Is this really delicious?"

As Lina finished speaking, Doug and Parker had already served steaks to her and Inessa, one on each side. The little black girl followed suit and helped serve the other agents.

Both partners used napkins to shield their eyes from the sizzling sound and the steam rising. Inessa quickly and easily cut a small piece with a steady knife. "The taste is actually not bad."

"The spices weren't marinated in at all, and the seasoning relies entirely on the sauce."

Compared to Inessa, who can adapt to Windsor cuisine, Lina is clearly more accustomed to the chef's exquisite veal steak. "Hmm... it's alright, mainly because it looks quite unique."

These days, people aren't really averse to raw beef. Just like how it's said that eating raw oysters is popular in the Franks, the upper class occasionally uses raw food to imply that the ingredients they prepare are of "high quality."
Miss Harley didn't stay for dinner. The members of the detective agency could make do in the wild, so they certainly wouldn't object to this seemingly sophisticated way of eating. Accompanied by the occasional ear-piercing sound of "knives scraping plates," they ate with quite an eye-opener—although they didn't particularly like the cold beef offal with holy water. Only the little black girl was enjoying her steak.

After a satisfying meal, some agents, like the muscular Sanders, even requested an extra refill. Wayne felt that everyone was quite receptive to this approach, so he decided to add it to the detective agency's menu for entertaining guests in the future.

Compared to authentic Frankish cuisine, thick-cut steak is actually less complex in terms of flavor and, even less elegant.

However, the combination of fats and high-quality proteins is naturally popular and doesn't seem to be inferior in terms of extravagance. It doesn't feel like it would make the wealthy feel like the detective agency is short of money, but it is impressive enough to allow the upper class, who are used to a life of luxury, to experience "exoticism".

It's mainly more economical.
The high-end restaurant is expensive, you have to scan your face or make a reservation, and there isn't even a private room, so it's not convenient to talk. It's better to invite someone to eat in the workshop's small canteen.

After dinner, the partners reviewed the intelligence they had compiled in the archives, corrected their understanding of the mastermind behind the Ellan gang, and decided to let everyone continue to rest for the night.

Apart from the agents on night duty, everyone else was free to move around. Connor was learning and helping to prepare injections in the kitchen with Inessa. Teacher Lina checked on the little black girl's recent learning progress. Some plantation slaves who usually came to the workshop to help were also called in and took away some scraps such as fresh meat, bones, and internal organs.

Instead of continuing to work through his "flash of inspirations," Wayne started looking at the restaurant and workshop's recent financial records.

Thanks to the weekly wage system, salaried employees are required to receive their paychecks every week to support their families, and employers are naturally required to receive payments promptly. These days, the cash flow of small businesses is relatively fast.
The workshop currently doesn't charge much premium for its patties, sauces, and reconstituted cheese. The luncheon meat, produced to utilize scraps, is still in its promotional phase, sold at half price and given away for free. Prices haven't increased when wholesale to large customers, resulting in a near break-even with a slight profit. Restaurant profits, however, have been accumulating quietly. The popular beef burgers currently have a gross profit margin of around 30%, while the luncheon meat burgers and sandwiches have a gross profit margin of up to 60%, with room for further growth.

In contrast, since the oil waste is factored into the price of the burgers, the lower-selling items like fries and drinks are almost pure profit. Customers who order extra recycled cheese and luncheon meat with their burgers also contribute a significant amount of profit.

Because there's no rent to pay and the restaurant is in the boom period of its new product, after deducting costs, it's selling an average of nearly 100 half-pound burgers plus other items every day. Recently, its weekly net profit has barely exceeded $100—provided that the cost of shop renovations isn't factored in. Willie said that many people are attracted by the all-glass storefront.
Promotional activities also played a role. People in the city who choose to eat at restaurants have a higher income level than those in the dock area. After winning a burger or coupon, they often don't mind spending a few more cents to buy some fries and drinks to try. In the end, this actually slightly increased the profit margin.

Well……

If it weren't for Mr. Russell providing the shop space for free, Wayne would be looking to raise the price of the semi-finished products that the workshop sells to restaurants...

After all, even if there were a market for restaurants to grind meat, make sauces, and produce luncheon meat themselves, it would be impossible to serve that many meals a day in this day and age.
Even the thick-cut fries are now rolled in the river next to the workshop by a waterwheel to remove the mud and some of the skin, then pressed with a grid-like iron fence and soaked in salt water before being transported. In other restaurants, such a large amount of work would probably require hiring someone specifically for this step.

Police stations and prosecutors' offices have made bulk purchases multiple times, and ordinary restaurants are overwhelmed with orders even before and after mealtimes.

Some wealthy people's butlers or coachmen also became customers. They didn't lack money, but they lacked time to eat. They would stop by on their way, pack up their food, and leave without worrying about spilling any soup or liquid from the journey.

I hope sales can continue like this; I'm just worried that people will get tired of it soon.
Even if the surge in sales ends and sales slightly decline, if meat can be supplied directly from Kansas, and if we continue to improve the process and add new products, the profit margin should be able to break even.

Wayne was pondering what other profit opportunities he could explore when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
He seemed to faintly hear sounds of limbs struggling and someone crying out in pain, not far from his cabin.

The arena in the workshop isn't on this side, and agents wouldn't spar nearby if they wanted to.

Considering that the owl hadn't "cooed" and someone was on duty tonight, Wayne assumed it was one of the new members of the detective agency who hadn't yet undergone induction training, lacking any sense of martial ethics, and launching a sneak attack outside the arena in the middle of the night—that guy Connor had done that kind of showy thing, "You can come and get me anytime, and if you can beat me, you win."

As soon as Wayne stepped out of the cabin, he heard Lina, who had stepped out of the door a step earlier, blow a warning whistle.

Upon hearing the news, agents from near and far began to rush over, and Inessa's figure soon appeared in the distance.

Standing calmly within the encirclement were several men in black, wearing trench coats and top hats.

The man in the lead looked rather bulky even under his slimming black trench coat. After removing his top hat, he appeared to be an unassuming, kind-looking, overweight man with a receding hairline that almost reached the back of his head, forming a "C" shape with the hair at his temples.
“I am Peter Clements, a friend and former colleague of Tom Hagen. I did not intend to disturb anyone during my visit, but I did not expect that the security here is quite good, even more so than I had imagined.”

I've never heard Tom Hagen mention that...

And if you were to spell it using a formal name, you'd be just like Lina's giant spider, a "Peter"?
Although having the same name is common in the United States, it is unexpected that "Spider-Man" can be split into two not only by Peter Parker and Chef Parker, but also by another name, now "Spider-Pig-Man".

Wayne mentally scoffed, glancing at the "Sharpening" and "Swamp" figures restrained behind the other man: "If there's no malice, release my men first."

The guy waved to the people behind him, and with that gesture, he looked even more like a carefree, overweight man.
However, the spiritual pressure that instantly emanated from him and was immediately suppressed was far less approachable than his expression: "You don't seem to have heard of my name? Don't worry, if I had any ill intentions, they wouldn't still be in this state."

Good guy,
Although intuition is a difficult thing to describe, certain feelings are not unfamiliar to the quick-draw shooters of the West.

Putting aside their actual strength, some people just have an air of confidence that suggests they have a wealth of successful experience and know "how to quickly get rid of the enemy."

People are judged by their clothes.

This guy is probably "dark-minded" at heart.

(End of this chapter)