Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Magic of the Waiting Line
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‘Of course, the wait can’t be too excessive.’
Within reason, a waiting line is one of the elements that makes a restaurant more appealing.
“If the line shortens, people miss out on the joy of anticipation, so they start thinking, ‘The taste has changed.’ Even though it’s just the atmosphere that shifted.”
How frustrating that must be for the owner. Especially for a picky, stubborn type like Lee In-cheol—he wouldn’t be able to stomach that kind of feedback.
“The taste you sense on your tongue is only about 30 percent. The rest is 70 percent everything else. Fans of that hidden-gem vibe will stick around regardless of the food, but they can’t handle the shift in that 70 percent.”
*-Ugh. Customers’ hearts are so complicated.*
“That’s why I removed some tables—to let them gradually adjust to that 70 percent change.”
Lee In-cheol finally seemed to get it, letting out a small “Mm” in response to my explanation.
“People are the best interior design there is.”
What better certification of a great restaurant than a line out the door?
*-No, I saw that long line stretching out and thought, oh no, we’re doomed. Even after expanding, it’s still packed... I figured people would head somewhere else. But what’s this? It’s even busier than before.*
“Value is determined by scarcity, after all.”
Plus, thanks to Facebook buzz, word was spreading. Moving to a more accessible location during the expansion meant family customers wouldn’t stop coming.
“Anyway, it all worked out. Great timing. It looks like you’ve settled in nicely after the expansion, so don’t worry too much, Owner.”
*-I’m worried about hiring more hall servers! Woo-yeon, you helped out for a few days, but you’re busy now too, aren’t you?*
“Haha. Yeah, true.”
*-Da-on and Sol are heading back to school, so their shifts are getting cut. I need more people. Actually, Da-on’s going straight to his mom’s place?*
“He mentioned that? Makes sense. Happiness Snacks is probably short-staffed too.”
*-Argh! I need to post a job ad right away.*
“Better hurry.”
Lee In-cheol grumbled under his breath. With all the other shops running smoothly, it was nothing but good news from headquarters’ perspective.
*-Oh, Woo-yeon. That snowflake bingsu or whatever—spring flower?*
“Snowflake bingsu. What about it?”
*-The tasting vouchers are almost gone. When are you restocking? At this rate, they’ll run out in a week.*
“Oh, that.”
I flipped through the calendar on the desk as I replied.
“Hmm~. I don’t think we need to anymore.”
*-What?*
“We’re opening soon.”
*-Ah!*
Lee In-cheol let out an exclamation.
*-That café across from Jong-chun’s place? You really took it over?*
“Of course.”
Excitement for snowflake bingsu had peaked. And now, with summer heat creeping in and the sun beating down...
Perfect timing.
“Bingwa is set to open next week.”
“Senior, take a look at this.”
Kang Yu-ha showed her senior a YouTube video titled [Snowflake Bingsu?! Making It VS Eating It!].
“What’s that? The bingsu looks weird.”
“Right? It’s all the rage right now. They’re opening officially soon, but I’ve never seen this much hype before launch.”
Kang Yu-ha’s eyes sparkled. The look she got when she sniffed out a juicy story.
“So I searched where they sell this snowflake bingsu~ and up comes Bingwa’s homepage. Linked sites include... Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap 0212 and Happiness Snacks.”
“First I’ve heard of them.”
“Yeah? Turns out Hapjae Neighborhood Gukbap is a new franchise that just opened a second branch, and Happiness Snacks seems to be a single location too. Though they’ve got a few more branches in the works.”
“But? Doesn’t seem that special. What caught our Yu-ha’s curiosity?”
She answered without hesitation.
“Speed.”
“Huh?”
“The headquarters listed here—The Song. It’s only been around for six months.”
“Oh, really? That’s surprising. They’re already famous for bingsu, but that new? And they’ve got four stores already?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t add up.”
Kang Yu-ha nodded vigorously.
“The funding source is suspicious. Maybe a big corp prepping an affiliate under the radar? Or building it up for a merger to split shares tax-free?”
“Come on, isn’t that a stretch?”
“If not... hmm. Guess The Song’s CEO must be some god-given business genius.”
“Haha! Business genius. That’s funny.”
Her senior chuckled and patted her shoulder.
“Dig into it, Yu-ha. Think of it as interviewing a fast-growing startup. Whatever you find will be gold.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kang Yu-ha turned back to her monitor. Specifically, to the three characters under The Song’s management team intro.
Song Woo-yeon.
She was very curious about the man behind that name.
“Is this the full list of franchise inquiries?”
As I flipped through the papers, Jo Yi-ruk smiled and brought over another binder.
Thud.
“No, this is the complete applicant list.”
“That’s a lot...”
As I skimmed the forms with basic info and self-intros, Jo Yi-ruk chimed in from beside me.
“It’s filtered based on your criteria, President. Excluded people already running other franchises, and mostly cut those with zero food industry experience.”
“Thanks.”
From now on, it’d be hard to babysit new branches like I did the first ones. Better to go with folks who had some food service know-how.
‘If I could train them hands-on, that’d be ideal. Oh, need to set up a franchisee training facility too.’
I was numbly flipping pages when a familiar face and name caught my eye. I lingered longer.
My hand stopped, and Jo Yi-ruk peeked over, making a knowing comment.
“Ah, this one. A connection of Branch Manager Kim Jong-chun’s.”
“...Is that so?”
I knew him.
“They worked at the same company before. He’s out on severance now, job-hunting. Probably heard from Kim Jong-chun and got interested.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“He’s a total newbie to food service, but since he came recommended, I included him.”
I set the paper down with a tap. Clipped to it was a business card from my old company, with a familiar name engraved.
「 Seo Beom-jun
Contact: 010-XXXX-XXXX
Email: [email protected] 」
“Something up?”
“Hm?”
“You were staring at his application.”
Jo Yi-ruk looked puzzled. Fair enough. Why fixate on this plain resume when there were flashier ones?
Like the guy already running a gukbap joint elsewhere. Or the veteran head chef.
But I’d made up my mind.
“Give this guy a franchise.”
“Pardon? Out of nowhere?”
“Oh, and these two as well.”
I picked out a couple more familiar names from the list. People I’d already tied up with as franchisees before, with solid results.
Time for steady, reliable branches.
Expansion.
For a budding company, steep growth is key. Brands have shorter lifespans these days.
Hesitate, and latecomers shove you aside.
“...I can’t figure out your criteria. No common thread among the ones you picked.”
“Haha. Call it a whim.”
Can’t say I saw the future. I smiled and brushed it off.
By now, Jo Yi-ruk seemed used to my quirks. No pushback—just a weak nod.
“You’re starting to look the part of a company man.”
“...Am I?”
“Busy as hell, right? Stuff you’ve never done before.”
“You knew? You dump all the work on me—I thought you took me for a vet.”
Ouch, thorny words. I laughed awkwardly, scratching my head. Sorry about that. I’d been running around nonstop.
“Hey, I’m still keeping tabs, aren’t I? It’s just my fieldwork keeps me out.”
“I know. Building a place is one thing—keeping it alive is the real trick. That’s your mantra.”
Had I said that?
Pointed out a habit I didn’t know I had—surprising. I widened my eyes, and Jo Yi-ruk pushed up his glasses.
“But I can’t handle all the franchise stuff solo. I’m here as a location expert, right?”
“I thought you were my secretary.”
“You’re working me like one.”
Tsk. No comeback, so I just grinned sheepishly. Jo Yi-ruk sighed deeply, took off his glasses, and pinched his brow.
“Anyway, The Song’s growing. Two-person team won’t cut it anymore. We need more people.”
“I know.”
I was aware I’d overloaded him. Felt bad, but things had snowballed faster than expected.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring in new hires soon.”
“For real?”
“Of course. I’ve been waiting for this summer.”
“Summer?”
Jo Yi-ruk questioned, but I just smiled brightly without elaborating.
As always, my words proved prophetic.