Gu Yaoniang is now resolute about Jin Yu Lou's new operating model and pricing, but she had initially hesitated. Before making this decision, she went to discuss it with Gu Xingzhi.
She remembered that her second uncle asked her at the time, "Since you are also worried about earning less money, then why do you want to make such reforms?"
What did she say?
She said that there were many nobles in Shuojing City, but even more commoners.
If Jin Yu Lou had maintained its previous pricing, it would have been frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles. Although the cost of food and drink was high, it was difficult to turn over tables. Usually, people would eat there from opening to closing time.
Jin Yu Lou currently has twenty tables in the main hall and ten tables in the private rooms. At this rate, even with lunch and dinner services, every session will be fully booked, and in total, there may only be sixty tables of guests.
Even at a rate of fifteen taels of silver per table, the daily income was barely nine hundred taels. Not to mention the situations where the tables weren't full, or where people only ate food and drinks without ordering any singing or dancing.
Based on past experience, Jin Yulou's daily income should be around six or seven hundred taels.
However, if there are discounts and freebies to attract ordinary people to come and eat, most people will focus on eating, and the table turnover will be faster. With more people, the building can be filled with people, not to mention that tables can be shared.
However, if a separate fee of two taels of silver were charged for using a private room, the high-ranking officials and nobles of Jinyulou would surely come again. Once they entered the private room, the cost per table would not be reduced by much.
Ordinary people, naturally unwilling to spend two taels of silver on a private room, mostly ate in the main hall and left immediately afterward. In this way, based on three rickshaws per day and five taels of silver per table, the main hall alone should have brought in six hundred taels daily. And that's not even counting the private rooms!
All things considered, even if the profits are slightly lower, the reformed Jinyulou should not be worse than before! The worst outcome is that it will remain the same as before.
After hearing this, Gu Xingzhi clapped his hands and laughed, then asked her, "If that's the case, why bother asking me?"
Gu Yaoniang clutched her handkerchief, somewhat nervously: "I'm scared! Jinyulou is your life's work. What if I don't do it well? Besides, even if the income is the same, after deducting wages and costs, it's still different. Second Uncle, if I lose money, will you be disappointed in me?"
Gu Xingzhi disagreed: "In business, there are bound to be gains and losses! Your second uncle has a lot of money to lose, how much could he possibly lose?"
Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but correct her, "You won't lose money! I've calculated it; it's just a matter of how much you earn. You won't lose money! Second Uncle, there's always money to be made..."
Gu Xingzhi laughed and patted her head: "Go ahead and do it! Yaoniang, now that Jinyulou is in your hands, you're in charge. Your second uncle believes in you."
Actually, there was one more thing Gu Yaoniang hadn't said yet.
She truly hoped that everyone would have the opportunity to visit her tavern and try her food, as there was always plenty of money to be made.
A waiter came upstairs with a box of mooncakes, knocked lightly on the door of the private room, and came in after receiving permission, saying that they were freshly made in the kitchen.
Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Today, as we are reopening for business, Yao Niang has prepared mooncakes, and will give one to every customer who enters the store.
The recipe for the mooncake was sent by Wang Zhilan; it was one of the many food recipes collected by her mother.
After successfully making the first batch, Gu Yaoniang sent someone to the Wang family to deliver the mooncakes. This was both to express her gratitude and to seek Madam Wang's opinion on using the recipe in the restaurant.
Madam Wang was straightforward by nature and naturally did not refuse, but she absolutely refused to accept the dividends offered by Gu Yaoniang, saying that it was a token of gratitude from Yaoniang for saving Wang Zhilan in the river.
Yao Niang felt very bad about it, and from then on, whenever she developed a new dish, she would send some to the Wang family.
Over time, she became acquainted with Madam Wang and praised Yao Niang for her understanding and tact. Thus, the two families began to have dealings.
This mooncake is different from the usual ones. The usual mooncakes are filled with nuts and candied fruits, and made with lard and honey, with a sweet taste.
This time, the mooncake is a rare savory meat mooncake. It is filled with cured pork from the southwest region, and the meat is made from boneless and skinless leg meat with a ratio of 3:7 fat to 7:1 lean. The meat is soaked in water for half a day to remove excess salt.
Cut the meat into thick slices and steam until cooked. Then drain the water, cut it into small pieces the size of rice grains, and marinate it with honey overnight.
The next day, add evenly granulated white sugar, roasted black and white sesame seeds, and a suitable amount of roasted flour that has been fried until fragrant. Then, add high-quality wild boar fat and knead into a dough. This is the filling for the mooncake.
The outer skin of the mooncake is also different from the usual one. It is neither puff pastry nor pliable, but a rare hard-shell pastry with red yeast rice dots in the shape of plum blossoms on the outer skin.
The half-sized mooncakes are small and cute, with a fresh and delicious taste. Their moderate size makes them perfect as a gift.
"Has it been sent to the Wang family?"
Gu Yaoniang picked up a mooncake, about to put it in her mouth, but then asked a question.
The waiter was very quick-witted. Upon hearing this, he grinned, revealing a row of front teeth that looked particularly cheerful: "Don't worry, boss! As you instructed, we've already delivered everything, including the mooncakes and our newly brewed osmanthus wine!"
Gu Yaoniang nodded and added, "Remember to send some to the Princess's residence and the Lu family as well."
She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should send some to Xie Danqiu. But then she remembered that today was Xie Danqiu's wedding day, and ultimately decided against it.
Seeing that the waiter agreed to do it, she turned to the people in the room and gestured for each of them to take one and start eating.
Shopkeeper Su was plump, and her hands were also round and smooth, making the moon-shaped cake in her hands appear even smaller.
He finished the mooncake in two bites, then hesitated before looking at Gu Yaoniang and saying, "Master, this..."
He pointed to the mooncake on the plate, wanting to say its name, but couldn't remember it.
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