Chapter 218: Chapter 136: Even Wei Xiaobao is Just a Little Brother
"What if I told you I have a way to make our restaurant’s food taste twice as good as any other?"
Seeing Yuan Li and the two assistant managers looking like they wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, Qi Sheng decided to head straight to the back kitchen and personally show them a thing or two.
The kitchen equipment was all top-of-the-line and fully stocked.
"I’ll personally make a hot pot for you, and show you where the name ’Spicy King’ comes from."
Qi Sheng followed the soup base recipe given to him by the system.
He added the freshly bought beef tallow, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other ingredients, producing a pot of vibrant, crimson-red soup base.
Just a whiff of it made one’s nose tingle.
Once the heat was on, the block of seasoning quickly melted, turning into a base of glistening red oil.
"It smells amazing!"
Yuan Li took a sniff and instantly felt a surge of anticipation.
It was far more fragrant than what she was used to smelling at Haidilao, and she couldn’t help but swallow.
"Just a heads-up, I’m making the ’explosively spicy’ version, which will be our signature spice level from now on."
"If anyone can’t handle the heat, just drink plenty of water. Don’t try to tough it out."
Qi Sheng methodically added the ingredients Gu Feng had bought into the pot.
The bubbling nine-square grid pot quickly cooked the ingredients, coating them in a thick layer of spicy oil.
"I’ll try it first."
Yuan Li had to admit, the aroma was truly incredible.
But as for the actual flavor, she’d have to taste it before drawing any conclusions.
"Hm?"
Yuan Li had picked up a piece of fatty beef. The quality of the meat was one thing, but the flavor was what truly mattered.
It was so much better than the beef tallow soup base at Haidilao!
And the spiciness was staggering.
Even Yuan Li, who normally had a high tolerance for spicy food, could feel sweat starting to form on her forehead, but it was an utterly satisfying burn.
"Boss, this soup base is absolutely divine!"
Yuan Li gave Qi Sheng a thumbs-up, her face full of admiration and awe.
In terms of flavor, she’d give their own restaurant a perfect 100. No need for modesty.
"So, what do you think now? Can our restaurant make it big?"
Qi Sheng teased Yuan Li with great interest.
Seeing her looking a bit embarrassed satisfied his own mischievous streak.
"Our restaurant will definitely be more popular than any Haidilao! If I can’t make that happen, you can take away my position as manager!"
Yuan Li made a solemn vow.
"As for the price, 199 yuan per person is the bottom line.
But my idea is for Spicy King to be a buffet.
As long as a customer pays 199 yuan, they can choose any item in the restaurant, provided they don’t waste food."
Qi Sheng took a sip of ice-cold coke and let out a satisfied burp.
"A buffet?"
Yuan Li was taken aback for a moment, then began to ponder it carefully.
’It’s not entirely out of the question.’
Generally, the biggest cost for a hot pot restaurant is the ingredients.
yuan per person wasn’t low for a hot pot buffet.
As long as it was popular enough, they could definitely drive down the cost of ingredients.
But 199 yuan per person was also the upper limit for the mass-market hot pot consumer in Chengdu.
Any higher, and even avid hot pot fans wouldn’t be able to afford it.
"Boss, if we really do a buffet, a price of 199 yuan per person is totally doable."
"But I think that price is only suitable for a second-tier city like Chengdu."
"If we expand in the future, we can set the price a little higher for first-tier cities."
"The rental costs in first-tier cities are much higher than in second-tier cities. Maybe 249 yuan per person, for example."
"And if we go to third-tier cities, we can lower it a bit, say to 149 yuan per person."
"By using differential pricing, we can make our brand more accessible to consumers in cities of different tiers."
Drawing on her experience, Yuan Li gave Qi Sheng several practical suggestions.
"Alright, we’ll do it your way."
Qi Sheng had no objections.
Even if the hot pot restaurant didn’t make money, he’d just treat it as a bit of fun.
If it did make money, that would be even better.
"Regarding compensation, we’ll stick to what I said before."
"The base salary will be 5,000 for now, with performance bonuses ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 depending on the position."
"Work hours are a standard eight hours, with two days off a week."
"Overtime is 25 an hour, and room and board are included."
After Qi Sheng finished laying out his plan, he saw Yuan Li and the others staring at him with complicated expressions.
"What’s wrong?"
Qi Sheng was a little baffled.
"Boss, with the compensation system you’ve laid out, we’ll probably make a lot less profit. Does that really not bother you?"
It was the first time Yuan Li had ever seen such a conscientious boss.
Providing social insurance and housing funds was one thing, but he was also giving them two days off and compensation for overtime.
What employee wouldn’t love a boss like that?
"See this watch?"
Qi Sheng revealed the Vacheron Constantin on his wrist and said with a smile, "This watch is worth 6.85 million. With my monthly allowance, I could buy seven of these. Do you think I’m short on cash?"
"Uh..."
Yuan Li was left speechless by Qi Sheng’s bluntness.
But she had to admit, Qi Sheng certainly had the capital to be that arrogant.
million coming in every month, and that amount would only grow in the future.
To him, money was just a string of numbers.
But a career could bring him a sense of accomplishment.
Just a while ago, at the renaming and unveiling ceremony for the Shengxuan Financial Center, he had felt the sense of accomplishment that came from being the center of everyone’s attention.
If Spicy King could grow to the size of Haidilao, with over 100,000 employees, what level would his social status reach then?
"Boss, I understand now."
Yuan Li had an epiphany.
’For an ultimate rich-second-generation kid like Qi Sheng, he has so much money that his inner world feels a bit empty.’
’Only by achieving success in his career can he fill that void.’
"Huh?"
This time, it was Qi Sheng’s turn to be dumbfounded.
’I was just flexing a little, and you think you understand?’
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