Chapter 279: A Food Festival with New Rules for Small Shop
In the meeting room, members of the Shrek City Culinary Association were enthusiastically discussing the upcoming festival when someone suddenly said, "Um… if nothing unexpected happens, the most popular dish this time will probably be from Small Shop, right?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the room fell into an eerie silence.
Sitting at the head of the table, Xuan Ye's expression turned slightly awkward.
Indeed, every dish from Small Shop met the criteria for participating in this year's food festival.
And as for Small Shop's cuisine…
Claiming that every dish from Small Shop was superior to all other contestants might be a bit exaggerated. After all, Douluo Continent had its own share of excellent cuisine.
However, if asked which dish was most likely to be the crowd favorite, everyone present instinctively thought of Small Shop's offerings.
Setting aside other dishes, the three Purple Card dishes currently offered by Small Shop alone were unmatched by any other cuisine.
Anyone with a functioning palate would know which to choose.
As a result, the lively enthusiasm for discussing the festival's rules suddenly dimmed after hearing that member's remark.
With Small Shop participating, the outcome of this year's food festival seemed almost predetermined.
In all likelihood, the competition for the crowd's favorite dish would just end up as an internal rivalry among Small Shop's three Purple Card dishes.
"Um… a few days ago, I happened to take my family on a trip to Star Luo City to watch the Advanced Spirit Master Academy Fighting Tournament, and we also visited the Small Shop's branch there," another member couldn't help but speak up.
"In that branch, aside from the dishes already available at Small Shop, there was also a fascinating new dining experience called hot pot. You could say it offers something for everyone—different diners can choose different ingredients to cook…" Seeing the curious expressions around him, the member went on to explain the concept of hot pot in detail.
Few people knew about hot pot, and upon hearing about this novel dish, everyone was once again amazed.
This hot pot… it sounded even more impressive than the Purple Card dishes.
After all, even the finest Purple Card dishes couldn't cater to all tastes perfectly. Yet hot pot, whether for vegetarians or meat lovers, whether for those who liked spicy food or mild flavors, offered something tailored to everyone's preferences. Just this feature alone justified describing it as "all-encompassing."
"And…" the member added, "you all know about the Star Luo City Food Critique Magazine, right?"
Most of those present nodded in agreement. They had heard of the popular Food Critique Magazine that had been trending in Star Luo City for quite some time.
"Small Shop, owned by Boss Qi, dominated the latest issue of the magazine—its dishes occupied the entire top sixteen positions…" After saying this, the member glanced silently at everyone and stopped talking.
Everyone's expressions turned strange.
Although the Shrek Food Festival would ultimately crown only one most popular dish as the champion, the top ten dishes would also be announced.
While second to tenth place didn't gain as much fame as the champion, being listed in the top ten was still excellent publicity for the participating dishes.
Previously, none of those present had considered one particular possibility. However, after hearing this member's words, the thought couldn't help but arise in their minds.
What if… Small Shop swept the entire top ten?
"This… I have a suggestion." After a moment of silence, the refined middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, his expression conflicted. "Let me clarify first—I'm a regular customer at Small Shop, and this suggestion is made with no personal bias."
After that disclaimer, he continued, "How about we limit the number of dishes each restaurant can enter to a maximum of nine?"
Since the list only recorded the top ten, limiting each restaurant to nine dishes would naturally prevent any one establishment from monopolizing the entire top ten.
With the rule that dishes previously entered in the festival couldn't compete again, very few restaurants would have enough new dishes to submit.
After all, dishes entered in the food festival had to be a restaurant's best creations.
In other words, the only restaurants likely to introduce a large number of new dishes were those that had opened in the past three years.
And while there were other new restaurants in Shrek City besides Small Shop, Small Shop was the only one with the strength to dominate the top ten.
The refined middle-aged man's suggestion clearly placed Small Shop at a disadvantage.
No wonder he felt the need to declare his lack of bias before bringing it up.
Even so, many members present, who were loyal patrons of Small Shop and had a favorable impression of the restaurant, showed visible dissatisfaction.
Among them was Xuan Ye, seated at the head of the table.
Xuan Ye's expression turned serious. "Qin Fang, your suggestion puts Small Shop at a significant disadvantage while having little to no impact on other restaurants. I believe you when you say you have no personal bias, but this clearly goes against the principle of fairness that the food festival upholds."
Qin Fang, the middle-aged man who had proposed the suggestion, looked slightly pained upon hearing Xuan Ye's response. "Lord Shenniu—"
"Call me President when we are in the association," Xuan Ye interrupted.
"Alright—President, have you considered how the other restaurants will feel if no restrictions are placed on Small Shop?"
"What do you mean?" Xuan Ye furrowed his brows, not fully understanding Qin Fang's point.
With a bitter smile, Qin Fang explained, "The original intention of the food festival is to gather the best cuisines from all over the continent, select the most popular dishes, and encourage chefs to innovate and improve. We don't offer any monetary or tangible rewards—instead, we help the top ten dishes gain fame. For all the participating restaurants, the primary motivation is to increase the reputation of their dishes."
Though slightly utilitarian, his explanation was honest. After hearing it, Xuan Ye gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"There's something I haven't reported yet," Qin Fang continued after a brief pause. "Ten days before each food festival, we open registration for dishes. Registration for this year's festival began three days ago, but the number of dishes registered is down by 70% compared to previous years."
"Many of the restaurants that regularly participate chose not to sign up this year because they fear Small Shop's dominance. They're worried that the gap in votes between their dishes and Small Shop's will be too great, leading to a futile effort that damages their reputation rather than helps it."
"If this situation continues, the credibility of the Shrek Food Festival will take a severe hit. The festival has always prided itself on gathering the finest cuisines from across the continent. If participation drops drastically compared to previous years, it will be difficult to keep the event going."
Xuan Ye's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he spoke quietly, "Limiting each restaurant to nine dishes—will that really solve the problem?"
"Everyone knows it's not hard for Small Shop to dominate the rankings. This solution is a compromise for both sides. Small Shop won't be able to monopolize the top ten, while other restaurants will at least have a shot at making it onto the list. Even if they can only compete for a single spot in the top ten, it gives them hope. In that case, they'll be more likely to participate." Qin Fang had a clear understanding of how the other restaurants felt.
"But… how should we approach Boss Qi to discuss this?"
"Sigh…" Xuan Ye let out a heavy sigh. "Very well. I'll put my old face on the line and personally go talk to Boss Qi."
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