"Two...two thousand?" Luther looked at Mai Ge with surprise. Although two thousand was not much compared to the tens of thousands that a typical large restaurant would need, but it was a bit excessive for a restaurant that had only recently opened.
"Yes." Mai Ge nodded. If the voting was related to the amount of money customers spent, then he regained his confidence. He estimated that no restaurant in Aden Square had a higher price per dish than his. Based on the number of customers who came in everyday, two thousand slips would probably be enough for a few days.
Spending a few thousand to climb a ranking list and then getting a Häagen-Dazs recipe is definitely worth it. As a representative of high-end ice cream, Mai Ge actually likes to eat it quite a bit. He never expected the system to offer this as a reward.
"I need to inform you first that these slips are non-refundable and non-exchangeable, and they will be invalid after they expire. The magical anti-counterfeiting mark on them is only valid for fifteen days. However, if you don't have enough slips, you can go to the polling station to buy more." Luther said to Mai Ge seriously.
"No problem, you guys come in first, I'll go get the money." Mai Ge nodded, turned, and went into the restaurant.
"I didn't expect this boss to be so wealthy, but he's not very bright." Alvin chuckled.
"Shh, don't let him hear us. But that way, we've completed our task for today. We have exactly two thousand slips left in the bag, let's empty it all at once." Luther looked somewhat excited as he pushed open the door and entered the restaurant.
"Wow!" Both of them widened their eyes upon entering the restaurant.
Two luxurious crystal chandeliers shone in the restaurant, their warm yellow light creating a very comfortable atmosphere. Sixteen wooden tables were arranged neatly, and the colors and patterns of the tables and chairs were all the same, making them look extremely comfortable and harmonious. Although they couldn't quite understand the illustrations on the walls, but the few decorative items hanging there left the two of them in awe.
Having frequented various restaurants selling slips in Aden Square for years, the two of them had a good eye. They had seen restaurants adorned with gold and jade, and quite a few large restaurants spanning hundreds of square meters, but this was the first time they had ever seen a restaurant that looked both comfortable and upscale.
If they had to choose, they would prefer to have a meal here rather than in those dazzlingly luxurious restaurants or those large restaurants that can seat hundreds of people.
"This restaurant is bound to be a hit!"
That was the first thought that crossed their minds.
"Two dragon coins." Mai Ge took the money from the counter, walked back, and handed it to Luther.
"Okay, a restaurant can recommend a maximum of five dishes as its signature dishes for the competition list. Customers can also write down five dishes on a single vote. You choose five dishes from the restaurant's menu, and we'll record them for voting." Luther took the money and looked at Mai Ge again.
"Five dishes?" Mai Ge's expression immediately turned troubled.
"Boss, just choose your restaurant's five best-selling dishes. Generally, those are the easiest to get on the list." Alvin said with a smile. They'd seen this situation many times, many restaurant owners struggled with which dishes to include.
"System, add the Braised Chicken Rice to the menu, priced at 800 copper coins, with an extra 50 copper coins for a bowl of rice." Mai Ge thought to himself. He wasn't struggling with which dish to choose, but rather that there weren't enough dishes on the menu, he couldn't even get five.
"Ding! Writing complete. 20 copper coins have been deducted for writing." The system's voice sounded.
"Then you can just copy from the menu. Sweet Tofu Pudding counts as one dish, and Savory Tofu Pudding counts as one dish. That'll make five dishes." Mai Ge grabbed a menu from the table next to him, opened it, and handed it to Luther.
"Only four dishes!" Luther exclaimed in surprise as he glanced at the menu.
"This...this price, boss, you didn't make a mistake, did you?" Alvin also came over to take a look, his eyes widening in disbelief.
The cheapest dish on the menu was 200 copper coins, and the most expensive, Braised Chicken Rice, was a whopping 800 copper coins, plus an extra 50 copper coins for a bowl of rice!
This price was rare, even after they had searched the entire Aden Square. Even the whole roasted lamb at Dukas Restaurant, which ranked first on the food list, only cost 2,500 copper coins, which was only enough to buy three servings of Braised Chicken Rice at this restaurant.
What an absurd price!
The same thought flashed through Luther and Alvin's minds at the same time. They had just thought that with the restaurant's style, it would be unreasonable for it not to be popular, but with this price, it would be a miracle if it was popular!
"Just write it down." Mai Ge said, too lazy to explain, nodding to signal them to copy the menu.
"Alright." Luther didn't bother to say more. He took out his notebook and copied down the dishes and their prices one by one. When he got to the tofu pudding, he asked again, "Boss, are you really going to make this dish into two separate dishes?"
"Yes, just write 'Sweet Tofu Pudding' and 'Savory Tofu Pudding'." Mai Ge nodded with a smile, it really wasn't a single dish.
"Okay, then we'll put all five dishes up for you." Luther nodded, closed the notebook, took all the slips from the bag and piled them on the table, said goodbye to Mai Ge, and left.
"This owner is rich, but he's probably not very bright." Alvin glanced back at the restaurant as he left and said softly.
"I agree with you this time." Luther nodded. A sane business owner wouldn't set such high prices for a newly opened restaurant, would he?
As for the two thousand slips, Luther thought that it would be good if Mai Ge could use ten of them. He estimated that not a single customer would come to vote, and it would be embarrassing to be at the bottom among hundreds of restaurants.
"These two thousand slips will probably only last three or four days. I'll have to buy more then. This catering association is really a bloodsucker!" Mai Ge picked up a slip and looked at it, feeling a little sorry for his money. If Sally officially joins tomorrow, the restaurant can provide more than one hundred servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, more than six hundred Rou Jia Mo, nine hundred servings of tofu pudding, plus an unknown number of Braised Chicken Rice. Although many of these are repeat purchases by customers, but there should be nearly one thousand customers dining in the restaurant everyday.
This is the benefit of improved physical fitness. Before he recovered, he couldn't have made that much food even if he worked himself to death. With the improvement of physical fitness points, the efficiency of cooking should be able to continue to increase. However, at that time, he will need to consider the issue of restaurant expansion, otherwise there will be no place for customers to sit even if he can serve the food.
"System, we don't have to worry about not having customers anymore, why are you still issuing this kind of pointless task?" Mai Ge asked in his mind, somewhat puzzled.
"Host, as a candidate for the Chef God, how can you be satisfied with the status quo of having some fame among a small group of customers? Conquer Aden Square with your food! Conquer the Nolan Continent! Conquer this world! That is the ambition and confidence that a Chef God should have!" The system's impassioned voice rang out.
"You're crazy. I just want to be a handsome man who cooks quietly." Mai Ge rolled his eyes.