Chapter 145 - 144: Buyout or Profit-sharing?

Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Buyout or Profit-sharing?

Xu An returned to his restaurant at one o’clock. After an hour of bustling around his three shops, it was already two. He found an empty table, took out a notebook and pen, and began to map out what he would need to open a braised food shop.

Although the braising process helped preserve the food for longer, the effect was limited in this sweltering heat. A refrigerator was an absolute must.

He didn’t need to think too much about this part. He could just copy the equipment setup from stores like Zhou Baiya.

A refrigerated display case for the braised items and a chest freezer for storage. With those, the basic facilities would be all set.

Xu An didn’t plan on changing things like the packaging, either; he would continue to use the same packaging as Xu’s Fast Food. He would just need to add the words "Braised Food Shop" to the sign.

The basic infrastructure for the storefront was all decided, but there was still one problem: the braised food itself!

Yes, the braised food.

The recipe currently used for the braised food was entirely Zhang Dezhen’s own secret family recipe. To be blunt, if Zhang Dezhen decided to bolt, the braised food shop would be finished.

Wealth can tempt anyone. Right now, selling the braised food at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, the daily volume was around a hundred pounds. There was profit, but not a huge amount; at most, it just covered expenses like labor and utilities.

But that was just the current situation. What if sales skyrocketed after the braised food shop opened?

It was hard to say whether Zhang Dezhen would eventually go off and open his own shop, since he was the one who held the key to the recipe.

’Should I just pay to buy this secret recipe from Zhang Dezhen? How much would be a fair price?’

’Three thousand? Ten thousand? Thirty thousand?’

’Buying the recipe wouldn’t erase it from Zhang Dezhen’s memory. Once the braised food business takes off, he could just open up a competing shop somewhere else.’

’The best solution is still to keep Zhang Dezhen at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.’

’But how can I get him to stay?’

’What about a commission based on sales volume?’

’For example, for every thousand yuan of profit, Zhang Dezhen could get a fifty-yuan commission based on his technical expertise?’

’The higher the sales, the more commission Zhang Dezhen would earn.’

’Currently, the vegetarian braised items are five yuan per *jin*, with a net profit of three yuan per *jin*. The meat items are thirty yuan per *jin*, with a net profit of eighteen yuan per *jin*.’

’A thousand yuan in profit would mean daily sales of 333 *jin* of vegetarian items, or 55 *jin* of meat items.’

’Based on the current daily sales of a hundred *jin* at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, the profit is 300-400 yuan. Taking the median of 350 yuan, he would get a 50-yuan commission every three days.’

’In a thirty-day month, that’s five hundred yuan in commission just from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.’

’Add that to his base salary of 2,300 yuan, and his total would be 2,800 yuan. For Zhang Dezhen, this would all be pure income.’

’He wouldn’t have to source his own ingredients, handle marketing, or rent a storefront and pay for rent and utilities. And as the braised food sales at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant grow, so would his income.’

’But compared to the first option of taking a lump sum and walking away, the second choice had a great deal of uncertainty.’

’If the braised food shop’s sales are good, he would naturally rake it in. But if sales are poor, it would be like watching a cooked duck fly away.’

’He’d probably wake up in the middle of the night, weeping with regret. Once, there was a pile of money right in front of me, but I gave it up...’

But the final decision rested with Zhang Dezhen himself. Whichever option he chose, Xu An could accept it.

Even if Zhang Dezhen chose to leave and open his own braised food shop, Xu An could accept that too.

’Worst case, I’ll just have to make a trip to Zhang Dezhen’s hometown and buy another braised food recipe there.’

’As long as I offer enough money, someone will be tempted. I’m not worried about being unable to buy a recipe.’

By the time Xu An had sorted out his thoughts and made up his mind, it was already 2:30 PM, time for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant to close for the day.

After taking off his apron and hanging it on the wall, Zhang Dezhen came out to say goodbye to Xu An, intending to leave, but Xu An called out to him. "Master Zhang, I have something to discuss with you."

’The braised food business has been very stable lately, so it shouldn’t be about that. Selling at the street stall is also going smoothly. Even with competition, I basically sell out every time. I’ve been working hard in the restaurant, no problems there...’

After running through all these thoughts and confirming he hadn’t made any mistakes at work, Zhang Dezhen cautiously sat down across from Xu An, looking at him with a hint of nervousness.

"I’ve been thinking for the past couple of days, and I’m planning to lease a storefront over by the Silver Star Office Building to specialize in selling braised food..."

"Boss, are you planning to have me go over there?" Zhang Dezhen asked, his face lit with a pleasant surprise before Xu An could even finish.

"...That’s not it."

Xu An didn’t intend to beat around the bush. He directly told Zhang Dezhen his plan and laid out the two options, letting him consider for himself whether he wanted the one-time buyout payment or the profit-sharing plan.

The sheer amount of information caused Zhang Dezhen’s brain to short-circuit for a moment. It took a while for it to reboot and for him to regain his ability to think.

"If I take the one-time buyout, how much would it be? And after the buyout, could I still keep working here at the restaurant?" Zhang Dezhen asked cautiously.

In his past life, Xu An had been idly chatting with a colleague who mentioned that his family used to be in the *malatang* business. Their soup base was incredibly popular with customers, and the place was packed every day.

But later, his parents’ health declined, and he needed money for his studies, so they sold the recipe for the *malatang* soup base. It went for eight thousand yuan, back in 2006.

Now it was 2012, and prices had gone up quite a bit. Based on the price his colleague’s family got, offering around twenty thousand now seemed appropriate.

"The one-time buyout price is twenty thousand yuan. And as long as you want to, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant would be happy for you to stay on."

’Twenty thousand yuan! My monthly salary is only 2,300. That’s equivalent to nine months of wages!’

’But then he thought about the profit-sharing plan Xu An mentioned. If the braised food sold well, it seemed like he could earn even more, and it would be a continuous income...’

Zhang Dezhen was deeply tempted by both options and, for a moment, didn’t know which was better. After wrestling with the decision for a long time, he asked cautiously, "Boss, can I go home and think it over? I’ll give you an answer tomorrow, is that okay?"

Xu An nodded in agreement. The storefront hadn’t been leased yet, and even once it was, it would take a week to get all the paperwork done and open the shop. A day or two wouldn’t make a difference.

At 2:35 PM, Liu Daxi’s team came out from the back kitchen. They took off their aprons, chef hats, and masks, and sat under the ceiling fan, chatting while they cooled down.

As they were chatting, someone suddenly signed, "We have stable jobs now. Should we go back and visit everyone?"

The six of them all turned to look at Liu Daxi, silently asking for his opinion.

Liu Daxi slowly nodded under their expectant gazes. The six of them immediately broke into cheers, their faces alight with joy as they began discussing what gifts to bring back with them.

Watching their jubilant celebration, Liu Daxi’s mind began to drift, his memory returning to the very beginning.

Liu Daxi had been the head chef at the Royal Hotel in the next city over. To put it simply, in that kitchen, if he said one, no one dared say two.

Back in 2007, the first employment policy for disabled people was introduced. Hai City actively responded to this policy, organizing a training and employment program for the disabled.

Liu Daxi was one of the masters invited to train them, and the six people he was responsible for were the very same six now under his charge.

Because of the various resources and benefits promised by Hai City, many hotels responded enthusiastically. All trainees whose professional skills met the requirements after the program were hired.

The six people who studied under Liu Daxi were also hired by four different hotels and restaurants.

The program could be considered a resounding success, ending on a happy note for everyone involved.

But reality wasn’t so smooth. Of the six who had studied with Liu Daxi, two were fired by their hotel after three months for reasons like "personality clashes," "inability to communicate," and "delaying workflow"...

Coincidentally, two people from Liu Daxi’s own team had just quit. Feeling a sense of responsibility from their past master-disciple relationship, Liu Daxi took the two of them into his own team.

The remaining four joined Liu Daxi’s team through various coincidences at six months, eight months, one year, and a year and a half later, respectively. Afterward, the seven of them worked together for three and a half years.

Life was supposed to continue on, stable and peaceful, but the hotel got a new owner.

The new owner had studied abroad and was very enthusiastic about Western cuisine. He replaced all of the restaurant’s signature dishes with Western ones and even hired a new team of chefs specializing in Western food.

Once the Western cuisine team had established a firm foothold, Liu Daxi, a veteran employee of ten or twenty years who had worked hard and contributed greatly, was "asked to leave."

Although only a short three years had passed, the job market had changed dramatically.

Many hotels were willing to hire Liu Daxi, but they weren’t willing to take on his entire team.

After much searching, Liu Daxi finally ended up at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant through an introduction from a recruitment agency.

Just as Liu Daxi was reminiscing about the past, the taxi drew closer and finally stopped in front of an old, weathered building.

The paint on the building’s walls had peeled away in many places, revealing the plaster beneath and a network of hairline cracks. The doors and windows were small and aged; the wooden frames had begun to rot, soft enough to leave a deep indent if you pressed them with a finger. The courtyard gate was mottled with rust, overgrown with lush green vines. A thin, gaunt security guard with sparse, graying hair sat dozing behind the gate...

"Uncle Bao, we’re back to see everyone!" Liu Daxi’s voice, though hoarse with age, was still as resonant as ever.

Uncle Bao, who had been dozing, was startled awake by Liu Daxi’s shout. He looked toward Liu Daxi and his six companions with sleepy eyes.

Upon seeing the seven of them, his eyes flew wide open in a flash, filled with pleasant surprise.

He didn’t even bother wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. He reached for a homemade crutch leaning against the wall, pushed himself up with an effort, and stood. As he moved, his left pant leg swung back and forth a few times, completely empty inside...

Liu Daxi and his group seemed accustomed to this and didn’t find it strange. Once Uncle Bao opened the gate, they filed in one after another.

A crowd of people was gathered in the open space behind the gate. Seeing Liu Daxi and his group, they all came forward enthusiastically, asking one another how they’d been.

Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Liu Daxi’s phone suddenly rang.

He took the phone out of his pocket and squinted at the caller ID.

Well, what do you know. It was an "old acquaintance"—the head of the Black Swan Hotel.

"Hello, Master Liu! Our business is expanding and we need to bring a new team on board. I immediately thought of you and called to share the good news."

President Xu, the head of the Black Heaven Hotel, sounded extremely friendly, as if the two were old friends who had known each other for years.

"For salary, we can offer you five thousand yuan a month. And for that group of dis... for those people under you, thirty-six hundred a month. How about it?"