Chapter 176: Chapter 158: Don’t Cry Next Month, New Concept Poster (2)
While Lin Chen and Gray were discussing the details of the dishes, Andre had already wiped the table clean, patting his bulging stomach in satisfaction.
"This is amazing! It’s no wonder this family business has been able to operate in such a remote area for decades. By the way, Max, which seat did my mom sit in last time?"
Max smiled and pointed to the seat Andre was sitting in. "This very one."
"?"
Andre was stunned. He silently gave a thumbs-up, and even Lin Chen, who was sitting beside him, looked over in surprise.
"No wonder my mom praised you so much. Max, you’ve got a seriously sharp eye."
"Haha, it’s mainly because our restaurant is so remote. We don’t get particularly busy. As you can see, I’m the only one in the entire front of house, juggling taking orders, serving food, waiting tables, making coffee, and pouring drinks. And even with all that, I still have time to sunbathe at the entrance. That’s how slow it gets."
"You guys don’t have any other waitstaff or baristas?"
"We used to have them. Ever since this season of *Wild Survival* wrapped up, foot traffic has dropped by more than half. Plus, winter is the off-season anyway. They didn’t think it was worth sticking around, so they left. Come spring, we’ll have to start hiring all over again."
Lin Chen and Andre exchanged a glance; neither of them had expected business at the White Whale to be this slow.
They soon learned that the only reason the restaurant was still open was because they didn’t have to pay rent. The few kitchen staff were also local residents whose families were fishermen. When the restaurant was slow, they would often take time off to go help at home.
They mainly stayed for sentimental reasons. After all, this was the place where their parents used to go on dates.
"Don’t you two worry. We came here for more than just sampling the food. In fact, there’s a much more important reason for our visit."
"Of course, I would only bring this up after confirming that both the quality of your food and your personal integrity were up to snuff."
Lin Chen then revealed to the two of them that filming for the next season would begin soon. He gave them a brief overview of everything, including the location, local conditions, available ingredients, and the survival theme.
"I’ve already spoken to Robert. The production team is waiting for my feedback. As long as I give them the go-ahead, they’ll send someone to discuss a business partnership with you. This would include the rights to recreate dishes from the show and sell official *Wild Survival* merchandise."
"Not only that, they’ll also post the announcement on the official website, which is basically free advertising for your restaurant."
"Once this news gets out, I’m afraid you won’t have any more opportunities to sunbathe. You can discuss it with your staff, and you should probably start recruiting and training new people now, so you don’t run out of time."
Hearing this bombshell, Gray and Max were stunned. They stared at each other in disbelief.
"Dude, am I dreaming... HISS! Fuck, what did you pinch me for?"
"Good. Seems like you’re wide awake if you know it was me who pinched you."
Gray didn’t have time for banter. He quickly grasped the urgency of the situation.
’A month might not even be enough time just for recruiting and training.’
’This place is pretty remote and hard to get to. Not many outsiders are willing to work here. Even the ones who do come only stay for a few days or a week or two before leaving. They never last.’
’It’s true that the work is usually slow, but being too slow makes people antsy. They start to worry, ’Is this place going to go under tomorrow? What if they can’t make payroll?’ Give it enough time, and they’re bound to leave.’
But with the solid information Lin Chen had provided, once they officially partnered with the show, they could use that as a major selling point for recruitment.
By then, their problem wouldn’t be retaining staff, but having too few people to handle the rush.
Then there were other things to consider, like staff housing, choosing suppliers, ingredient logistics... a whole mountain of tasks.
Lin Chen and Andre didn’t stay much longer. After taking a group photo with Gray and Max to serve as proof, they left for the pier early to catch the ferry.
It wasn’t peak tourist season, and you couldn’t count on the laid-back North American workers. There was a good chance the crew of the last ferry would clock out early.
「The next morning.」
Andre said his goodbyes and headed back to Seattle to be with his wife. Otherwise, once the competition began, they wouldn’t see each other for at least two or three months.
Lin Chen was happy to have some free time. He looked up information on over a hundred estates in the Vancouver and Seattle area, even visiting several in the five-to-six-million-dollar-and-up price range. He was genuinely tempted by them.
But the price tag was enough to kill his enthusiasm.
’Even if I win the competition, with the three million in prize money and what Andre pays me back, I still won’t even touch the four-million mark, let alone five million.’
’Besides, that’s just the purchase price for the estate. Renovations would be another massive expense. My other option is to find a cheaper estate in a good location and start the restaurant first to generate income.’
’But I can’t just rely on traffic from the *Wild Survival* audience. Given the general inertia of Westerners, it probably won’t be enough to make the restaurant a hit. I’ll need to build a following on Chinese video platforms to really drive traffic.’
Western tourists were nothing compared to tourists from Great Xia, who loved to travel and chase the latest craze.
As long as you could generate a little buzz and offer something new, these tourists would find their way to you, no matter how remote.
So he spent some time teaching himself how to shoot and edit videos. He set up accounts on TikTok, its Chinese counterpart Douyin, and Xiaohongshu to start posting.
