God-Given Business Genius - Chapter 141

The location was at the far opposite end of the alley where <Hapjae Soup>, <Happy Snack>, <Bingwa>, and <Song Cafe> were situated.

It wasn't particularly bustling with people, but the foot traffic wasn't bad either.

The first thing that caught my eye was the rather old signboard, showing the age of the establishment. The shop name was neatly written in black on a white background.

<Chicken and Dori>

It was clearly a specialized dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken) restaurant at a glance. The interior also featured the now-rare floor seating style.

Ding-a-ling.

A nostalgic bell sound rang out as I opened the door. Although it was a bit early, it was almost time for the lunch service to begin in earnest, yet there was only one table of customers.

"Hello~"

"Oh!"

The owner rushed out from the kitchen and bowed in greeting.

"Ah, hello!"

His voice trembled slightly, seemingly nervous. He was a young male owner wearing round glasses.

It appeared he had inherited the shop that his parents had originally run. As his parents' health deteriorated, he somehow managed to continue the family business, but he was deeply troubled by the increasingly sluggish sales.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Song Woo-yeon."

"I'm Ahn Dong-woo!"

"I heard the general situation from Owner Han."

"Yes. It's such a kind gesture. She even made this connection after hearing about my circumstances. She was very close with my mother."

"I heard that person helped Owner Han a lot when she first started her business?"

"That's what I've been told. But it was when I was too young to remember clearly. Haha."

Ahn Dong-woo let out a small laugh.

Han Mi-ae had pleaded so earnestly. It was unlike her to make such a humble request to me.

Her first request was to repay the kindness to a place that had helped her when she first started her business. I couldn't possibly ignore it.

Ahn Dong-woo spoke with a gloomy face.

"I'm following the recipe exactly as my parents passed it down, but customers are gradually decreasing. Our prices are competitive enough, so I'm not sure why this is happening."

"Hmm. Is that so? Shall we try the food first and then talk?"

The most fundamental aspect of a restaurant is, of course, the cooking.

'If sales are declining, the most likely major cause is that the taste has changed.'

Traditionally, long-established restaurants like this rely on a strong base of regular customers. This stable customer base provides the strength to endure when the economy falters and the food service industry experiences a downturn.

But even these regulars were gradually stopping their visits. There must be some problem.

"The main dish is dakbokkeumtang, right? Let's start with a medium-sized dakbokkeumtang..."

As I quickly scanned the menu, I noticed there were a few other miscellaneous items besides dakbokkeumtang.

Not only various additional toppings but even doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and kimchi jjigae?

"What about the doenjang jjigae and kimchi jjigae?"

"Ah, those are lunch menu items that we only sell during lunchtime. It's for customers who come alone and don't have much to eat."

It is a dish that's difficult to eat alone. Doenjang jjigae and kimchi jjigae are relatively safe choices that most people like, so they're often offered as side dishes in many restaurants.

It's not an incomprehensible choice. Although there are some concerning aspects.

"Hmm. Please add one doenjang jjigae as well."

"Yes~ I'll bring it right away!"

Ahn Dong-woo bowed and hurried back into the shop. Is he working alone?

'The shop is small, so it might be manageable with just one person. With declining sales, it would be burdensome to hire employees.'

Even so, running a shop alone inevitably limits the service.

When the number of customers exceeds a certain point, the quality of service inevitably drops. This leads to a nosedive in customer satisfaction.

'While minimizing labor costs to increase price competitiveness is a good strategy...'

Well, it shouldn't be too inconvenient for now. Even if it's a bit overwhelming, only a manageable number of customers that one person can handle will come.

The real headache comes when the number of customers increases.

Putting aside the discussion about employees for later, I quickly scanned the interior of the shop.

'As expected.'

Being an old establishment, traces of time were clearly visible here and there. That's not necessarily a bad thing. However, for people sensitive about hygiene, even these aspects might be perceived as significant flaws.

'Still, it's not bad for being managed by one person. It's not at a critical level.'

While it's hard to say the interior design is sophisticated, it might actually be a plus point if they're targeting older family customers.

To sum it up in one line:

Except for that fatal mistake outside, the interior is clean and fine.

And not long after, a pot of slightly bubbling dakbokkeumtang was brought out.

Thud.

He placed it on the gas burner, adjusted the heat, and added various explanations.

"You should let it simmer for about 5 more minutes. When the broth starts to boil, stir it a little to prevent sticking. Eat the vegetables first when they're soft, then the potatoes and meat in that order!"

"Thank you."

"I'll bring the doenjang jjigae soon."

His familiar way of explaining the menu suggested this wasn't his first time doing so.

I waited for a moment as instructed until the broth started to bubble, then slowly stirred it with a ladle.

Gurgle.

'The broth is quite thick.'

It would be perfect mixed with rice. As the broth started to boil, I lowered the heat and gently stirred, waiting for the chili oil to rise to the surface.

"Here's the doenjang jjigae~"

The bubbling doenjang jjigae was served in a slightly smaller earthenware pot, with chopped green chili peppers, seemingly added at the last moment, beautifully garnishing the top.

'The visual presentation passes.'

It looks too hot to eat now, so I'll try it a bit later. For now, I focused on the dakbokkeumtang in front of me.

As red oil droplets started to appear on the surface one by one, the dakbokkeumtang was finally complete.

'It smells good~'

Having skipped breakfast, I was starting to feel hungry. After sniffing it a couple of times, I tasted the broth first.

'Indeed. The rich~ broth flavor is spot on.'

Wouldn't it be delicious to fry some rice in this? That thought came naturally.

'The vegetables are sweet, and the potatoes are soft and well-cooked. Now for the main event, the chicken...'

I felt it as soon as I picked up a piece.

'It's big.'

What size chicken is this? It looks like about size 11. Cut into large chunks, it looks even bigger.

I took a big bite of the chicken leg first.

The outer skin, well-soaked in seasoning, touched my tongue first, and after chewing a few times... I could feel the bare flesh inside.

'Because the meat chunks are so large, the seasoning hasn't penetrated well to the core.'

It's an unavoidable issue. This isn't a problem with the sauce. It would have been better if they had used smaller pieces of meat.

'There's also a bit of a gamey smell.'

It seemed they had used the chicken directly without parboiling it first.

'It's exactly the old-style dakbokkeumtang. They're really sticking to the parents' generation recipe as they said.'

It's a dakbokkeumtang with a rough feel to it. Somehow, it reminds me of home-cooked meals.

It's slightly different from today's sweet and stimulating foods. While there must be regular customers who like this taste...

'It's easy to be forgotten in times like these.'

It's tasty, but there's a feeling that it's lacking something, like it's 2% short. There's something unsatisfying about it.

'Still, it has the basics of good taste, so it might be good if we just change the recipe a little. I'm worried about whether they'll be willing to change the long-standing traditional recipe.'

Change always brings fear. Especially in a place with such a long history, it's even more difficult to change anything.

Thinking this, I naturally pulled the doenjang jjigae closer. By the time I had tasted a bite of the dakbokkeumtang, it had cooled to just the right temperature.

'The visual presentation is good. It looks savory.'

The tofu is cut into large chunks, and you can see small pieces of meat too. It's excellent as a lunch menu item.

'If they can make a delicious doenjang jjigae, that alone would be quite competitive. There are many office workers around here. If they focus on dakbokkeumtang for dinner and this doenjang jjigae for lunch business, that would have its own merit...'

I was thinking this as I took a spoonful and put it in my mouth.

"?"

What's this?

Wondering if I had tasted it wrong, I took another spoonful. Gulp. But nothing changed.

Rather, I became more certain that my first taste was correct.

"......"

I slowly put down the spoon. Ahn Dong-woo, who had been constantly checking my reaction from the kitchen, came over and asked.

"How's the taste? I hope it suits your palate."

They say you can't spit in a smiling face. But sometimes, you have to.

"Owner Ahn."

"Yes?"

"This doenjang jjigae. What ingredients are in it?"

"Ah... Th-that. Well... There's doenjang, soy sauce, minced garlic, a bit of cooking wine, tofu, enoki mushrooms..."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, yes. Is there some problem with the doenjang jjigae?"

At those words, I asked once more in a stronger tone.

"Can I go to the kitchen and see for myself? How you make the doenjang jjigae. I'm curious about the process."

"......"

Ahn Dong-woo pressed his lips tightly together. He clearly looked uncomfortable. Seeing this reaction, I thought, 'As expected.'

"Owner Ahn. I don't know if you've heard, but while I can tolerate inability, I can't tolerate lying. It's okay if you can't do it. Recipes can be learned."

I sincerely believed that. This isn't some Michelin three-star restaurant. It doesn't take extraordinary skills to produce average taste in the general food service industry.

Anyone can do it if they learn.

Provided they don't try to cut corners.

"......"

"But if you lie, I can't help you with anything. You asked for help because your sales are gradually declining, right? That's why I cancelled other appointments to come here."

As I continued speaking, Ahn Dong-woo's face grew increasingly pale. The cheerful face from earlier had completely disappeared.

Only a person with frightened eyes darting around remained.

"Please be honest with me, Owner."

I whispered in a low voice.

"This doenjang jjigae, it's a ready-made product, isn't it?"