Chapter 220: Chapter 137: The Troubles of a Boss with Too Much Money
10:58 AM. The first branch of Spicy King Taikoo Li officially opens!
As the staff at the entrance remove the barricade tape surrounding the colorful tumbling panda and hot air balloon displays,
a crowd of eager young women swarm forward.
They want to snap a few photos to post on their Moments later.
"Ladies, no need to rush! Please come one by one. We have a professional photographer who can take your pictures for free."
Some customers, less interested in photos, walk straight through the main entrance.
They gaze at the vast greenery and the red and white hot air balloons in the courtyard.
A blue giant panda seems to be waving lazily at them.
The restaurant’s ambiance alone raises the diners’ expectations.
Following the paths on either side, past the greenery and hot air balloon area, they arrive at the actual restaurant.
One young woman spots a gigantic coral crystal chandelier, shaped like a hot pot, that spans two floors.
"Whoa, this restaurant’s decor is insane!"
Seeing the incredibly high-end, warm-toned LV furniture, she can’t help but gasp in amazement.
"Miss, how much did your boss spend on this decor?"
Many customers look around at the restaurant’s interior, not daring to imagine the cost.
"Our boss spent 25 million on it. All the tables, chairs, and sofas you see inside are from LV’s home and travel collection, and our tableware is all from Hermes!"
The young waitress says this with a proud expression, as if she were the owner of the restaurant herself.
"Oh my god! LV furniture and Hermes tableware... I’m not worthy of eating at a place like this!"
Some of the young women had come just because the decor looked nice, and they were fully prepared to be ripped off.
"Don’t worry, our prices are reasonable. We’re an all-you-can-eat buffet."
"You just need to pay 199 yuan, and you can freely choose any dishes and drinks you like. The soup base is included too!"
The young waitress’s smile is very warm and reassuring as she comforts the two young women who were worried about the price.
"Really?"
The two women immediately sigh in relief but can’t help confirming again.
"You guys really don’t have a service charge or any other fees?"
"Nope. You can think of us as a high-end version of Haidilao."
"All services are free of charge. If you need anything at all, just let me know."
The young waitress hands a tablet for ordering to the two women.
"This is our menu. You can select whatever you like on here, but please try not to waste any food!"
"Okay."
Even though it’s a 199-yuan-per-person restaurant, the variety of ingredients is still incredibly rich.
Everything you’d expect to find at Haidilao, Spicy King has it all.
"Wow, there are so many options! We’ll never be able to eat them all!"
The two women stare at the dazzling array of dishes on the tablet.
In the end, they pick a few of their favorite ingredients and eagerly start taking pictures.
LV-monogrammed furniture and sofas are everywhere, as is tableware bearing the Hermes logo.
With such an elegant dining environment, it would be hard for the restaurant *not* to become an internet sensation.
And that was indeed the case. The restaurant’s 120 tables and 10 private rooms were completely full in less than half an hour.
This was in no small part due to Yuan Li’s earlier promotional efforts.
Over the past week, Yuan Li had personally led a team to hand out flyers.
She also spent a good amount of money on promotion through several local food-related public accounts.
Combined with the bustling scene at the grand opening, it was only natural that the place would be packed.
With Yuan Li and two assistant managers coordinating everything, and the other employees all poached from various Haidilao branches, they got the hang of things quickly with minimal training.
Greeting guests, running food, handing out towels, pulling noodles—
everyone performed their duties, bustling about happily.
A staff of 250 for a single hot pot restaurant is quite a luxury.
As for the result? Every request is met, and the dining experience is superb.
When customers are satisfied, they will naturally come back a second time.
...
"Honey, our hot pot restaurant’s business is way too good, isn’t it?"
Tan Hua linked her arm with Qi Sheng’s, unable to hide her excitement as she looked at the packed dining hall.
"Just the basics."
Qi Sheng put his arm around his girlfriend and walked into the private room where their family was waiting.
Inside the room, the women were all enthusiastically ordering food.
They planned to see how their own hot pot restaurant tasted.
"Honey, see if there’s anything else you want to eat."
Tan Hua, operating the tablet, ordered a portion of each of Qi Sheng’s favorite dishes.
"You all go ahead and order. I’ll eat anything."
Qi Sheng waved his hand dismissively, very pleased with the private room’s soundproofing.
During the renovation, he had specifically added a lot of soundproofing material.
Even with the bustle outside, the tranquility within the private room was completely unaffected.
After the server brought in the dishes ordered by their boss and his "boss ladies," they tactfully left the room so as not to disturb them.
"Sisters, let’s toast our husband! To his business growing bigger and bigger, and to Spicy King becoming a sensation all over the country!"
The Tan Hua of today was acting more and more like the "big sister" of the group.
She was the one who had taken the initiative to organize this surprise.
To Tan Hua, what Qi Sheng had given her far exceeded what he had given the other women.
As smart as she was, she naturally knew what to do to ensure her boyfriend would always dote on her.
"Cheers!"
Qi Sheng clinked glasses with the women, and the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful.
"Everyone, try some and see if it’s to your liking."
Qi Sheng had ordered a ’yuanyang’ pot—a split pot with tomato and tallow soup bases, the latter being medium spicy.
However, this ’medium spicy’ was as hot as the ’numbing and spicy’ tier at other hot pot restaurants.
Above medium spicy, there were three more levels: Numbing Spicy, Extra Spicy, and Explosive Spicy.
The Explosive Spicy soup base, in particular, was so intense that when Qi Sheng tried it with Yuan Li and the others the other day, it nearly brought Yuan Li to tears.
And you have to understand, when Yuan Li was at Haidilao, she could eat their most explosively spicy soup base without even batting an eye.
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