Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Zhou Yao spoke like a seasoned market analyst, her words clear, logical, and well-organized.

"What are the characteristics of students' spending habits? Let me summarize for you—they don't have much money in their pockets, but they're all incredibly picky eaters and love to follow trends!"

"Pfft..." Xiaoya couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The college students present all showed expressions of "that's true".

Zhou Yao rolled her eyes at her and continued:

"Therefore, dining out for under thirty yuan per person is definitely the golden range!"

"If your prices are too high, they can't afford it; if the food is bad, they'll never come again, and they'll blacklist you on school forums and online communities!"

She scrolled through her phone screen, bringing up information on several shops that were marked "closed/closed".

"Look at these shops, they all opened last year, and they went out of business in less than six months."

"Light meals, salads, fine Japanese cuisine, high-end Western food... I'm not saying these things are bad, but they just don't suit our market here."

"They all have one thing in common—high prices, small portions, and terribly bad taste! It's pure exploitation; students aren't stupid!"

Her words resonated with Yang Jianguo and the other mothers, who nodded in agreement. Although they didn't quite understand some of the words, they grasped the general meaning: when doing business with students, one must act with conscience and ensure tangible benefits.

"So," Zhou Yao concluded, tapping the screen heavily with her finger:

"My recommendations are very clear—fast food, snacks, and those simple hot pot meals for one person!"

"These are the eternal hard currency of the university town!"

"Let me add something!" Yang Xiaoya immediately raised her hand to speak, as if afraid that if she was too slow, she would miss her chance.

She stood next to Zhou Yao, approaching the situation from a completely different angle.

"Zhou Yao is right, price and taste are fundamental."

"But now we live in a 'beauty economy,' and especially for us girls, the dining environment is incredibly important!"

"The shop doesn't have to be luxurious, but it must be clean and bright!"

"Ideally, it would have a fresh and clean decorating style, with some pretty paintings on the walls and a small vase on the table."

Xiaoya became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with creative ideas.

"Most importantly, we need to create an atmosphere that encourages people to take photos and check in!"

"You wouldn't believe it, but nowadays many students, especially girls, don't start eating first; they take out their phones to 'test for poison'—take photos, edit them, and post them on WeChat Moments and TikTok!"

"A good environment is the best free opportunity!"

"Think about it, if someone posts something on their WeChat Moments, and their roommates or classmates see it and think, 'Wow, this store is so pretty,' wouldn't they want to come too?"

Her theory left Wang Xiuying and Li Cuihua stunned, as if a new world had been opened to them.

"So," Xiaoya concluded:

"My suggested food categories are mala tang (spicy hot pot), mini hot pot, hot and sour noodles, or a combination shop that offers milk tea and snacks!"

"These things are not only delicious, but they also come in vibrant colors, making them especially photogenic!"

If Zhou Yao spoke from a market perspective, and Xiao Ya from a marketing and aesthetic perspective, then Lin Xiaoyu's next remarks made everyone feel a subtle and thoughtful consideration.

When it was her turn, she smiled a little shyly, her voice soft, but every word she uttered was clear and articulate.

"I think... Zhou Yao and Xiao Ya both spoke very well and gave me a lot of inspiration."

She first affirmed her friend's point of view before slowly revealing her own thoughts.

"I was just thinking that we also need to consider table turnover rate and the difficulty of preparing the food."

"My uncles and aunts, and my mother, are all getting old. If the dishes are too complicated, they will be busy from morning to night every day, and their bodies will definitely not be able to handle it."

"We opened this shop to live a better life, not to wear ourselves out."

These words, like a warm current, instantly flowed into the hearts of Yang Jianguo and his three mothers.

Their gazes softened as they looked at Lin Xiaoyu.

This girl is so thoughtful and kind.

Lin Xiaoyu was unaware of the approving gazes of her elders; she remained absorbed in her own thoughts, analyzing the situation intently.

"Therefore, I personally think it's best to choose the kind of food that can be prepared in bulk in advance and served quickly after customers order."

"This ensures faster food preparation and table turnover during peak hours, while also allowing the staff to rest during off-peak hours instead of being tied to the kitchen all the time."

She thought for a moment and gave an example from her own life.

"Like the street behind our school, there's a clay pot rice noodle shop that's been open for several years."

"I've observed that their business is exceptionally good, but the owner and his wife manage to keep up with all the work."

"Because the boss makes a big pot of broth every morning, and all kinds of side dishes are chopped and packaged in advance."

"When there are many students at noon and customers order, he just grabs a handful of rice noodles, adds side dishes, pours on broth, puts it in a clay pot, and it's ready in a few minutes."

"It's fast, good, and the taste is consistent."

Lin Xiaoyu's words made everyone fall into deep thought.

She didn't come up with any groundbreaking ideas, but instead pointed out a core issue from the most practical and fundamental perspectives of operations and human resources—sustainability.

Just then, Zhou Jin, who had been silent all along, suddenly slammed his laptop shut.

He didn't know when, but he had already pulled his computer out from the corner and connected to the internet.

"I basically agree with Lin Xiaoyu's point of view."

Zhou Jin pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light from the screen, giving him a calm and professional look typical of a technician.

"The replicability of the business model and the low barrier to entry are the keys to the success of small and micro catering businesses."

"Based on this, I'd like to add a few points with data."

He turned his laptop screen toward everyone, which displayed a colorful word cloud.

"I just spent ten minutes crawling all the user reviews from 500 restaurants around the university town over the past three months on Dianping and food delivery platforms, totaling more than 100,000."

"By performing word segmentation and weighting analysis on these comments, I produced this high-frequency word map."

He pointed to the largest words on the screen.

"Look, the most frequently occurring words in the positive reviews are—'generous portions,' 'cheap,' 'fast service,' and 'the auntie is nice.'"

"The most frequently occurring words in the negative reviews are: 'long wait,' 'poor service,' 'unhygienic,' and 'pictures for reference only.'"

Zhou Jin's data, like the sharpest knife, precisely dissected the essence of the university town's catering market.

Therefore, the conclusion is obvious.

"To attract students, you must offer the best value for money and the most efficient service."

"Considering all the above factors, I suggest that we consider creating a product category with a very high degree of standardization."

He paused for a moment and then said a name that was unfamiliar to most of the people present.

"For example... bean and rice hot pot."

Yang Fan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke at this moment.

His gaze moved from Zhou Yao, Xiao Ya, and Lin Xiaoyu, then to Zhou Jin, and finally settled on Zhou Jin's laptop screen.

"Bean and rice hot pot?"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying just the right amount of curiosity, successfully drawing everyone's attention to the focus of the discussion.

"That's interesting. Tell me more about it."

Looking at the group of energetic young people in front of him, each contributing their wisdom and enthusiasm to this common goal in their own way, Yang Fan smiled and posed the two most crucial questions as a guide and decision-maker.

"What do you all think would be the advantages if we made this bean and rice hot pot?"

"What are the potential difficulties?"