The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 451 Qin Lang's Speculation

Undoubtedly, Song Yu's sincerity far exceeded Qin Lang and the others' expectations, leaving Qin Lang, who had left an abalone as evidence, momentarily stunned.

Just then, a muffled "bang" was heard.

Cao Dongdong slammed his hand on the table, revealing an angry expression.

"compensation?"

"We traveled all this way to eat here, only to find that you used inferior ingredients, and now you're talking about compensation."

"You think I'm short of money..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Lang suddenly grabbed Cao Dongdong, "We're short of them, we're short of them."

He subtly pressed Cao Dongdong back into his seat, then looked at Song Yu in front of him. "Manager Song's attitude is very good, but since we've come all this way, we still hope to eat the real ingredients listed on the menu."

“This…” Song Yu immediately looked troubled. “Distinguished guests, I will not hide it from you. Recently, due to the extreme shortage of top-quality ingredients, we really cannot provide them. It’s not that we are hiding anything.”

"How about this? In addition to the compensation I just mentioned, I'll give you all another bottle worth..."

"No need." Before the other person could finish speaking, Qin Lang waved his hand. "Since there isn't one, then this will do."

"Please serve the rest of the dishes quickly."

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded without hesitation, "Don't worry, distinguished guests, I will definitely have the kitchen work faster."

After saying that, he led the waiter and left the private room.

Once only Qin Lang and three others remained in the private room, Qin Lang looked at Cao Dongdong, who was standing with his arms crossed and looked extremely angry, with a wry smile on his face.

Have you forgotten our purpose?

"The situation hasn't been investigated yet, what are you doing?"

"Didn't you tell us to act like normal diners who come to eat?" Cao Dongdong suppressed his anger and chuckled. "I'm playing a hot-tempered rich young master now, so I have to portray that kind of unrestrained and reckless feeling."

"Pfft~" Zhao Qian couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. "You're quite good at adding drama to your role, aren't you? You're a pretty good rich young master!"

“Of course!” Cao Dongdong proudly raised his head, then looked at Qin Lang. “Besides, I feel that things are already very clear.”

"The problems at this hotel are definitely related to that guy surnamed Song."

"The act of passing off inferior goods as superior ones might have been orchestrated by the other side. The issue of ingredients is just a pretext to target Tianzhou Group."

As he spoke, Cao Dongdong snorted, "If you ask me, we can just show our status now and fire this guy."

"At that time, the Sea King will naturally return to normal."

“My thoughts are a little different from yours.” Qin Lang shook his head slightly upon hearing this. “Just now, I asked to taste the dishes made with high-quality ingredients, but the other party was willing to offer more compensation rather than fulfill that request.”

“The other party did not know our identities. The best thing to do to appease the customer was to meet their needs as much as possible, but he did not.”

"This shows that the problem of Haibaowang Restaurant lacking top-quality ingredients is real, and the other party is indeed unable to meet this requirement."

"Most restaurants reserve some of the ingredients they order. Top-tier restaurants like this have complete aquaculture systems, so seafood can be stored in the restaurant for a long time."

"The fact that the other party can't produce anything at all indicates that Haibaowang's food supply has been problematic for quite some time now, not just a day or two."

At this point, Qin Lang paused for a moment, "This Deputy Manager Song Yu is quite capable and resourceful. "At least under these circumstances, he managed to turn Hai Ba Wang's business around and maintain its popularity."

"What kind of argument is this?" Zhao Qian frowned upon hearing this. "Are you saying that Deputy Manager Song's actions were correct?"

"Let's not discuss whether it's right or wrong for now." Qin Lang smiled. "Sister Tang Yu said before that it wasn't a coincidence that the other party brought us to the private room."

"Now everything has proven to be true, so why do you think they brought us to the private room?"

Upon hearing this question, everyone paused for a moment, then Cao Dongdong was the first to react, "I understand!"

"If we find problems with the ingredients while eating in the lobby, it will affect other customers and thus the restaurant's business!"

“Yes.” Qin Lang nodded. “So the other party was fully aware of the problem with the ingredients, and anticipated that we might detect the problem as soon as we came in.”

"As for the reason..." He glanced at Danbao and Lala, and chuckled, "It must be because the food spirits determined that I am a spirit chef."

"Even though they had considered this risk, they did not refuse our meal, and their service was excellent throughout the entire process."

"More importantly, after we discovered the problem with the ingredients, the other party did not object at all and offered a compensation plan on their own initiative."

Qin Lang paused slightly, "Waiting for the meal and offering double compensation would probably make an ordinary diner overjoyed."

After hearing Qin Lang's words, the three nodded in unison.

Getting a free meal and earning money at the same time seems like a great deal.

"That's not right either!" Zhao Qian was the first to spot the problem. "If everyone did that, wouldn't Haibawang go bankrupt?"

"How could everyone have noticed?" Qin Lang chuckled. "The chef at Hai Ba Wang is indeed very skilled. Only a very small number of diners can spot the problem with the ingredients. Although Hai Ba Wang restaurant has to pay a considerable price for these few customers."

"But using inferior ingredients can bring greater profits, and the extra profits are enough to compensate for the cost, or even generate a surplus."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized what was happening.

Indeed, all four of them were Spirit Chefs, yet only Qin Lang noticed a problem with the ingredients. Spirit Chefs are ultimately a minority in this world, and the vast majority of ordinary people are even less likely to notice any issues with the ingredients.

In this way, Haibawang can still make a profit.

Just as everyone was pondering, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and the other dishes were brought out one after another by the waiters, filling the table to the brim.

Qin Lang tasted them one by one, and then nodded slightly.

"Sure enough, the expensive signature dishes were made with inferior ingredients, while the cheaper dishes were all made with high-quality ingredients."

"No wonder the other person was so relaxed when Sister Tang Yu was ordering food." Zhao Qian said with a look of sudden realization.

"I prefer simple and unpretentious dishes," Tang Yu nodded slightly, "so I didn't choose anything expensive."

Cao Dongdong stroked his chin, still pondering Qin Lang's words, "So, it's actually right for Deputy Manager Song to pass off inferior goods as superior ones?"

"It can't be said to be correct." Qin Lang shook his head. "From a business perspective, the other party has methods. At least he can satisfy both the diners who have problems and those who don't."

"Furthermore, judging from the results, it did indeed temporarily solve the problem of Haibaowang's continuous losses and turned a profit."

“But…” Qin Lang sighed, “this is like drinking poison to quench thirst.”

(End of this chapter)