The shop Xu Ru was looking at was located in Halo Shopping Park.
It was part of the Halo Commercial Complex.
Halo Shopping Park was a high-end commercial project developed by Hong Kong Land.
It was backed by Jiangnan City's most famous affluent neighborhood.
Next to it was a high-end office building project.
Whether it was the white-collar elite or the wealthy demographic, both perfectly suited the market positioning of Beicheng Restaurant.
A high-end business dining establishment.
The shop wasn't inside the Halo Shopping Mall but was situated by an artificial lake on the side, offering a comfortable environment. It was a standalone two-story commercial building.
Transportation and parking were also very convenient.
Jiang Beicheng was very satisfied with the location.
The business manager from the property management company accompanied Jiang Beicheng to view the shop, introducing the unique advantages of Halo Shopping Park.
Besides the location and market positioning advantages, Halo Shopping Park was also a well-known social media hotspot in Jiangnan City.
Tourists from both within and outside the city came in droves to check in.
This ensured a steady flow of customers.
Jiang Beicheng nodded after the tour and asked, "How much is the rent?"
The business manager replied, "Mr. Jiang, this two-story standalone commercial space is slightly more expensive than the ones inside the mall.
The company's rent is 300 per square meter."
At 300 yuan per square meter per month, with the standalone commercial space totaling nearly 600 square meters, the monthly rent came to 180,000 yuan.
The annual rent would exceed 2 million yuan.
Malls typically required leases of three to five years.
Not accounting for subsequent rent increases, the initial investment for rent alone would be in the tens of millions.
The investment was even larger than that of Li Ji.
Without the system's special investment fund, a novice entrepreneur like Jiang Beicheng would definitely have to carefully consider the investment costs.
After all, no one could guarantee that Beicheng Restaurant would definitely survive.
The investment risk was too high.
The system's special funds could only be used for business investments, so Jiang Beicheng didn't have too many concerns.
Whether it was a loss or a profit, the system's intention was to cultivate his investment mindset and gradually accumulate experience.
With the system, he could afford the cost of trial and error.
Who could blame him for wasting so many years before, achieving nothing in the business world?
These were the paths he had to take.
"How long is the rent-free period?" Jiang Beicheng continued to ask.
"The company policy is two months, but I've spoken with Ms. Xu and know that your renovation period will be relatively long. I can try to secure three months for you," the business manager said.
Jiang Beicheng nodded.
After viewing the shop, they walked toward the mall.
"Mr. Jiang, could I have your contact information?" the business manager asked, catching up.
Jiang Beicheng replied, "You can coordinate directly with Manager Xu."
"Alright, Mr. Jiang, Ms. Xu, if you have any needs, we're at your service anytime," the business manager said, stepping forward to hold the door open for them.
He proactively ordered two cups of coffee for them.
Jiang Beicheng said to Xu Ru, "The shop is nice, but the price is a bit high.
Talk to their general manager and try to bring the price down to 270.
Also, find a reliable lawyer to review the contract."
"I'll get on it right away," Xu Ru responded.
"How's things going with Old Wu?"
"They're all apprentices trained by Old Wu, very reliable. Also, Old Wu brought in his senior brother from his hometown. The price is a bit high—400,000 annual salary."
That was higher than the average salary for chefs in Jiangnan City.
But poaching renowned chefs from the coast was no easy feat.
"Pay it!" Jiang Beicheng decided without hesitation.
For a high-quality dining experience, the first investment had to be in the kitchen.
Beicheng Restaurant wasn't one of those small eateries or franchise stores that pinched pennies on budgets. It was Jiang Beicheng's flagship for high-end business dining.
Only by making the first store a success could they talk about expansion and going national.
Jiang Beicheng added, "Whether it's the kitchen or the front of house, including renovations, as long as it's within the budget—or even slightly over—you can go ahead and do it.
Money can be spent, but I want to see results.
You've worked with my mom for so many years, you know her standards. Her standards are the minimum for Beicheng Restaurant."
Xu Ru nodded, understanding that Young Mr. Jiang was determined to surpass the legend of Li Ji and start a new chapter for business dining in Jiangnan City.
She was actually quite excited about it.
"Mr. Jiang, Ms. Xu, iced Americanos," the business manager said, bringing over the coffees.
"Thank you," Jiang Beicheng said with a smile as he took the coffee.
He sat for a while before leaving. Xu Ru went to the property management operations department to negotiate with the general manager.
Before dinner, Jiang Beicheng got a response from Xu Ru: the price couldn't be lowered.
The lowest they'd go was 285.
Jiang Beicheng instructed, "No rush, take your time negotiating.
While negotiating, keep an eye on other brands. If there's competition, then we'll sign with them."
The strategy was to string along the property management department and wear down their patience.
The physical retail industry hadn't been doing well in recent years, and the (dining) industry was even tougher. An investment of tens of millions would make even the biggest dining brands in Jiangnan City think twice.
Jiang Beicheng felt that with some persistence, they could likely get the price down.
If they signed at 270, they could save 300,000 to 400,000 a year. Wouldn't that money be better spent on the employees?
Xu Ru understood Jiang Beicheng's approach. "Got it, Young Mr. Jiang. I'll also check out the shops at Tianjie and Joy City."
"Good, having a couple of backup plans isn't a bad idea," Jiang Beicheng said before hanging up, changing clothes, and heading downstairs to work out.
…
Xu Ru negotiated with the Halo Mall's property management company for days, wearing out her tongue. Just when it seemed like they were about to agree, a competitor suddenly emerged.
She hurriedly called Jiang Beicheng.
"Sister Xu, good news or bad news?" Jiang Beicheng had just finished a spa session, taken a shower, and was lying on the bed wrapped in a bath towel when he answered the call.
"Young Mr. Jiang, the price has been brought down, but they're not signing with us."
Jiang Beicheng frowned slightly. "Who?"
He could guess someone was stirring up trouble.
Xu Ru: "An old acquaintance, Chaoniu Hotpot."
Jiang Beicheng laughed. "The Zeng father and son are like lingering ghosts."
"Zeng Haifeng isn't involved. I ran into Zeng Wei at the property management company today. He personally went to negotiate with their general manager."
"If we sign at the original price of 285, is there any chance?" Jiang Beicheng asked.
"It's probably tough," Xu Ru analyzed. "They're prioritizing the brand influence of Chaoniu Hotpot.
They're even planning a grand signing ceremony for their entry."
Chaoniu Hotpot was indeed a big name in Jiangnan City, with its own built-in customer base.
The mall would naturally prefer to collaborate with a dining brand like that. Even if it meant lowering the rent slightly, the mall was willing.
It was all about sharing customer traffic.
It was the same logic as new commercial projects offering major brands rent-free periods of one or two years.
Compared to Beicheng Restaurant, which was still in the planning phase, the mall would rather give prime locations to established brands.
This was getting interesting.
Chaoniu Hotpot was making such bold moves—weren't they worried about their cash flow?
Did Zeng Wei genuinely want to move into Halo?
Or was he, as the president of the (Catering Association), trying to make things difficult for Jiang Beicheng's startup?
Jiang Beicheng didn't dwell on it too much. To establish himself in Jiangnan City's dining scene, Zeng Wei was someone he couldn't avoid.
Jiang Beicheng told Xu Ru to keep negotiating and see if there was any room to maneuver while also reaching out for backup plans.
After discussing business and hanging up, just a few minutes later, Zeng Wei called Jiang Beicheng.
Jiang Beicheng was curious to see what tricks this old fox was up to.
"Nephew Beicheng, I saw Xu Ru at Halo today. About that shop, I need to explain to avoid any misunderstanding…" Zeng Wei started with his usual polite spiel.
Jiang Beicheng was tired of hearing it and cut him off. "Old Zeng, competition is normal. No need to play the good guy in front of me."
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