NOVEL NEXT 6
‘It was bound to happen.’
That’s what I thought. If anything, Lee In-cheol had shown remarkable patience.
Even before my regression, when I offered business advice to various small business owners, few followed my suggestions to the letter.
This is because in business, it’s difficult to see the tangible effects of one’s actions.
With multiple factors intertwined, owners struggle to pinpoint the exact reason for dwindling customers.
As a result, they might wonder if the food’s taste is lacking, purchase expensive recipes from famous establishments, renovate the interior, or shower customers with services.
Lee In-cheol, with his unwavering faith in his food’s taste and modest business ambitions, had quietly persevered until now.
Others might have long since suggested adding more menu items or introducing drinking snacks for the evening.
‘There’s no point in flatly refusing here. After all, Lee In-cheol is the owner.’
I don’t want to disrupt the restaurant’s hierarchy either.
A restaurant runs smoothly when the owner maintains control. I won’t be here forever, and if I usurp all decision-making power, the restaurant might flounder.
Ultimately, this place belongs to Lee In-cheol, and I’m merely sharing a portion of the revenue in exchange for some assistance.
This called for sincere persuasion rather than forceful opposition.
I pulled out a chair across from Lee In-cheol and sat down. This conversation seemed likely to be a long one.
“Is it because of those customers earlier?”
“It’s not just that. We used to sell alcohol here before, remember? Some of our regulars, though few, said their life’s joy was having a shot of soju with their soup.”
“…….”
“I agreed to remove alcohol from the menu when you asked, since I gave you full authority… but seeing our loyal customers, who’ve supported us through tough times, leave empty-handed because we don’t serve alcohol—it stings.”
I could understand Lee In-cheol’s feelings.
Regulars, especially those who frequent struggling establishments, are inherently appreciated. While all customers are valuable, regulars hold a special place.
“When there were no customers, those folks would drink with me, share life stories. It must’ve been tough, keeping company with a stubborn old man. Yet they never complained….”
Lee In-cheol’s eyes grew distant, as if reminiscing about the past.
“That weighs on my mind, and I’ve never heard of a soup place that doesn’t serve alcohol. It wouldn’t change much if we sold some drinks along with the soup. What do you think about selling alcohol too?”
I tapped the table with my fingertips, a habit when deep in thought.
After a moment of careful consideration, I slowly began to speak.
“You’ve run a drinking establishment before, so you know. The moment we start selling alcohol, we’ll face unimaginable, outlandish situations every evening.”
“…….”
“If we’re going to sell alcohol properly, we’d need to add suitable side dishes to the menu too.”
“We used to sell things like pajeon before.”
“Yes, I know. But our kitchen is too small to accommodate additional side dishes.”
I glanced towards the kitchen as I spoke.
“Even now, the kitchen is on the small side. It can’t be helped given the overall size of the place.”
In my opinion, the ideal ratio is a 50-50 split between the dining area and the kitchen.
But realistically, that makes it difficult to achieve profitability even with high table turnover.
That’s why most places open with a kitchen-to-dining ratio of about 1:3.
This place is roughly similar in size, but with the dining area barely fitting five tables, the kitchen is even more cramped.
“It was possible before because we had few customers. But if people flood in like they do at lunchtime, could we manage both soup and pajeon?”
“…….”
Lee In-cheol pressed his lips together.
Among food businesses, soup requires relatively less hands-on work.
Though making the broth is labor-intensive, once that’s done, it doesn’t take long to serve customers.
We’ve made it even easier for Lee In-cheol by unifying the menu to a single item.
‘But it still wouldn’t have been easy.’
Of course not.
‘Novice owners tend to panic when faced with a sudden influx of customers.’
Lee In-cheol has extensive culinary experience but limited business know-how. He’s barely managing orders for a single menu item, let alone adding pajeon.
It’s impractical.
“…It would be difficult.”
Lee In-cheol acknowledged his limitations rather gracefully.
Unlike soup, which is finished by blanching sliced meat and ladling broth, pajeon requires much more hands-on preparation.
From ingredient preparation to making the batter and frying—it would be overwhelming to perfect everything in that tiny kitchen.
“Boss, remember what I said at the beginning? This place is small, so to increase profits, we have no choice but to improve turnover rate.”
“Ugh. You did say that.”
“That’s why we stripped away all the miscellaneous menu items and kept only one. That’s why we lowered the price, reducing our profit margin. It was all for this purpose.”
My business philosophy fundamentally leans towards ‘high volume, low margin.’
Selling fancy food at high prices? That’s what chefs can do.
It’s not an option for a self-taught businessperson like me.
“Usually, the cost of ingredients accounts for about 27-28% of a dish’s price. But we’ve set ours at over 30%. Why? Because that’s what makes people line up to eat here.”
“…….”
“Selling conventionally, we couldn’t make much money at these prices.”
And my strategy has worked quite well so far. Even outside the lunch rush from 12-2 PM, people have started coming in to eat at 11 AM or after 2 PM.
I was planning to install a ticket machine soon, or maybe a system to notify waiting customers via KakaoTalk.
“…Lunch is going as you said. But wouldn’t selling alcohol boost our evening business?”
Lee In-cheol stood his ground.
His desperation for the restaurant’s success was driving this persistence. I could understand that.
“Boss, that would completely change our target demographic.”
“What?”
“I told you, our goal is to increase turnover rate. Alcohol naturally slows that down. People linger and chat when they drink.”
“That’s true, but….”
“This area has lots of officetel buildings and company offices, meaning many single-person households. These are people who find it easier and more convenient to buy dinner than cook for themselves.”
The clearer you are about which age group and demographic you’re targeting, the easier it is for a restaurant to find its footing.
‘I went through a lot of trial and error before my regression. But now I know this place like the back of my hand.’
It’s a typical office district. That’s why lunch business is easy and dinner is a bit trickier.
If we were thinking of selling alcohol, opening a barbecue place would be better. Serve something like kimchi stew loaded with pork for lunch.
That targets office workers looking for a light drink after work.
‘But that’s beyond what Lee In-cheol can handle right now.’
So, by eliminating alcohol, our target instantly shifts to ‘office workers who want to quietly have dinner and head home after work.’
“That’s why we separate the 4-person tables into 2-person tables in the evening. To make it less intimidating for people to come in and eat alone.”
“Oh…?”
“Why do you think I had new bar tables installed by the window?”
That was my target demographic from the start.
Lee In-cheol’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.
“You, since when…!”
“From the very beginning, of course.”
I shrugged, and Lee In-cheol looked dumbfounded.
“That’s the basics of running a business.”
My words seemed to hit Lee In-cheol like a ton of bricks. He frowned as if tasting something bitter, then carefully mulled over what I’d said.
And as far as I knew, Lee In-cheol was someone who accepted sound advice regardless of age.
That’s precisely why I chose this place as my starting point.
“…You’re right.”
Lee In-cheol nodded slowly.
“Turnover rate…. In this tiny restaurant, increasing turnover is the only way to make something of it. Yes. Lunch business is booming, but dinner isn’t, so I guess I got impatient.”
“Don’t worry, Boss.”
I flashed a confident grin.
“We still have quite some time left in the three months I promised, right?”
Though we were already halfway through.
“Ahem. That’s true. It’s much better now compared to before.”
“How much was last month’s revenue?”
“I’d have to calculate the net profit, but… roughly 18 million won?”
The monthly revenue, originally 3 million won, had grown to 18 million. A six-fold increase. An impressive feat in just a month and a half.
‘But we’re still cutting it close to break the 30 million won barrier.’
We need strong dinner sales to support that. I glanced at Lee In-cheol.
“Boss.”
“…What is it?”
“You’re enjoying running the business, aren’t you?”
Lee In-cheol leaned back, seemingly sensing some unease.
“I’m scared now, Woo-yeon, every time you look at me like that.”
“Come on~ Boss, why so distant? We’re closer than that.”
An intense battle of wills passed between our smiling faces. Though Lee In-cheol looked tense, I had already made up my mind.
Grasping Lee In-cheol’s hand firmly, I said,
“Boss.”
With a wide grin, I continued.
“Let’s start doing takeout orders too.”
And just like that, our workload was about to double.