Er Ya frowned, unsure whether she should speak.
Liu Jingyu noticed Er Ya's expression and said to her, "If you have any suggestions, tell my cousin. He doesn't like studying, he just likes making money, but he doesn't have a knack for making money. My uncle said that if his restaurant loses money again this year, he will make him focus on his studies and not be allowed to get involved in these business matters anymore."
Er Ya then spoke up, "Brother Qian, haven't you ever eaten the food here? To be honest, it doesn't taste very good, it's far inferior to what my mother makes."
Qian Lu weakly explained, "I don't think it's that bad..."
"Really, why don't you wait until my mom shows you what she's made?"
Qian Lu's eyes lit up as he said, "Really? Your mother's cooking is delicious? Then I'm in for a treat today!" He looked at Jiang's mother and said, "Auntie, could you please cook us a meal? Don't worry, I definitely won't let you do it for free."
"Look at you, child. It's just a meal. If you want to eat, I'll cook it for you. It's not like I'm doing it for free. You helped Er Ya just now and treated us to such a sumptuous meal. We should thank you. As long as you don't mind my cooking skills, that's fine." Jiang's mother was a little unsure of herself.
"Mom, you're too modest. I guarantee that your cooking will definitely win them over," Er Ya said, waving her little hand.
Jiang's mother tapped her daughter's head. This girl, she didn't know who she took after, was so clever and mischievous. Since her daughter had already made such a boast, she decided to cook a few dishes herself. After finding out where the kitchen was, she prepared to cook.
After finishing his meal, Lin Jianguo felt a little uncomfortable staying in the house. Seeing that Jiang's mother had gone to cook, he hurriedly went to help her, leaving only the few of them in the house.
Er Ya continued, "And look, the people in your shop are too undisciplined. They do all sorts of things. Look, the floor isn't clean. And look at your waiters, their fingernails are black. They clearly don't care about hygiene. You run a restaurant. If you go to a restaurant and see that the place is filthy, would you still think that the food is delicious?"
The main problem is that your restaurant's positioning is unclear. If you're targeting wealthy people, the place is a mess. If you're aiming for a more affordable option, the portions are too small. People come here hungry just to fill their stomachs, but you're overly focused on making it fancy.
Seeing that Er Ya's explanation was logical and to the point, Qian Lu humbly asked, "Er Ya, tell me, how should we make changes? I'll listen to you. We'll make changes exactly as you say."
Er Ya thought for a moment and said, "Didn't I just say that for a restaurant, the first thing is hygiene? You have to make a good first impression on customers when they come in, so they feel that your place is very clean and they will want to come back next time. Secondly, the taste of the food is important. If you can do these two things well, you've already succeeded halfway."
Upon hearing this, Qian Lu hurriedly asked, "How come it's only half successful? What about the other half?"
"Then there's advertising. You can hire some people to hand out flyers in busy areas and offer some discounts, such as discounts for spending a certain amount."
Qian Lu was completely confused: "What is a flyer? What is advertising?"
Oh dear, I forgot, this isn't modern times. How did I end up talking about modern hotel management methods?
Er Ya explained, "Publicity means letting people know your place exists. Most people in this town know about the state-run restaurant, not yours. You need to find some people who can write, write your name, address, and any special offers you're offering on them, and then have people hand them out. That's publicity. A flyer is that piece of paper you hand out." Er Ya finished speaking in one breath, then quickly took a sip of water to moisten her throat.
After hearing what Er Ya said, Liu Jingyu, who was standing next to her, was eager to try it out. If he did as Er Ya suggested, how could he not have any worries about business?
"Er Ya, how do you know so much? You're amazing! I admire you so much!" Qian Lu was overjoyed. Hmph, as long as his restaurant business is good, let's see if they still dare to look down on him and call him a spoiled brat who only wastes adults' money.
"These are all my ideas! Aren't I smart? My mom always praises me for being a smart baby." He had a look on his face that said, "Please praise me!"
"Er Ya, you're really amazing. Don't worry, once this restaurant does well, I'll give you a share of the profits. How about two hundred?" Qian Lu said generously.
Er Ya was overjoyed. She opened her mouth and thought, "What a great thing!" She said shyly, "Brother Qian, this is not good. I'd rather not. I only came up with an idea and didn't put in any effort. Otherwise, consider this money as my investment in your shares. When it really makes money, you can give me a share of the profits."
Qian Lu thought that was fine, as he wouldn't let the girl suffer any losses. He patted his chest and said, "That works too. Consider the two hundred yuan your investment, and I'll give you a 10% share." He had invested three thousand yuan in the restaurant initially, so giving her a 20% share wouldn't be a loss for her.
Jingyu wondered where he had met such a clever little girl. He should go out more often and see if he could meet one too.
At this moment, Jiang's mother finished cooking and came over to greet them: "I've cooked the food, why don't you try it and see what you think?" It was a simple meal of four dishes and a soup, all very common dishes.
Liu Jingyu and Qian Lu hurriedly picked up their chopsticks, first taking a piece of stir-fried beef. It was oily but not greasy, tender and refreshing, making you want to eat another bite. Then they took some hot and sour cabbage. It was so delicious, spicy and sour, tasty and appetizing. Their stomachs, which were already full, now felt like they could eat another bowl of rice.
"Auntie, your cooking is so delicious! Why don't you stay and be our chef? With you here, our business will definitely boom!"
As Qian Lu ate, he said that Er Ya hadn't lied to them after all. His aunt's cooking was really much better than their chef's. Compared to that, what they had just eaten was terrible. No wonder Er Ya had been frowning while eating.
Liu Jingyu enjoyed the meal very much. It was comparable to the best restaurant in their area, and the taste was similar to the five-star hotel his mother took him to last time.
"That won't do, Brother Qian. My mother is pregnant with my little brother. What if she gets tired if I work as a cook for you?"
Qian Lu said with a disappointed look, "Ah~ Auntie is pregnant? Forget it then, Auntie's health is more important." What a pity.
To be continued!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com