Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Rise in Leftovers
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"Leftovers have increased."
"!"
No sooner had I finished speaking than Lee In-cheol peered into the food waste bin.
"It's more, sure... but isn't it because we've been selling so much, like you said? Our gukbap place serves huge portions to begin with, so people who want lighter meals tend to leave a lot."
"I don't think it's just that."
It was subtle enough that you'd have to check carefully to notice, but regardless of the reason, an increase in leftovers wasn't a good sign.
If we let it slide, it could snowball into a bigger problem.
"No, but you said the taste wasn't the issue? Then what the hell? What's wrong?!"
Lee In-cheol tore at his hair in anguish.
"Well, we'll have to figure it out from now on."
Even for me, with decades of experience piled up, spotting the flaws in my own shop was always a challenge.
People naturally think in ways that suit them. Even if you vaguely sense the reason, it's easy to rationalize it away with thoughts like, "No way it's just this one thing, right?"
"Everything seems perfect..."
Lee In-cheol muttered under his breath.
According to my plan, word of mouth should have started spreading beyond the primary trade area into the secondary one by now.
Reducing the menu and specializing in one dish meant exactly that—a commitment to capturing not just the first trade area, but the second and third as well.
And now leftovers were increasing at this critical juncture?
Unacceptable. We'd spotted it now, so we had to fix the issue quickly and keep the growth momentum going.
"Hmm..."
After surveying every nook and cranny of the shop, I turned to Lee In-cheol, who was still mired in despair.
"Owner. Give me one bowl of gukbap, just like you'd serve a customer."
"What? We've already finished closing the kitchen."
"Is that the priority right now?"
Under my gaze, Lee In-cheol deflated with a whimper.
"Got it, you rascal. I'll whip it up quick."
"No. Not right now. I'll simulate being a real customer."
I explained the situation to Kim Jong-chun, then stepped out of the shop entirely before coming back in. The familiar interior unfolded before me.
"Hello. How many in your party?"
Kim Jong-chun greeted me smoothly.
"One."
"Yes. Right this way."
After taking a seat at an inner table, I took off my outer jacket and set my bag on the chair beside me.
"One bowl of gukbap, please."
"Got it. One gukbap."
Kim Jong-chun smiled as he took the order and entered it into the POS system. A sizzle rose from the kitchen.
"Table one, one gukbap~."
"One gukbap!"
Kim Jong-chun called out, and Lee In-cheol responded. My eyes naturally drifted to the kitchen.
The massive pot bubbled vigorously with broth—it looked impressive. Soon, the food was plated neatly and perfectly.
Kim Jong-chun took it and served it in front of me. As the bowl hit the table with a clunk, an appetizing aroma wafted up. Steam rose white, making my mouth water instinctively.
Just as I was about to scoop up a spoonful...
"Is it good?!"
Unable to hold back, Lee In-cheol shouted from the kitchen. Kim Jong-chun tried to restrain him.
"He hasn't even taken a bite yet, In-cheol."
"Eat it quick! Something's off. Nothing's changed lately... Am I eating too much and losing my taste buds?"
Lee In-cheol was so frantic that I set my spoon down with a clack.
I hadn't even taken a single bite.
"Owner."
"What? Am I being too noisy? Should I step aside? Would that let you judge the taste honestly?"
"I can tell without eating it."
It was hard to hide the absurd smile creeping onto my face.
"What?"
"Come out and see for yourself."
At my call, Lee In-cheol rushed over and looked down at the table. Gukbap, kkakdugi, seasoned spinach, and even the seasoned green chilies.
It was the same ordinary setup as always. I'd seen this exact spread countless times today alone.
"What's wrong with this?"
Looks like he genuinely hadn't noticed. I decided to demonstrate it myself.
Rather than me or Lee In-cheol...
My eyes met Kim Jong-chun's, who was watching us from the dining area. Perfect.
"Mister. You haven't had dinner yet, right?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah?"
Kim Jong-chun's eyes went wide, as if wondering why I'd called his name so suddenly.
"Come eat some gukbap."
"Out of the blue?"
"Yeah. Just like that."
I flashed a bright smile, and Kim Jong-chun hesitated before stepping forward. He sat across from me, so I slid the entire bowl over to him.
"I haven't touched the spoon. It's fresh—go ahead."
"Aw, yeah. Thanks. I was starving."
Kim Jong-chun grinned broadly, picked up the spoon, and started devouring the gukbap with gusto.
"Why are you suddenly feeding this guy? What's the reason?"
"Just wait."
Lee In-cheol pounded his chest in frustration at my response. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-chun was piling on kkakdugi and polishing off the gukbap admirably.
"Man~. This is so good. I'm not usually big on gukbap, but this one goes down easy."
"Ahem. Yeah? That's how it should be. Damn right. You know how much hell I go through brewing this broth."
Lee In-cheol pretended nonchalance as his mouth corners twitched upward at the praise.
Having worked without a proper meal break, Kim Jong-chun finished in no time.
"Ah~. So full."
He patted his belly and leaned back in the chair—a picture-perfect satisfied customer.
"Tasty, right?"
"Heck yeah."
"See? The taste is fine."
Lee In-cheol looked at me, utterly baffled. I tapped the stoneware bowl.
"Look here."
"......?"
At my words, everyone huddled close, craning their necks to peer at the bowl.
"A little left, huh."
"I ate almost all of it... Haha. I was full."
Kim Jong-chun laughed awkwardly, making excuses.
"Mister, you hadn't eaten dinner and ate after working, so you probably had more than usual. But still, some left."
"...You're right."
"And other customers probably left even more."
Lee In-cheol nodded at my words.
"Weird. We always scoop the rice to a fixed amount, and the meat topping has a set number."
If the rice or meat quantity hadn't changed, there was only one possible cause.
"How does the broth amount compare to two months ago?"
"Ah...!"
Lee In-cheol seemed to suddenly realize something.
"Oh, no. Some customers said on their way out they'd like more broth. Said it was so tasty they wanted more but felt it was a shame..."
"So you increased the amount?"
"Just a tiny bit more. A tiny bit!"
"Anyway, you put more than the standard portion."
I cut him off bluntly, and Lee In-cheol groaned, out of excuses.
"Owner. You know this. You can't please everyone's taste. Some will say it's too salty, others too bland. Some too much, some too little."
You can't let every little complaint sway you. Tastes vary, so there's no such thing as a 'perfect' answer.
In my view, 90% is the max. Even if 90 out of 100 say it's delicious, the 10 whose tastes don't match will complain.
You can't chase those 10 complaints and lose the 90 satisfied customers.
Kim Jong-chun, fidgeting beside us, chimed in slyly.
"But it's not like you're skimping— you're being generous with a bit more. What's wrong with that? It's all about human warmth, right?"
"Plentiful portions at a low price can be a selling point, sure. Our gukbap shop already has lower margins than others, so we do have price competitiveness."
"Right?"
"But."
I shut down Kim Jong-chun's clueless remark sharply.
"Customer satisfaction changes."
"Huh?"
"With food served in a stoneware bowl like this, people can see at a glance how much they've eaten."
A rice house could flaunt varied side dishes and generous heaps as trademarks.
But here, the price and taste were already competitive enough. No need to push portions.
"That refreshing, satisfying feeling when you empty the bowl completely. You've all felt it before, right?"
"Yeah."
Lee In-cheol and Kim Jong-chun both nodded in agreement.
"Seeing the bottom of the bowl makes customers go wide-eyed in surprise. 'I actually finished it all.'"
I could picture crowds of people gaping in astonishment.
"And that leads to 'Wow, this place is good.'"
"Ahh...! So that's it!"
Kim Jong-chun smacked his knee, realizing he hadn't known.
"Urgh. You're right on every point. My mistake. Starting tomorrow, back to standard portions."
Only then did I smile contentedly. We were just weeks away from the three-month mark.
Sales were teetering on the edge, so we had to go all out till the end. We couldn't let something like this drop customer satisfaction. Of course not.
"Luckily, it was an obvious fixable issue."
If it'd been some complex mix of factors, it'd have been a real headache.
Clap clap!
I clapped to refocus attention and grinned.
"Alright, back to closing up?"
As we cleaned the dining area, I overheard Lee In-cheol and Kim Jong-chun whispering.
"Man, In-cheol. You weren't kidding."
"Told ya."
"I just thought he was a quick young guy..."
Kim Jong-chun muttered to himself.
"Maybe..."
I couldn't catch the rest, but I could guess. I snuck a smile without them noticing.
And not long after,
Kim Jong-chun requested a one-on-one talk with me.
After closing, we sat facing each other at a table. He looked tense as he spoke.
"Woo-yeon. Embarrassing as this is at my age... I have a favor to ask."
Here it comes.
"I'm... thinking of opening my own shop. Could you help me out?"
My eyes sparkled like a predator spotting prey.