Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Store Manager's Essentials
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I brought Dong-hyun to the store for work.
"You're coming in today?"
"Yeah."
"Teach them well. It's just a month of hassle anyway."
"Suits me fine. More hands on deck."
Dong-hyun said it like it was no big deal.
Truth be told, I was incredibly grateful to him. Thanks to Dong-hyun, I could focus on Hansang matters and pay less attention to the main store.
The various Babsang chain stores under construction.
Until those shops were completed, Dong-hyun had agreed to train the people hired as managers at each branch, giving them hands-on experience.
Most were Americans, but there were some Korean men hired from back home too.
Since the goal was training, we couldn't pay full hourly wages, but they'd come on board with a base salary plus a 0.5% commission on Babsang's net profits.
It might be a bit of a hassle for Dong-hyun, but it'd be physically easier than before.
After a week or so, they'd grasp the store's operations quickly enough, including inventory and stock intake.
Once Dong-hyun trained them like this at the start, we could just send new hires to each branch for the same "puppy-training" method whenever we opened a new location.
Someday, I'd hire a manager for the main store too, freeing Dong-hyun up to oversee all the branches.
Of course, the newbie didn't know that yet.
It was only natural to look after Dong-hyun, who'd suffered through the opening with me during the toughest times.
Los Angeles.
San Francisco.
Sacramento.
San Diego.
San Jose.
We planned to open Babsang's first branches in these five major California cities.
Including the main store, that made six in total.
With simultaneous openings in prep, everyone at Babsang was swamped.
But thanks to Mark's clout in real estate, securing locations wasn't too hard.
We'd found prime spots and construction was underway.
At a corner table, Babsang's first batch of managers sat chatting with Dong-hyun, their faces a bit tense.
I just watched.
Training came first right now.
I'd have to stick around the store for a few days too, manning the counter so Dong-hyun could focus on teaching.
But that guy...
Slouched over in the corner, earnestly teaching away—it was kinda hilarious.
Listening in nearby, he was telling some pretty entertaining stories.
"So, to prevent chuno..."
Right.
He was teaching them how to stop employees from pulling a "chuno"—quitting without notice.
Vibes from his experience.
He must've dealt with a ton of chuno back in Korea. Modern-day Da-gil or something?
Running a restaurant was tougher on the body than expected.
Even if the pay beat minimum wage.
I decided to listen in closely to what he was saying.
I was curious too, honestly.
"First off, you gotta build 'rapport' with each employee individually. Rapport's that mutual trust between people—psychology term. That way, you prevent random quits. When you're close, they feel bad about it, so it's super effective at keeping chuno at bay."
I nodded.
Solid advice.
It was all about that bond.
That's why no one at Babsang had pulled a chuno yet.
"Oh, and praise! Praise makes whales dance. When it's slammed and your staff look half-dead, slip over and say, 'Take a breather outside,' or 'You're killing it today,' or 'This place wouldn't run without you.' Praise! Praise! More praise! Getting recognized at work gives everyone—guys, girls—a real sense of accomplishment."
Hm. Meet their need for validation? Good stuff.
"A manager's job is employee management—first, second, and always. Burn it into your head. One person bails, and you're screwed. To keep things easy on yourself, make damn sure they don't leave. Got it?"
"Alright, next up: FIFO..."
Not bad. Teaching well.
Watching these good managers take shape warmed my heart.
But when did that slacker learn to talk so convincingly?
The guy who spouted nonsense about "end-of-service vibes" in the army.
Maybe being apart made him grow on me.
Working had changed him a lot, I thought.
Swish swish.
An hour till opening.
I was cleaning around the store.
Some bosses think it's obvious to laze around and dump the dirty, hard jobs on staff.
'Why not? I'm paying them.'
That mindset.
But I saw it differently.
Dirty, tough work sucks for me too, so it does for them.
That's why I usually handle stuff like sweeping the front when I arrive.
I believed in leading by example.
If the boss tackles the hard stuff, employees step up out of sheer awareness.
Subordinates move when superiors do.
Plus, greeting passing locals before opening builds that friendly vibe.
Draws in customers.
I'd sweep the neighboring shops too while at it—the owners appreciated it.
That could smooth over future issues like magic, so I made a habit of it.
Customers prefer a spotless street over trash-strewn mess, right?
As I cleaned, the cafe owner next door rushed out with a coffee.
"Thanks, Sarah."
"Yeah. Busy bee from the morning, Hoon."
"How's business?"
"Foot traffic's up, so we're busier too. All thanks to you."
Being in her forties, she often chatted when we crossed paths.
I played along nicely.
"Nah, it's your delicious coffee pulling them in."
"Hehe, you sure know how to talk sweet, Hoon~ If you weren't married, I'd set you up with my daughter. Such a shame."
She looked genuinely regretful.
"Haha, yeah. If she takes after you, she'd be a beauty. Too bad."
"Hehe, oh stop~"
Praising looks is key to winning women over.
Works from teens to sixties.
"Oh yeah! Hoon, saw you on TV. How do you speak so well?"
"Haha, really?"
"Totally~ My daughter hated school lunch and ate out during school. I hope kids eat healthy like you said. So, when do the school lunches start?"
"Hm... Once we sign the contract, I guess? I'm swamped managing the main store."
"Hehe, yeah. Put in a word, Hoon. Berkeley High kids are hyped."
"Haha, really?"
"Yep~ They whine about the gross lunches—breaks my heart."
"Hm... Smith mentioned that too. I'll look into it."
"Hehe, good. Time for opening prep? Take care."
"Yep. Great coffee as always, Sarah."
"Hehe, get inside~"
"Sure~"
Short chat over, I headed in to prep for opening.
"What the hell's with these guys?"
Everyone was clamoring for photos with me.
Blame the Stephen Colbert show from two nights ago.
Regulars all said they'd "loved the broadcast" and were "deeply moved."
Heh, threw that school lunch Guard Cup to drum up catering buzz, and they're eating it up!
Beats endless "Love our food!" ads. Hammering it home on TV stuck way better.
The hot reactions proved it.
Since I'm not always here, Dong-hyun had gotten close to the regulars too.
Seeing him weave through tables greeting folks, I knew bringing him to America was right.
If we Koreans boosted the image here, it'd make fetching Chun-suks from Korea easier later—everyone'd be welcoming.
Koreans get Korean food soul best.
So hiring from Korea was essential.
"Hoon! Pic with me too!"
Snap snap~ Go wild!
I stood at the entrance like a human cardboard cutout, posing over and over.
Snapped out of it—closing time already.
The five first-batch managers training here had lodging nearby.
Company-paid, of course.
They brimmed with passion.
Seeing the rush today, they realized their 0.5% net profit incentive would be hefty.
But if an incident happened on their watch, the manager was responsible—the whole bonus could vanish.
Leaders own up. Natural.
They wouldn't slack.
Minor unavoidable accidents? Fine.
But pure store screw-ups—like major customer errors or no-shows without reason—no excuse.
Ugh.
Tired today.
Back from New York, no sleep, straight to work—wore me out.
"Ah... Wanna hold Lily and sleep."
Missed her soft skin after time apart.
Meanwhile, the morning after Ji-hoon's Colbert remarks aired.
America's massive school catering giants flipped out.
Aramark. Chartwells. Sodexo.
The dinosaur cartel dominating U.S. school lunches for decades like an iron fortress.
Emergency exec meetings convened at their HQs at dawn.
"What the hell was that broadcast last night?!"
"Some Asian running one restaurant dares go on Stephen Colbert and insult our entire industry!"
"That 'trash' comment? Internet's flooded with it!"
They'd dismissed it as a Berkeley fluke at first.
Hero who saved kids.
Just a lucky surviving Korean.
Wrong.
Ji-hoon's words pierced their profit-max ops perfectly.
Especially that $4 Korean lunch comparison pic.
No denying it.
"Call the lobbyists now!"
"Get our stance to school boards and congressmen—loud and clear!"
"Hit media with 'unrealistic comparison' rebuttals!"
"Dig up dirt on that 'Hansang' startup—whatever it takes!"
Counters poured out.
But the problem was Ji-hoon himself.
Presidential medal recipient. America's hero.
Gladly took a bullet for the kids.
Attacking him? Massive backlash.
'Corrupt megacorps attack American hero.'
Worst-case PR nightmare.
The catering cartel was trapped, advancing or retreating both bad.
They scrambled for ways to handle this brash Korean threatening their turf.