Chapter 127: Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition

After returning from deliveries with Xu Guosheng, Xu An looked at the packed crowds in Store No. 1 and Store No. 3 and felt that something was still missing.

The number of dine-in customers had skyrocketed by ten to twenty times, undoubtedly due to the broadcast of *Visiting Fast Food Restaurant*.

But! This wasn’t what Xu An had expected!

In Xu An’s mind, major companies in Hai City would learn about Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant through the official documentary, *Visiting Fast Food Restaurant*, and then seek to partner with this officially-recognized "excellent" establishment.

When no companies called on the first day, Xu An could still console himself that corporate applications required going through procedures and might be a little slow.

But now it was the second day, and he still hadn’t received a single call. Something was wrong!

Previously, when Xu An had been looking for corporate partners, he had joined numerous Hai City work-related chat groups and knew that plenty of companies provided employee meals.

He understood that some companies had long-standing partnerships with major hotels and wouldn’t switch partners easily.

’Even if it’s not for an immediate partnership, shouldn’t they at least call to inquire?’

But not one call, not one company. It was just too unbelievable!

Just as Xu An was pondering this, his long-awaited ringtone finally sounded.

He picked up his phone and looked at the screen. The caller ID showed a landline number! ’Is this a company call?’

"Hello, this is Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. How can I help you?" Xu An recited the greeting with practiced ease.

"Hello, I’m one of the organizers for the Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition. We learned from the Hai City local station that Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant offers delivery service. I was wondering, can you deliver to the Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center?"

The Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center was nearly fifty kilometers away from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, a distance that spanned almost the entire city center from east to west. It was no short trip.

But this was an official order!

The significance of an official order was vastly different from that of a regular corporate one.

’If the conditions permit, I have to take this order. If they don’t, then I’ll have to create the conditions and overcome any difficulty to secure it!’

"May I ask when the Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition will be held, how many days it will last, and how many boxed meals you would need per day?" Xu An inquired.

The person on the other end seemed to have already worked out the details and answered Xu An’s questions smoothly.

"It’s from August 25th to August 30th, six days in total. We currently have six hundred seventy-two confirmed equipment manufacturers participating. Including their staff, we conservatively estimate an order of over one thousand boxed meals per day."

One thousand!

Xu An’s breath hitched. That was equivalent to half of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant’s current total sales volume.

Small vendors might only have two people attending, but it wouldn’t be surprising for some of the larger equipment manufacturers to bring twenty or thirty people at once. The order volume might even reach two thousand!

"We can do it. Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant will meet all the needs of the Hai City Machinery Equipment Exhibition."

"Okay, we understand your restaurant’s situation. If we decide to proceed with a partnership, we will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation."

After receiving Xu An’s definitive reply, the staff member politely said goodbye, hung up the phone, and quickly recorded the information about Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant in a computer spreadsheet.

Normally, for events like these exhibitions, the exhibitors were expected to sort out their own lunch.

But this was the first time Hai City was hosting a machinery and equipment exhibition, and the venue was the newly completed Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center, which was surrounded by a desolate landscape.

If the manufacturers were left to find their own food, they’d probably end up gnawing on tree bark and eating grass roots.

As the first exhibition in the newly finished convention center, everything had to be perfect.

In the staff member’s spreadsheet, above the entry for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, were the names Brocade Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Baiyun Hotel...

He had thought this call would be a great start, but after it ended, his phone fell silent once more. Until closing time, all he received were individual delivery orders.

’The road is long and winding.’ It seemed the Hai City local station was great at attracting the city’s residents, but when it came to corporations, it still lacked some punch.

’Looks like I need to think of other methods. Still, with the local station’s endorsement, the path ahead will be much smoother than before.’

’If I can land this official order from the Hai City Machinery Exhibition, the road ahead will be wide open!’

However, knowing the typical working style of event staff, they would never put all their eggs in one basket. They would definitely have a primary plan and N number of backup plans to ensure everything was foolproof.

Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was likely just one of the backup options, and perhaps not even the best choice among them!

He didn’t know if the organizers would directly choose a partner or use a bidding process.

If it was a bidding process, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant’s chances of winning were actually quite high.

「In a private room at the Haitian Hotel.」

The Haitian Hotel was the most historic grand hotel in Hai City and also the preferred venue for most of the city’s corporate business negotiations.

Ren Peng had been urgently summoned by a phone call. He was only told that more than ten of Hai City’s most reputable fast-food restaurants were there, and he was the only one missing.

After hanging up, Ren Peng had rushed out the door and hurried to the Haitian Hotel.

He pushed open the door to the private room and saw that the thirty-person space was packed to the gills. The seat of honor, however, had been saved for him. After greeting the crowd, Ren Peng strode to the head of the table and sat down without a hint of pressure, as if it was his rightful place.

After several rounds of drinks and courses, the group finally got down to business.

A middle-aged man with eyes so small they were mere slits and a constant, friendly smile on his face stood up. He raised his glass to the group, and after draining it, he turned the cup upside down in the air to show that not a single drop remained before he finally spoke.

"I’m sure everyone has seen the documentary that aired on the Hai City local station, *Visiting Fast Food Restaurant*, right?"

Hearing the name of the documentary, a hint of displeasure involuntarily crossed Ren Peng’s face. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at the squinty-eyed man with a more probing gaze.

"I noticed a shop in it called Xu’s Fast Food. It has adopted a rather interesting business model, focusing exclusively on the delivery business."

The delivery business?

This phrase captured everyone’s interest. All attention in the room focused on the squinty-eyed man.

"I’ve thought a lot about it since watching. This model is actually excellent. It expands a restaurant’s business scope without increasing operating costs, and all the extra fees are borne by the customer. From what we can see with Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, this business model is already quite mature and has great future potential..."

"Old Sun, stop beating around the bush and get to the point!" Ren Peng, feeling increasingly annoyed listening to the squinty-eyed man praise Xu An, cut him off directly.

Some of the attendees were displeased with Ren Peng for interrupting Old Sun, but they didn’t have the status to speak up in this setting, so they could only suppress their dissatisfaction.

"What I’m trying to say is, why don’t we all band together, form a fast-food association, and launch our own delivery service?" Old Sun’s already small eyes narrowed until they were just two thin lines. "If a tiny little shop like Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant can make it work, wouldn’t we be invincible if we united?"

Ren Peng instinctively felt that something was off, but for a moment, he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Hearing Old Sun’s words, the others in the room first fell silent, then began to discuss it in low voices. The chatter grew louder and louder, and eventually, expressions of joy and anticipation appeared on their faces. They were clearly tempted by Old Sun’s proposal.

Seeing that he had roused everyone’s spirits, Old Sun once again took control of the situation, turning the topic to Ren Peng, who hadn’t participated much in the discussion.

"Boss Ren’s restaurants are the largest in scale, the most successful, and the most widespread among all of us here. I propose that Boss Ren serve as the president of this fast-food association. What does everyone think?"

"No objections."

"Agreed."

"Really, only Boss Ren is qualified for this position."

"..."

Amidst this chorus of flattery, Ren Peng, whose mind was already a bit numb from the alcohol, began to feel utterly euphoric.

’That Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant is no saint, either. They have some deep connections. Not only do they have Aisha Clothing Company backing them, but even the Hai City local station is singing their praises.’

’If I become the president of this fast-food association, I could use their own business model to steal the market and completely crush Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Now, wouldn’t that be interesting!’

In that instant, an image surfaced in Ren Peng’s mind: Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, bankrupt and closed, and the look of utter despair on Xu An’s face...