Chapter 323 - 181: Walking into the Muzzle

Chapter 323: Chapter 181: Walking into the Muzzle

"The restaurant business might seem like it has no barrier to entry, but the reality is that the threshold is incredibly high. Even with your support, not everyone can make it to the end."

Huang Chen’s eyes grew brighter as he listened. In the end, he couldn’t help but applaud. "It really takes an insider! We were only focused on how to help the vendors make more money and completely overlooked the objective laws of the market. You’ve really opened my eyes."

"You’re right. Only flavors that have passed the market’s test can truly satisfy customers. Even for something like Kneeling Beef, each place should have its own unique flavors and characteristics. That way, when tourists come to Suji and try the different versions, they’ll be pleasantly surprised."

"Exactly," Zhou Yan said with a nod and a smile. This was, in fact, an insight he had gleaned from his later life. Down the line, the Kneeling Beef restaurants couldn’t come up with any new twists on the dish itself, so they started adding other items to their menus.

Steamed Beef with Rice Powder and Fatty Intestines became commonplace, while dishes like Spicy Crispy Intestines and Tofu with Pig Brain vied for attention. The main selling point was that you could have a full meal with rice-accompanying dishes without sacrificing your Kneeling Beef.

In fact, the current Zhou Yan Restaurant was already operating this way.

It felt... less pure.

But it definitely made more money.

After all, in a small town, specializing only in Kneeling Beef meant Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai’s stall was hitting its ceiling, making only sixty or seventy yuan a day.

"Alright, I’ll need to hold another meeting tomorrow to discuss this further." Huang Chen nodded, taking a file folder from a staff member. He opened it and pulled out a stack of documents. "We’ve already prepared all the necessary paperwork for three trademarks: ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef,’ ’Zhou Yan Restaurant,’ and ’Zhang’s Braised Shop.’ All you need to do now is sign here. I’ll have someone deliver it to the city, and then you won’t have to worry about anyone else trying to use these names."

"That’s all? I just need to sign?" Zhou Yan flipped through the documents. They were, indeed, the official trademark applications, with only the applicant’s signature line left blank. He couldn’t help but feel a little moved.

Mayor Huang was incredibly efficient. Zhou Yan had actually been thinking about trademarks himself.

But he had been so busy lately. And back then, getting a trademark meant making trips to Jiazhou, and he had no idea what documents were needed or how many trips it would take. So, he had put it off.

He never expected Huang Chen to show up at his door with the paperwork, needing only his signature.

This level of service was truly beyond anything he had imagined.

The mayor’s commitment to this matter far exceeded his expectations.

Zhou Yan reviewed the documents carefully. Once he was sure there were no hidden catches, he looked at Huang Chen and said, "Mayor Huang, I’d like to apply for one more trademark, for ’Kneeling Beef’ itself."

"If you trademark ’Kneeling Beef,’ does that mean no one else can use the name?" Huang Chen mused.

"Don’t worry, I have no intention of monopolizing it," Zhou Yan explained. "My concern is that an opportunist might register the trademark and then prevent people who make genuine Kneeling Beef from using the name. As long as their version of the dish meets the standard for Kneeling Beef, I will authorize its use free of charge. This is also a way to protect Kneeling Beef, to prevent its reputation from being ruined before the brand is even established. Later on, as more Kneeling Beef restaurants open, we can form a Kneeling Beef association and re-register it as a collective trademark."

Huang Chen nodded repeatedly. "That’s something we overlooked. Your proposal is very forward-thinking. We’ll draw up another application form when we get back and bring it over for you to sign today."

"Great. Thank you for your trust, Mayor Huang," Zhou Yan said, then uncapped his fountain pen and signed his name.

’Of course, he had his own selfish motives.’

’How to best leverage his first-mover advantage? A head start means staying ahead.’

His goal was simple: to make Zhou’s Kneeling Beef the number one Kneeling Beef brand in Suji.

While he wanted to help grow the whole pie, he also intended to take the biggest and sweetest slice for himself.

Just as Huang Chen stood up to leave, a bicycle screeched to a halt at the entrance. A tall figure strode in and blurted out, "Zhou Yan, that Zhou Liangliang changed his sign to our ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef’! Jie sent me to ask you how we should handle it. Do we go fight them now, or give them a piece of our mind first?"

"What?" Zhao Tieying, who had been silent until now, shot to her feet. "That son of a bitch Zhou Liangliang actually pulled a stunt that shameless?! It must have been that petty, short-sighted hag Gao Cuihua’s rotten idea! Instead of improving her skills, all she knows is how to pull cheap tricks! Always doing things the wrong way, like putting vinegar in tofu!" Her hand was already gripping the cleaver on the cutting board.

"Oh? Something like that happened?" Zhou Yan chuckled and glanced at Huang Chen, who was standing beside him.

"Oh, Mayor Huang is here too." Zhou Hai paused for a second when he saw Huang Chen, then quickly greeted him.

Huang Chen’s face hardened. "This is an absolutely deplorable act! We must take firm action. We cannot allow Zhou Liangliang’s behavior to disrupt the market and destroy the brand image we’ve just started to build!"

"The mayor is right," Zhou Yan said, nodding in agreement. "So, should we handle this ourselves, or...?"

"Fighting isn’t the answer. If you get arrested, think of all the business you’ll lose," Huang Chen said reassuringly. "Don’t worry. Leave this to us. I guarantee he’ll change that name back. The ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef’ sign is yours and yours alone. No one else can use it without authorization."

"That’s great. Now that you’ve said that, I can rest easy," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Huang Chen waved his hand. "You don’t need to go. Just have Zhou Hai take me there."

Zhou Hai looked to Zhou Yan.

"Haizi," Zhou Yan said, patting his arm with a smile, "just go with Mayor Huang. He’ll make things right for us. And tell Jie no fighting. Everyone is to listen to the mayor."

"Got it." Zhou Hai nodded and left with Huang Chen.