eurekapd Chapter 155 Opening of the Food Stall
Chapter 155 Opening of the Food Stall
Although the food stall was a barbecue restaurant, there was a curfew in this era; people weren't allowed to go out after 9 PM.
Therefore, the opening time was set for 10:00 AM. As soon as 10:00 AM arrived, firecrackers started popping at the entrance of the food stall. There were still quite a few customers at this time, and with the prior publicity, there were still quite a few people.
The opening promotion was to give away alcohol with every barbecue meal; no matter how much barbecue each table ate, they would receive a pot of alcohol or a beverage.
Spend 500 coins or more and receive a 200-coin voucher; spend one liang or more and receive a 500-coin voucher, and so on. The more you spend, the more you receive. This opening promotion is only for three days.
What does this food stall sell?
"They said they were selling some kind of barbecue? It's the same barbecue that was sold at the market a while ago. I happened to be passing by when I was buying groceries that day, and it smelled so good."
Mu Qing was worried that people wouldn't know what barbecue was, so she and Meng An set up a stall at the vegetable market for seven days in a row, thinking they could promote it in advance and explain it to everyone so that they wouldn't end up not knowing what it was.
"Oh dear, could you tell me the details? I haven't been in town for a while, so I don't know."
"It's grilled meat skewers and vegetables, with their secret recipe. You can smell the aroma from far away."
He still savors the taste, but it was only on display for seven days. He thought he wouldn't be able to eat it again, but it turns out they opened a shop.
"Is it really that delicious?"
"It's not good, it's not good, don't try to take it from me later."
……
After Mu Qing finished speaking, the group who had eaten barbecue a while ago rushed in and quickly filled all the seats in the hall.
"Waiter, ordering food!" The sounds of ordering could be heard all over the hall, keeping the waiters so busy they wished they had three heads and six arms.
Seeing this, Song Jiaojiao was very pleased. She hadn't expected Mu Qing to come up with this idea. Even she hadn't thought of it. The main reason was that barbecue was everywhere in the last world, and everyone knew what it was. But they had forgotten that it was a novel food here, and no one had ever seen it before.
The current setup is still a bit chaotic; most of the dishes are unfamiliar to most customers, and the waiters have to explain them, which wastes a lot of time.
Song Jiaojiao thought of a model where the restaurant serves certain items and customers can choose whether or not to order them. She could talk to Mu Qing about it later and charge by the skewer, which would save a lot of time when ordering.
However, this is the only option for the next couple of days.
At the same time, a discreet horse-drawn carriage arrived at the entrance of Sifanglou.
A snow-white hand drew back the curtains. "What's going on across the street? Why is it so lively?"
A male voice came from inside the carriage.
"Young Master, it seems to be a new store opening, called a food stall. I heard from passersby that it's a barbecue place." The driver relayed the information he had gathered along the way.
"Barbecue? What's that?" the man asked, puzzled.
"I'm not entirely sure either, but it sounds a bit like roasted meat," the driver said truthfully, scratching his head.
The man didn't speak. Barbecue? What's so delicious about that tough, fishy stuff? And there are so many people here!
Manager Wang strode out from the Sifang Building at that moment, "Young Master, you've arrived."
"Well, Manager Wang, what's going on over there?" Wang Ziyi asked Manager Wang as he got out of the carriage.
"The barbecue restaurant across the street is owned by Song Niangzi's family. It just opened today," Manager Wang said respectfully. He had already found out that the shop belonged to Song Jiaojiao's family when it was being renovated, so he didn't investigate further.
"Oh? It's actually run by that young lady?" Wang Ziyi didn't expect that the shop across the street was actually run by Song Jiaojiao. Although the shop wasn't big, the location was excellent, right in the middle of the three-way intersection, and it could be seen from all sides.
"Did you give a gift?" Wang Ziyi asked softly.
"I was just about to go when you arrived," Manager Wang explained.
"Take the gifts, I'll go with you, we can check it out." Wang Ziyi said, as he was quite interested in the barbecue. He wondered if this was the collaboration that Song Niangzi had mentioned last time.
"Yes, young master, I'll take care of it right away," Manager Wang replied respectfully.
The two took their gifts and went to the food stall. They were shocked by the scene in the hall as soon as they entered. They didn't expect so many people to be eating barbecue.
Song Jiaojiao spotted Manager Wang and his group at a glance and quickly went over to them.
"Madam Song, congratulations on your grand opening! May your business prosper!" Shopkeeper Wang laughed heartily, handing the gifts to Song Jiaojiao.
"Manager Wang, thank you for your kind words. This way, please." Song Jiaojiao led the group to a private room at the back. The private rooms were not open today, in order to deal with any unexpected situations later.
"When did Manager Wang arrive?" Song Jiaojiao had already noticed the people around Manager Wang.
"Just arrived, and it just so happens to be the opening of Madam Song's shop. It's true that timing is everything." Wang Ziyi said cheerfully, while secretly looking around the shop. He didn't expect that the unassuming little shop on the outside would have such a novel interior design, and even a backyard.
"Then Mr. Wang is in for a treat. He must have never seen food like this before," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile, gesturing for everyone to sit down.
"I'll order today, all the restaurant's signature dishes." Song Jiaojiao smiled as she ordered all the restaurant's signature dishes, and also asked the waiter to bring two jugs of wine and plum juice.
When the sour plum drink was served, Wang Ziyi was truly shocked. Wasn't this the sour plum drink that was popular all over the capital? How come Song Jiaojiao had it here? You know, a cup of sour plum drink in the capital costs one tael of silver, let alone a whole pot.
"Madam Song, if I'm not mistaken, this is plum juice?"
"That's right, it's plum juice. Eating meat alone can be a bit greasy, and the sweet and sour taste of plum juice can balance it out. Is there something wrong with this plum juice?"
Seeing Wang Ziyi's shocked expression, Song Jiaojiao asked in confusion.
Shopkeeper Wang poured Wang Ziyi a cup. Wang Ziyi took a sip and thought, "Not bad, this is the taste. It's even better than the one in the capital."
"Does Madam Song know how popular this sour plum drink is in the capital? Just one cup costs a tael of silver!" Wang Ziyi said, pointing to the cup in his hand. It's always hard to buy one.
"Oh, is that all? This sour plum drink was actually invented by me. Mr. Wang doesn't know that I also have a beverage shop called Half-Day Leisure Bar. It's a shop I opened with Mr. Liu from Huichuntang. I'm the one who taught me how to make this sour plum drink." Song Jiaojiao said nonchalantly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziyi froze on the spot. Others might not know who Liu Xuewen, the owner of Huichuntang, was, but he knew him very well. He never expected that Song Jiaojiao would be involved in this popular half-day leisure activity.
Just then, Mu Qing came in to find Song Jiaojiao and whispered something in her ear.
"Mother, Manager Liu from Huichuntang is here, and Uncle Liu is here too."
Upon hearing this, Song Jiaojiao nodded. "Boss Wang, Manager Wang, please sit for a moment. I'm going to pick someone up."