Chapter 236 You will know the reason after waiting for more than ten minutes

A few days later, at ten o'clock in the morning, on a street somewhere in the suburbs of Seoul.

A large group of middle-aged people gathered around a young man, listening to his explanation attentively.

"Boss, please take a look. This is our pickled fish shop. Please follow me inside to take a look."

"This directly-operated store is about 70 square meters in size and can accommodate 100 to 150 people at the same time."

“The main dish is”

"."

As the tour continued, this group of middle-aged people followed the tour guide into the hotel.

After this group of people entered the store, Huang Wenfu, who had been here early in the morning, looked at Huang Xu beside him with some concern.

"Xiao Xu, is this really okay? Wouldn't it be inappropriate to bring them here to see the store before it opens?"

"Don't worry uncle, it's okay."

Compared to Huang Wenfu who seemed a little uneasy, Huang Xu appeared very worried and full of confidence.

After all, he considered this business model for a long time before finally deciding on it, so the chance of failure is not high.

At least in the first few months, this model will not cause any problems.

Because the main feature of his pickled fish is its low price, and he wins by relying on its cheap price.

Although South Korea is a developed country with a very high per capita income, several times that of China, it does not mean that there are no poor people in South Korea.

It is precisely because the per capita income here is very high that the gap between the rich and the poor is so huge. The high-income people have very high incomes, but the ordinary people at the bottom have to worry about food and clothing.
And because South Korea has a small land area and the arable area is not very large, the prices here are shockingly high.

Gradually, this resulted in low-income groups basically living on rice, ramen and various kimchi.

This is also the reason why, in many Korean dramas, low-income groups, after a day's work, come home and cook instant noodles and eat them with rice.

Although the price of the sauerkraut fish restaurant Huang Xu prepared this time cannot be compared with those ramen noodles, it is not expensive. You only need 6,000 won to enjoy a single serving of sauerkraut fish set meal.

Six thousand won may seem like a lot, but if converted to China, it would be over thirty dollars, enough for a person's food expenses for a day, and even more than enough to be spent.

But this is South Korea, and prices are relatively high. Although 6,000 won is enough to fill a person's stomach, it is basically just ramen, rice, and eggs.

But it’s different at Huang Xu’s place. Not only does he have a delicious sauerkraut fish with 200 grams of fish fillet, but he also gets free refills of rice and kimchi.

You should know that there are two measurement units in Korea. One Korean jin is 400 grams. According to this measurement unit, there are half a jin of fish meat in the sauerkraut fish.

This makes it a great value.

Therefore, Huang Xu was not worried at all whether there would be customers or no one would join at this price.

As for whether this business model can survive for a long time, Huang Xu is not sure now, but even if there are problems, it will take a process, at least a few months.

If problems really arise a few months later, they should already have a large number of franchise stores, and would have reaped a large sum of money from the franchise fees.

Whether anything goes wrong by then or not, it won’t have that much impact on Huang Xu and his team. At most, it will be one less project that can bring continuous profits to the company.

This is why Huang Xu is so confident.

But seeing his uncle's still worried expression, Huang Xu said to him:

"I want you to go in and see their reactions, to see if our plan is effective?"

"Okay, I'll go and see."

When Huang Wenfu heard Huang Xu say this, he no longer hesitated. After talking to Huang Xu, he followed him directly into the restaurant, wanting to see their reaction.

After Huang Xu watched his uncle go in, he still stood patiently at the door, as if waiting for something.

Not long after, Huang Xu saw a black Land Rover which quickly came to his side and stopped. Then he saw Kim Jong Kook and Ji Seok Jin getting out of the car.

As soon as the two appeared, Ji Seok-jin shouted directly to Huang Xu:

"Sorry, Mr. Huang, we are late. I am really sorry."

"It's okay, it's just the beginning."

Seeing Ji Seok-jin's attitude, Huang Xu also greeted Kim Jong-kook and the others enthusiastically, welcoming their arrival.

As for why they appeared here today, it had to do with the party that took place a few days earlier.

At that time, Huang Xu went to Kim Jong Kook and Ha Dong Hoon to ask questions about variety shows. As a result, Ji Seok Jin suddenly appeared with Kim Jong Kook and brought a lot of seafood.

This made Huang Xu very confused at the time, and he was somewhat unsure of his purpose for coming that day.

It was not until three rounds of drinks had passed and the three of them had helped him answer many of his questions that Ji Seok-jin explained why he came here.

To put it bluntly, he just wanted to ask Huang Xu when his new restaurant would open, and he wanted to join it.

This is also the reason why he came here today, to inspect Huang Xuxin’s franchise store, conduct an on-site inspection, and then see if he can join.

As for Kim Jong Kook, he was pulled over by him to act as the middleman to avoid an awkward situation.

Of course, the two of them did not come empty-handed, but brought gifts to congratulate the opening of the new store: two wreaths with blessings written on them.

Yes, the gift they sent was a wreath.

It was a wreath exactly the same as the one Huang Xu had seen in China, used in funerals.

If this happened in China, sending a wreath to someone else's new store opening would basically be looking for trouble, the kind that would lead to a fight to the death.

But in Korea, this is a normal phenomenon.

In Korea, whether it is a wedding, the opening of a new store, or the opening of a new company, they will send wreaths and flower pots to express their congratulations.

Huang Xu looked at the wreaths they took out and still felt a little uncomfortable.

Although this is indeed a custom here, Huang Xu still couldn't help feeling unlucky after seeing it.

But this is the custom here, so Huang Xu could only endure the discomfort and thank the two for sending him the "wreath".

After that, after watching the two people place the wreaths at the door, he took them inside, introducing them as they walked.

"Now that they have been inside for a while, I will introduce them to you from the beginning."

"This store only sells one dish, which is the pickled fish I mentioned last time."

"Then in terms of area."

"."

"The main attraction is affordability. For only 6,000 won, you can enjoy half a pound of fish meat, pickled fish, and unlimited rice and kimchi."

"Then that's it."

"Wait, Mr. Huang, you said it only costs 6,000 won per serving? Can we really make money this way?"

"Or no compensation?"

"Yes, it's 6,000 won per serving."

Huang Xu looked at the somewhat surprised Ji Seok Jin and answered very affirmatively. At the same time, he was a little surprised at his keenness.

"It seems like Ji Seok Jin has put a lot of effort behind this."

If you don't have any special knowledge of the restaurant industry, then after hearing the price, you will just sigh that it is really cheap without considering the cost.

Don’t you see that Kim Jong Kook, who runs a restaurant, is still confused?
Fortunately, the people he was working with were Ha Dongxun and himself, otherwise, with his personality of running a restaurant for half a year without considering the cost, it would be a good thing if he didn't get cheated.

Therefore, after Huang Xu glanced at Kim Jong Kook, he said to Ji Seok Jin.

"Brother Shi Zhen, this won't cost you money. I'll do the math for you and you'll understand."

"During this period of time, you should have learned some necessary data for the hotel industry."

"Yeah, I did understand."

Ji Seok-jin did not deny this, but nodded directly.

"It's only after I understand it that I feel a little confused. At this price, there's no profit at all."

“Unless the cost of your dish is very low, in this case.”

"Brother Shizhen really understands."

Huang Xu nodded, indicating that what Ji Seok-jin said was right. He was about to explain the reason, but he saw the employee in front who was leading the group on a tour and was about to let these visiting restaurant owners taste the dishes, so he pointed to the table next to him and spoke to the two of them.

"It just so happens that we are about to taste the dishes. After we taste the dishes, I will slowly help you analyze them."

"Okay, then we won't be polite."

Although Kim Jong Kook looked confused and still didn't understand what Huang Xu and Ji Seok Jin meant, he was still happy to hear that he could taste the dishes of Huang Xu's new restaurant.

After all, in his mind, Huang Xu is a real gourmet. Whether it was Huang Xu's last spicy hot pot franchise or the dishes of the music restaurant bar that he helped to adjust, he liked them very much.

When Ji Seok-jin saw the crowd looking for a place to sit down, he sat down too.

In a restaurant, the taste of the food comes first.

He now wants to join this as his side job, so naturally he wants to taste it well.

The three of them found a corner to sit down, and couldn't help feeling a little shocked as they watched the kitchen continuously bringing out portion after portion of sauerkraut fish set meal.

Especially Ji Seok-jin, he felt very curious when he saw the speed at which the food was served in the kitchen.

"Xiao Xu, how many chefs do you have in your kitchen? The food is served so quickly."

"Hehe, this is kept secret for now. You'll know after you finish eating. I'll give you a surprise."

Huang Xu looked at the two curious people and spoke to Ji Shizhen and the others with a mysterious expression.

“And this is also the reason why the price is set so low.”

"Then I'll have to take a closer look later."

Looking at Huang Xu with a mysterious look on his face, the two did not continue to ask questions, but waited patiently for the sauerkraut fish to be served.

In less than ten minutes, the pickled fish was delivered, and not just theirs, but sets of meals for forty or fifty people in the store were all served on the table.

Looking at the speed, Ji Seok-jin, Kim Jong-kook, and the people who came to visit were all shocked at how fast the food was served.

Anyone who knows something about catering knows what the food serving speed means.

On average, four sauerkraut fish sets can be produced every minute, which has given them more confidence in the future of the restaurant.

Then when you taste the food, you will feel more confident.

The fish soup was sour, spicy, but very delicious. The moment they took a sip, they exclaimed "ah" and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Then the smooth and bouncy fish fillets made their eyes open wider.

Kim Jong Kook and Ji Seok Jin even sighed to Huang Xu.

"Wow, this tastes really good. The fish meat is smooth and tender, and the fish soup is sour and spicy, which is a great combination."

"Yeah, this is the first time I've eaten fish dishes with this flavor."

"Indeed, this tastes better than the spicy fish stew, and it feels good to have one after drinking."

"."

Listening to the praise from the two people and the people around them, Huang Xu nodded with satisfaction.

"The boss's seasoning is really good. Judging from the effect now, he should have conquered them."

"If the effect is so good, should we give him an award next?"

"Or should I prepare something else for him?"

"."

Just when Huang Xu was thinking about whether to give Zhang Rui a bonus or something else, Ji Seok-jin, who had already tasted the sauerkraut fish, looked at Huang Xu and asked.

"Xiao Xu, are you sure this is only 6,000 won?"

"Yes, didn't I just say that? It's only six thousand."

“Can you really make money?”

Ji Seok Jin looked into Huang Xu's eyes and asked about the doubts in his heart at the moment.

Before he tasted the finished sauerkraut fish, he felt that such a cheap dish would not taste very good.

After tasting it, I found that it tasted really good and the portion was big.

Now he was a little skeptical. How on earth did Huang Xu do it? He was able to keep the price so low while ensuring the taste, portion, and even the speed of serving the food were so good.

This made Ji Seok-jin a little confused.

Because no matter how you think about it, these are unlikely to come true.

Huang Xu looked at Ji Seok Jin's curious eyes, and Huang Xu kept it a secret again, then said to the two of them:

"Eat first. After dinner, I'll take you to the kitchen and you'll know."

"alright."

Seeing that Huang Xu was still keeping them in suspense and insisted on waiting for them to finish their meal before going to watch it themselves, the two of them sped up their actions.

A few minutes later, the two people who had finished eating followed Huang Xu to the kitchen and saw that the kitchen could produce forty or fifty sets of meals in about ten minutes.

But when the two saw the situation inside, Ji Seok-jin became a little uneasy.

"Xiao Xu, are they the only two in the kitchen?"

"Yes, didn't you see it?"

"This"

“Does it feel a little unbelievable?”

"Yeah, how can two people be so fast?"

"You'll know after you wait and see."

After Huang Xu finished speaking, he asked the two "chefs" in the kitchen to demonstrate the production process of the sauerkraut fish set meal.

Then Kim Jong Kook and Ji Seok Jin looked inside in shock. It only took one minute to complete a plate of pickled fish.

This made the two people who watched the whole process feel a little bit unbelievable. After they followed Huang Xu out, they were still in a daze.

"How is this possible? Is cooking so simple?"

Recalling what the two chefs had done just now, he put the snow pan directly on the gas stove, then scooped a spoonful of the fish soup that had been heating nearby into it, put some kimchi in it, then put in a bag of fish fillets, and then poured a spoonful of cooking oil, and the dish was done.

The whole cooking process takes no more than a minute.

This also explains why we were able to prepare a 40-50 point pickled fish set meal in just ten minutes.

And now Ji Seok-jin feels that this speed is not their limit. If their proficiency is improved, the speed of serving food may be further increased.

However, these only explain why the food can be served so quickly, but cannot explain why the price is so cheap. Therefore, after Ji Seok-jin reacted, he looked directly at Huang Xu.

Huang Xu looked at Ji Seok Jin's puzzled eyes and did not hide anything this time. Instead, he directly told the truth.

"Generally speaking, the gross profit of a restaurant's dishes must reach 60 to 80 percent. Otherwise, after deducting rent, labor and various miscellaneous expenses, there is no profit at all."

"But mine is different. The gross profit of the dishes is less than 50 percent."

"If it's less than 50%, then won't that mean we lose money?"

"No, don't worry, Brother Shizhen."

Seeing Ji Seok Jin's anxious look, Huang Xu continued to explain slowly.

"There must be a reason why they can still make money with such a low gross profit margin."

"First of all, except for rice, all the dishes here are prepared in advance and only need to be heated up before use, which can save a lot of chef wages."

"Secondly, everything here is prefabricated, with almost no loss, so we can save a lot."

"Also, the rent here is relatively cheap, so the cost will naturally not be very high."

"The most important thing is that the food is served quickly and the table turnover is fast, so the number of customers we can receive will naturally be more, and the cost will be reduced."

“That’s why we can still make money even if we sell it so cheaply.”

"really."

After listening to Huang Xu's explanation, Ji Seok-jin and Kim Jong-kook were also shocked by his ideas. They had never thought that there could be such a way of playing before.

So after thinking for a while, he nodded and agreed with Huang Xu's explanation.

Ji Seok-jin was just about to tell Huang Xu about his franchise store, but when he saw the empty environment around him, he suddenly remembered something and asked Huang Xu.

"That's not right. This place is so remote. Will anyone come here to eat? If no one comes, how can we maintain the profit?"

"Well, there's no rush."

Huang Xu looked at Ji Shizhen's frown, still appearing calm and collected. After raising his hand to check the time, he spoke to the two of them with confidence.

"You will know the reason after you wait for ten minutes."

(End of this chapter)