Chapter 226 Big Customer
County Town.
Eastward Village.
Wang Yong was discussing with his wife, Liu Yiying, about hosting a full-month banquet for their eldest grandson.
Wang Yong said, "My dear, when our son and daughter-in-law got married last year, I invested all our money into building the factory. That was a tough time for our family, so their wedding banquet was very simple, even shabby.
Now that our factory has started making some money, I want to hold a proper full-month banquet for our grandson. What do you think?"
Liu Yiying nodded and said, "Okay, let's make it a big event. We can even invite a troupe to perform for a few days to liven things up."
Wang Yong replied, "Hiring a troupe is easy and won't cost much. But I have another idea I'd like to discuss with you."
Liu Yiying asked, "What's your idea?"
Wang Yong said, "I don't want to hold the banquet at home. Instead, I plan to host it at Suifeng Restaurant. What do you think?"
Liu Yiying was momentarily stunned. She was well aware of Suifeng Restaurant, which had opened just a few days ago. At the time, the promotional team had paraded through the streets with gongs and billboards, drawing hundreds of onlookers. The entire county was buzzing about it. Practically everyone in the county and its surrounding areas knew about the new restaurant.
She also knew that Suifeng Restaurant was currently the largest restaurant in the county. Hosting a full-month banquet for their eldest grandson there would undoubtedly be a great honor.
Liu Yiying was immediately intrigued.
However, despite her excitement, she still had some concerns. "Your idea of hosting the banquet at Suifeng Restaurant is indeed a good one, but I'm not sure how expensive it is. Is it worth it?"
Wang Yong confidently replied, "When it comes to business, prices can always be negotiated. Suifeng Restaurant has just opened, and we're likely to be their first banquet guests. As long as the owner isn't foolish, they'll give us a significant discount."
Liu Yiying nodded and said, "In that case, go and talk to the restaurant owner first. If the price is reasonable, we'll go ahead and host a proper full-month banquet for our grandson."
Seeing his wife agree, Wang Yong stood up and said, "Since you have no objections, I'll head over to Suifeng Restaurant now to discuss the matter."
...
Suifeng Restaurant
As usual, Deng Shirong sat with Zhang Guangzong, chatting and drinking.
Today marked the seventh day since the restaurant's opening. Thanks to the publicity on the first day, business had been improving steadily. Even after the initial 20% discount period ended, the turnover on the fourth day didn't drop; in fact, it increased slightly, and profits were even higher.
Yesterday, the restaurant's sales revenue broke the 100-yuan mark for the first time, which delighted Deng Shirong, his son, daughter, and daughter-in-law.
With the restaurant off to a good start and its turnover stabilizing, Deng Shirong planned to take his children, including Deng Yunzhu, back to their hometown.
On one hand, the children were too distracted in the county, which affected their studies.
On the other hand, it was already late May in the lunar calendar. In about a month, the longans at White Duckweed Farm would be ready for harvest. Deng Shirong needed to return to Temple Lotus in advance to find a suitable house—whether to rent or buy—to temporarily store the longans before transferring them to his system space.
Having made up his mind, Deng Shirong mentioned this to Zhang Guangzong. "Uncle Zhang, the restaurant is stable now. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll take the children back home tomorrow. I'll come back to drink with you sometime."
Zhang Guangzong had long known that the main managers of the restaurant were the boss's son and daughter-in-law, so he wasn't surprised by Deng Shirong's decision. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, boss. I'll take care of the restaurant. Nothing will go wrong."
As the two were talking, a customer walked in.
It was past ten in the morning, and only Deng Shirong and Zhang Guangzong had started drinking. The restaurant hadn't even served its working meal yet. Few diners came at this time, as it was neither early nor late—most people who had eaten breakfast weren't hungry yet.
However, no matter the time, if a customer came in, they had to be welcomed warmly.
The waitress, Zhang Wenjuan, immediately approached and said, "Hello, comrade. Please take a seat over here."
The customer was none other than Wang Yong from Eastward Village. He sat down at the nearest table and got straight to the point. "I want to hold a full-month banquet for my eldest grandson at your restaurant. Let your boss come and talk to me!"
Deng Shirong's eyes lit up at this. He had expanded the restaurant to such a large scale mainly to handle large banquets like weddings, full-month celebrations, and birthdays. Taking on more such events would naturally bring in significant profits.
However, he also knew that people's financial situations in this era weren't as good as in later years. Few would consider hosting a banquet at a restaurant, preferring to hold it at home if possible.
Deng Shirong had assumed that in two or three years, as more people became wealthy, some would be willing to host wedding banquets at the restaurant. After all, holding a banquet at a restaurant was more prestigious than hosting it at home. Chinese people placed great importance on face, and Deng Shirong, having lived for a total of 80 or 90 years across two lifetimes, was well aware of this.
However, he hadn't expected that just one week after opening, a customer would come to discuss hosting a banquet. This was a pleasant surprise.
Deng Shirong nodded to Zhang Guangzong, stood up, and walked over to the customer. He sat down and greeted him with a smile. "Hello, comrade. I'm the owner of this restaurant. My surname is Deng. May I ask what your surname is?"
Being able to open such a large restaurant in the county, the boss was clearly no ordinary person. As a businessman, Wang Yong didn't put on airs and politely replied, "Hello, Boss Deng. My surname is Wang."
Soon, Zhang Xiuping personally brewed a pot of good tea and brought it over.
Deng Yuntai sat at a nearby table, quietly listening to the conversation between his father and the customer, learning how to handle distinguished guests who came to the restaurant to host banquets.
After a few pleasantries, Wang Yong got straight to the point. "Boss Deng, I want to hold my grandson's full-month banquet at your restaurant. How much do you charge for banquets?"
Deng Shirong smiled and explained, "Comrade Wang, currently, there are two main ways to host banquets at our restaurant.
The first is a fixed menu set by our restaurant. We have an ordinary set meal at 18 yuan per table, a medium set meal at 28 yuan per table, a high-end set meal at 38 yuan per table, and a luxurious set meal at 68 yuan per table.
The second option is for the customer to choose their own dishes, and the price will be determined based on the dishes selected.
Comrade Wang, would you prefer to choose your own dishes or go with one of our set menus?"
(End of this chapter)