Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Standardizing the Recipe
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Kim Jong-chun continued hesitantly.
“I heard everything from In-cheol. This place used to be a ghost town, but Woo-yeon here helped out and turned it into what it is today.”
Yep. Who do you think it's thanks to?
Sure, it was partly because Lee In-cheol's cooking skills were top-notch to begin with, so even a little push created massive synergy.
But it was me who passed on the secrets he'd have taken years of trial and error to figure out, all in a short time.
“I still can’t quite believe it. A place this packed with customers was barely breaking even just a few months ago... I know In-cheol’s cooking skills well myself. I get that running a business isn’t just about working hard blindly.”
Kim Jong-chun squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“I’m not as good a cook as In-cheol, but I’m confident I’ll work harder than anyone! Woo-yeon, could you give me a chance like that too...?”
His earnest expression must have moved him, because Lee In-cheol, who’d been watching quietly from behind, stepped forward.
“Yeah. I’ll teach this guy everything and make something of him. If we run it with the same flavors and system as our gukbap joint, at least we won’t be in the red, right?”
Oh ho. Looks like the two of them had already talked specifics without me. They’d made that much progress while I was away?
Lee In-cheol didn’t even seem to realize he was talking about expanding into a franchise business.
He just wanted to help out a friend in a tough spot by sharing what he had.
I smirked inwardly.
‘In that case, things just got a lot faster.’
The biggest hurdle in franchising the gukbap restaurant was getting the original owner’s permission.
Once we cleared that, the rest would be smooth sailing.
But I kept up a thoughtful expression and just stared at Kim Jong-chun. He froze up, tense as a fresh college grad waiting for an interview verdict.
‘Thanks to shortening the time it takes to get a gukbap spot up and running, I’ve gotten a lot younger myself. And the younger I look, the easier it is for people to dismiss me.’
Even back when I was the rising star of the food industry at a much older age, plenty ignored my advice and stuck to their stubborn ways.
What I needed now wasn’t a master chef or a shrewd strategist with killer business chops.
I needed someone diligent who’d listen and follow my advice to the letter.
And Kim Jong-chun fit the bill perfectly. Plus, he had a good head for operations, so with a bit more training, he’d handle front-of-house no problem.
The only issue left was...
“Have you ever cooked before?”
At my question, Kim Jong-chun flinched a little before answering.
“...No.”
“What dishes can you make?”
“Kimchi fried rice, maybe... and kimchi stew.”
Beginner level. Even solo dwellers can whip that up.
“And you were planning to run a gukbap restaurant like that?”
“He doesn’t have to cook himself, right? Plenty of places have separate owners and head chefs.”
Lee In-cheol subtly defended Kim Jong-chun. He could pretend otherwise, but the guy had a soft heart and too much affection for his own good.
I said it even more coldly on purpose.
“Does it make sense for a restaurant owner not to know how to make the food they’re selling? What if the head chef suddenly has an emergency or quits over some drama? You gonna close shop until you find a replacement?”
It’s the kind of sudden issue that pops up all the time in the business. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone showed up on time and did their jobs perfectly? But managing people doesn’t work that ideally.
“I’m not saying you have to nail it 100%. But at least 60% competence is a must.”
That was my rule.
“Because if you want to be the boss, you need to understand both the kitchen and the front of house.”
Even if you can’t cook perfectly, you have to at least pretend to learn. That way, you can visualize what’s going on without stepping into the kitchen yourself.
If you don’t clearly know how your place operates, it’s hard to diagnose problems when they crop up.
“...It doesn’t have to be that extreme...”
Lee In-cheol started to speak up again.
“No. Woo-yeon’s right.”
Kim Jong-chun snapped his head up. The fire of unbroken passion still burned in his eyes.
“I was being too complacent. I haven’t even worked at your gukbap place that long, and here I am getting ahead of myself.”
This was the part that let me gauge what kind of person Kim Jong-chun was.
“Thanks to Woo-yeon, I snapped out of it. Guess I was still thinking like some suit commuting to an office job. I’m a total newbie at this business stuff.”
He didn’t turn it into a pride contest—instead, he humbly accepted the criticism. How many people can admit they’re wrong like that?
“I need to learn cooking step by step. Once I get some confidence... I’ll ask you to taste-test. You try it yourself and judge.”
“Jong-chun, you...”
“It’s fine, In-cheol.”
Kim Jong-chun grinned.
“This is my second act in life on the line. Better to prepare thoroughly before starting.”
If you half-ass your planning and dive in, only to burn through your precious seed money? That’d crush you.
People always think food businesses are easy and jump in blind.
“Looks like I came to the right place.”
Saying that, Kim Jong-chun even looked relieved.
The next morning, as usual, I showed up early and watched Lee In-cheol brewing the stock.
He tossed out a comment.
“Do you really have to go that far? How many business owners actually cook themselves...?”
Yep, yesterday’s talk was still bugging him.
Lee In-cheol had a point. My philosophy was a bit extreme—plenty of spots blew up without the owner ever touching a pan.
But I had no intention of backing down.
“That guy was known as a tough nut back in the day too. His boss used to grill the trainees mercilessly. Famous as a newbie killer, but he was the only one who gritted his teeth and stuck it out.”
Lee In-cheol clicked his tongue and went on.
“Everyone else spat and bailed, saying it was bullshit, but he just stood there enduring it. I asked him why he was being so stubborn, and you know what he said?”
“What?”
“He said he was confident he could endure anything. That it was the only thing he was good at.”
“......”
“He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. But he’d plant his ass in a chair and outlast everyone. Whatever he starts, he sees it through to the end.”
That explained why Lee In-cheol kept defending Kim Jong-chun. You could feel the deep trust he had in the guy.
‘...I had times like that too.’
A bitter feeling washed over me. I thought back to when I saw Hyunmu as my best business partner ever.
“Owner. You’re still teaching the uncle how to cook, right?”
“Of course! He gets a one-hour private lesson from me every day after closing.”
“How’s the taste?”
“......”
Even Lee In-cheol had nothing to say there and clamped his mouth shut.
With his firm standards on flavor, he couldn’t force out a “It was good!” if it wasn’t.
“W-well, he’s still learning... He’ll get better with time. Ahem.”
That’s the best he could muster after agonizing. Not even the ‘m’ in “delicious” made it out.
“Fine, whatever. Like you said, we could hire a head chef. But you know as well as I do—this stock method is a hassle and takes real effort.”
The separate bone and meat stocks mixed together? Rare these days, and twice the work.
“No owner would bother unless they had to. I guarantee you, stick some hire in there, and in under six months, they’ll ditch our methods and do it their own way.”
“Urgh......”
“And even if the uncle chews out the chef to shape up, you think that’ll change anything? Business can’t stop for a day, and shops reliant on their head chef lose control that much faster.”
The more you depend on the chef, the more the kitchen runs on their whims.
That couldn’t happen. The second you compromise on taste, customers turn away cold.
“Plus, with this dual-stock mix, the flavor can vary batch to batch. You’ve got the experience to season by taste, but can the uncle?”
“...Probably not.”
Lee In-cheol nodded in agreement.
“That’s the big mistake newbie owners make. ‘It was great yesterday, but today it sucks...’ Inconsistent taste like that.”
“So what do we do? Reaching that level takes at least ten years of practice. You gonna have him do odd jobs here that long?”
“No way. The guy’s got a family.”
Even considering his situation, telling him to train here for a decade was out of the question. No reason for it either.
“The solution’s simple.”
“What?”
“That’s why I’m here today.”
Unlike usual, this morning was going to be busy.
It was essential work if we were serious about franchising,
and a game-changer for helping a rookie owner reduce chef dependency.
“What’re you gonna do?”
Lee In-cheol stared at me with wide eyes, his face lit up with expectation for whatever “magic” I’d pull off next.
“I’m going to quantify the recipe.”
“The recipe?”
“Yeah.”
No more eyeballing salt or soy sauce.
That’s the realm of experience.
But with a proper manual, even a newbie can assemble flat-pack furniture no sweat.
Same with cooking—with clear instructions, a rookie owner can replicate the exact same taste.
“Bring out all the ingredients!”
At my word, Lee In-cheol scurried into action.
This was the moment we took our first step toward franchising.