NOVEL NEXT 9
“The amount of leftovers has increased.”
“!”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Lee In-cheol peered into the food waste bin.
“There is a lot… But isn’t it because we’re selling more, like you said? Our soup bowls are quite large, so people who eat less tend to leave more.”
“I don’t think it’s just that.”
While it required careful observation to notice, the increase in leftovers wasn’t a good sign, regardless of the reason.
If left unchecked, it could snowball into a bigger problem.
“But you said taste wasn’t the issue? Then why? What’s the problem?!”
Lee In-cheol clutched his head in anguish.
“Well, we’ll have to figure that out now.”
Identifying problems in your own establishment is always challenging, even for someone like me with decades of experience.
People tend to think along the lines of what’s comfortable for them. Even if they vaguely sense a reason, it’s easy to rationalize and dismiss it, thinking, “Surely it can’t be just because of this?”
“Everything seems perfect…”
Lee In-cheol muttered softly.
According to my plan, word should have been spreading beyond our primary market into the secondary market by now.
Reducing the menu and focusing on one specialty dish was meant to achieve that. It was a plan to capture not just the primary market, but the secondary and tertiary markets as well.
An increase in leftovers at such a crucial time?
It shouldn’t be happening. Now that we’ve noticed, we needed to quickly identify and fix the problem to maintain our growth.
“Hmm…”
After scrutinizing the restaurant interior, I turned to the still-dejected Lee In-cheol.
“Boss, could you serve me a bowl of soup just like you would for a customer?”
“What? We’ve already cleaned up the kitchen.”
“Is that really important right now?”
Lee In-cheol wilted under my gaze.
“Alright, I’ll bring it out soon.”
“No, not right away. I want to simulate being a real customer.”
After explaining the situation to Kim Jong-chun, I stepped outside the restaurant, then re-entered. The familiar interior greeted me.
“Welcome. How many in your party?”
Kim Jong-chun greeted me skillfully.
“Just one.”
“This way, please.”
After settling at an inner table, I removed my coat and set my bag aside.
“One bowl of soup, please.”
“Certainly. One soup coming up.”
Kim Jong-chun smiled as he took the order, then entered it into the register. A sizzling sound of a ticket being printed came from inside.
“Table 1, one soup~”
“One soup!”
Kim Jong-chun called out, and Lee In-cheol responded. My gaze naturally drifted towards the kitchen.
The sight of the broth boiling in huge pots was impressive. Soon, the food was prepared and served as a complete meal.
Kim Jong-chun brought it to my table. As the bowl was set down with a thud, an appetizing aroma wafted up. The rising steam made my mouth water.
Just as I was about to take a spoonful…
“How is it?!”
Lee In-cheol couldn’t contain himself and shouted from the kitchen. Kim Jong-chun tried to restrain him.
“He hasn’t even taken a bite yet, In-cheol.”
“Hurry and try it! This is strange. Nothing’s changed recently… Am I losing my sense of taste from eating too much?”
Seeing Lee In-cheol so flustered, I set my spoon down with a clank.
I hadn’t taken a single bite.
“Boss.”
“What? Am I being too noisy? Should I leave so you can evaluate honestly?”
“I can tell without eating.”
It was hard to suppress the incredulous smile threatening to escape.
“What?”
“Come out and see for yourself.”
At my call, Lee In-cheol rushed out and looked down at the table. The soup, radish kimchi, fresh vegetable salad, and cucumber pepper.
It was an ordinary scene, no different from usual. A spread we’d seen countless times today alone.
“What about it?”
It seems he couldn’t perceive it himself. I decided to demonstrate directly.
Rather than me or Lee In-cheol… My eyes met Kim Jong-chun’s, who was watching us from the dining area. Perfect.
“Ahjussi, you haven’t had dinner yet, right?”
“Huh? Oh, y-yeah?”
Kim Jong-chun’s eyes widened as if wondering why I suddenly called his name.
“Come and have some soup.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Yes, right now.”
As I smiled sweetly in response, Kim Jong-chun hesitantly stepped forward. When he sat across from me, I slid the bowl of soup over to him.
“I haven’t even touched the spoon. It’s fresh, so feel free to eat.”
“Oh, well, I appreciate it. I was hungry.”
Kim Jong-chun grinned and began to eat the soup with gusto.
“Why are you suddenly feeding him? What’s the reason?”
“Just wait and see.”
At my reply, Lee In-cheol thumped his chest in frustration. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-chun continued to devour the soup, even adding some radish kimchi.
“Wow~ This is really delicious. I’m not usually a big fan of soup, but this goes down so smoothly.”
“Ahem. Is that so? Well, of course. Do you know how much effort I put into making this broth?”
Lee In-cheol’s lips curled up slightly at Kim Jong-chun’s praise, though he tried to hide it.
Perhaps due to working without proper meal breaks, Kim Jong-chun finished his meal in no time.
“Ah~ I’m full.”
Patting his belly and leaning back in his chair, he was the very picture of a satisfied diner.
“Tasty, right?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“See? The taste is fine.”
Lee In-cheol looked at me, bewildered. I tapped the stone bowl.
“Look here.”
“……?”
At my words, everyone huddled around, craning their necks to peer into the bowl.
“There’s some left, right?”
“Well, I ate most of it… Haha. I’m just full.”
Kim Jong-chun laughed awkwardly, making excuses.
“Ahjussi, you’re eating this after working without dinner, so you probably ate more than usual. But there’s still some left, right?”
“…You’re right.”
“Other people would leave even more.”
Lee In-cheol nodded at my words.
“That’s odd. We always serve a fixed amount of rice, and the meat garnish has a set number of pieces.”
If the amount of rice and meat hasn’t changed, there’s only one reason for the leftovers.
“How does the amount of broth now compare to two months ago?”
“Ah…!”
Lee In-cheol seemed to have a sudden realization.
“Oh, well, some customers mentioned as they were leaving that they wished there was more broth. They said it was delicious and they wanted more…”
“So you increased the amount?”
“Just a tiny bit more. Tiny!”
“Either way, you’re serving more than the standard portion, right?”
As I stated bluntly, Lee In-cheol groaned, seemingly at a loss for words.
“Boss, you should know this. You can’t please everyone’s palate. Some will say it’s too salty, others will say it’s bland. Some will say the portion is too large, others will say it’s too small.”
We shouldn’t be swayed by such minor complaints. People’s tastes vary, so there’s no ‘perfect’ answer.
In my opinion, the maximum is 90%. Even if 90 out of 100 people say it’s delicious, about 10 will complain it doesn’t suit their taste.
We shouldn’t miss the 90 satisfied customers just because of complaints from those 10.
Kim Jong-chun, who had been fidgeting beside us, quietly chimed in.
“But it’s not like we’re reducing the portion. We’re just being generous and giving a bit more. What’s wrong with that? It’s all about human kindness, right?”
“Large portions at a low price can be a selling point, true. In fact, our profit margins are lower than other places, so we are price competitive.”
“Right?”
“However.”
I cut off Kim Jong-chun’s naive remark sharply.
“It changes customers’ satisfaction levels.”
“Huh?”
“Especially with food served in stone bowls like this, people can easily see how much they’ve eaten.”
For a regular restaurant, it might be fine to emphasize various side dishes and generous portions as a trademark.
But this place already has good prices and is plenty competitive in taste. We don’t need to push the ‘generous portions’ angle.
“That satisfying feeling when you finish a whole bowl of soup. You’ve all experienced it, right?”
“That’s true.”
Both Lee In-cheol and Kim Jong-chun nodded in agreement.
“When customers see the empty bottom of the bowl, they’re surprised. ‘Wow, I finished all of this,’ they think.”
I could easily picture people’s eyes widening in surprise.
“And that leads to the thought, ‘Wow, this place is delicious.'”
“Ah…! I see!”
Kim Jong-chun slapped his knee, saying he hadn’t realized that before.
“Ugh. Now that I hear it, everything you say makes sense. Looks like I made a mistake. I’ll stick to the standard portion from tomorrow.”
Only then did I allow a satisfied smile. We were nearing the end of the three-month period.
Sales were precariously close, and we needed to give our all until the very end. We couldn’t afford to let customer satisfaction drop due to issues like this. No, certainly not.
“Fortunately, this was a problem we could see right away. It’s good we can fix it quickly.”
If it had been a more complex issue, it would have been much more troublesome.
Clap, clap!
I clapped my hands to get their attention, then said with a smile,
“Well then, shall we finish closing up?”
As I closed up the dining area, I could hear Lee In-cheol and Kim Jong-chun whispering to each other.
“Wow, In-cheol, you were right.”
“See? I told you.”
“I just thought she was a quick-witted young person, but…”
Kim Jong-chun muttered to himself.
“Maybe…”
I couldn’t quite catch the rest, but I could guess. I secretly smiled to myself.
And not long after,
Kim Jong-chun requested a one-on-one meeting with me.
After closing the restaurant, we sat face to face at a table. Kim Jong-chun began speaking with a nervous expression.
“Woo-yeon, this is quite embarrassing at my age, but… I have a favor to ask.”
Here it comes.
“I’m… thinking of opening a restaurant. Could you help me?”
My eyes gleamed like a predator spotting its prey.