Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

Time flew by and it was evening.

The hot and sour noodles paired with ice-cold cola made these diners thoroughly enjoy their meal.

They would slurp up a mouthful of noodles, then drink several sips of beverage to relieve the spiciness. A single 200ml bottle of cola was never enough; they would drink one bottle after another.

Because they had been working overtime at the factory these past few days, Li Lichun and Lao Wang arrived at the restaurant later than usual. They looked at each other in surprise at the bustling business inside.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Wang, are you coming for dinner?"

Li Lichun nodded and asked, "Are there any seats left?"

Shi Ying nodded and said, "There are still seats available, but they are all in some corners where the air conditioning might not reach. Otherwise, you'll have to share a table with other guests."

Li Lichun wasn't picky and smiled, saying, "With restaurants doing so well these days, I'm just grateful to have a seat."

Shi Ying gently dabbed the fine sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand: "Okay."

"Give us two bowls of hot and sour noodles, and an extra topping."

"I didn't expect that Xiao Zhou would know about Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine."

"Wasn't that cold noodle dish the same? Xiao Zhou said that's a northern way of eating it. Who knows, one day they might bring you a foreign version."

The two of them smiled as they spoke.

After taking his seat, Old Wang nodded at the bustling business in the store and remarked to Li Lichun in front of him, "Xiao Zhou's store is getting better and better."

Li Lichun nodded: "But it still can't compare to the business of the past. I remember when it was crowded, there was a long row of tables outside, and even then, people still had to queue."

"If we can maintain this level of performance, I feel it's only a matter of time before we surpass what we've achieved before. For a restaurant to have only five dishes, all of which are staple foods, to be able to do this is truly remarkable."

……

……

Two or three days passed like this, and the demand for alcoholic beverages in the store increased dramatically.

Zhou Wen also did not expect that the drinks would be consumed so quickly.

"We're opening soon, how about we try some food?" Zhou Wen asked Li Chengjun.

Lee Seung-jun rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, "Alright, then I'll stay and get a feel for the flavor."

I went to Zhouji Restaurant twice in the past few days. One time, I was delayed on the way there and arrived at the restaurant just as it opened.

That time, Lee Seung-jun witnessed that the store's business was much worse than before.

It was still pretty good, but what caught my attention even more was the taste of the food. The clean storefront also made me want to eat more.

If I hadn't had other work to do at the time, I would have had to try the food at the shop.

"Then I'll serve you a bowl of hot and sour noodles, which is now practically the shop's signature dish."

Lee Seung-jun nodded, his heart filled with anticipation.

"How much is this bowl of noodles?" Lee Seung-jun asked as the hot and sour noodles were served.

"The boss said it's free." Shi Ying placed the hot and sour noodles with toppings and a fried egg in front of Li Chengjun.

Lee Seung-jun didn't stand on ceremony: "Okay, then please thank the boss for me."

"You can let the water sit for a while," Shi Ying suggested.

Lee Seung-jun rubbed his hands together, moved his head closer to the hot and sour noodles, and then fanned his nose with his hand.

Saliva begins to be secreted in the mouth.

Soon after the first bite of the powder, Lee Seung-jun understood why the store's drinks needed to be restocked every two days.

One bite, and it's sour and spicy.

No wonder the drinks in the store were going to be sold out so quickly...

After finishing his hot and sour noodles, Lee Seung-jun wiped his mouth, wondering if he should order another bowl.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. One bowl is enough. If I had another bowl, I'd probably have to make several trips to the toilet during the night. I'll come back another time when I have more time.

……

The hot and sour noodles have been around for a while now, and the store's turnover is steadily increasing every day, although the daily increase may not be large. After all, these customers can't eat at restaurants every meal, and hot and sour noodles can't be eaten by these customers for a lifetime.

The restaurant's regular customers always stop by when they pass by Zhouji Restaurant to ask when there will be any new dishes.

night.

"Boss, have there been fewer customers these past few days?" Shi Ying asked, wiping the table. The number of customers had decreased since yesterday.

The sudden shift from being constantly busy to only occasionally busy is quite significant, and I haven't even had time to adjust yet.

Zhou Wen naturally took note of what Shi Ying had mentioned.

"Perhaps people need a change of pace," Zhou Wen believes, adding that this is partly due to the limited menu available at the restaurant.

The situation was similar with tomato and egg noodles before.

Within two or three days, the turnover will be one or two hundred more than before, and then it will gradually decrease in the following days, which is normal.

Zhou Wen didn't take it to heart for the time being.

However, in the following two days, the store experienced a significant loss of customers, and these were all new diners.

It felt like I was back to the days of tomato and egg noodles.

Something's wrong, something's very wrong!

Zhou Wen began to realize the seriousness of the situation.

However, they didn't know what the problem was and for a moment thought it was something wrong with them.

Zhou Wen cooked all the dishes in the restaurant in one go.

"Shi Ying, try it and see if there's any change in the taste," Zhou Wen said, pointing to a row of food on the table.

Shi Ying took a clean little bowl and tasted each one in turn.

Finally, he shook his head and said, "Boss, the taste hasn't changed much from before. It tastes the same to me as before."

Zhou Wen also tasted it, and the taste was indeed no different from before.

There was no possibility of hygiene problems. Although the restaurant was getting better and better, Zhou Wen did not slack off at all and still diligently did everything properly every day.

Zhou Wen pursed his lips, unable to figure out what went wrong. Even if it was because there weren't enough dishes and everyone was tired of the same old food, the customer traffic couldn't possibly drop that much all at once.

Now some even suspect that even if the restaurant introduces new dishes, it might not make a difference; there must be something wrong with the menu.

Could it be that I've been busy these past few days and have been working too fast, causing some problems with the cooking process?

The problem is that no diners have contacted Shi Ying or herself to complain about the taste.

For a while, Zhou Wen was also a bit troubled.

……

The following afternoon.

"Boss, your business seems to be a bit slow these past few days."

Lee Seung-jun sat inside the store, still carrying a black crossbody bag on his shoulder.

Zhou Wen smiled helplessly and said in a joking tone, "It's the diners' choice. I can't possibly force them to come to our restaurant every day, can I?"

Lee Seung-jun rubbed his nose, smiled, and his eyes darted around as if he were considering something.

Then, seemingly casually, he remarked, "It's tough to do business in any industry these days! The competition is too fierce."