Chapter 62
[We sell set menus!]
I had to swallow the bitterness as I passed the dessert shop that imitated the set menu.
The master's words meant that the set menu strategy was something that everyone could easily follow.
It was not differentiated by taste or quality, and because it did not require a large amount of capital, competitors were able to quickly imitate the set menu.
‘I underestimated the merchants here.'
It was the dessert shops in the square at the west gate of the academy that realized the benefits of the set sales strategy and started to follow it first.
‘All the plagiarism is unfortunate, but that is the most annoying thing.'
A place that greatly promoted the composition of the set menu with phrases that seemed to resemble the ones I wrote on the banner.
〈Naria〉
It was the most popular dessert shop in the academy west gate square, with a powerful landmark called the Fountain of the Goddess Nyla.
Naria, which was built in the best location, was also famous as a place frequented by the daughters of the imperial government officials.
Just by looking at the business name, which has a pronunciation and nuance somewhat similar to that of the Goddess Nyla, I could tell that the owner of the store had a sense of business.
The reason I avoided the west gate commercial district was partly because of the bubble in real estate, but also because of the fierce competition in the square in front of the Fountain of the Goddess Nyla.
For market research, I went inside Naria and lightly clicked my tongue after looking at the menu.
‘This place gives a bigger discount than my shop when ordering a set.'
Interestingly, the dessert shop near Naria lowered the price even more.
‘It's going in a strange direction.'
Meanwhile, another unexpected thing happened.
I came across this conversation by accident while doing market research in a dessert shop on the west side.
"What is that banner in front of Naria?"
"They copied it from Armand! Armand was the first to promote the set menu by putting it on the banner. Like a word puzzle."
"Armand. I think I've heard of it, it's on the east side, right? How is the food there? Is it good?"
"It's delicious. Be sure to go there and try the whipped cream cake. It tastes heavenly."
Interestingly, a well-known shop that was already established was serving as publicity for my shop.
As expected, too blatant plagiarism is bound to come back with a backlash.
‘You guys, just play the chicken game diligently.'
It is even better if the taste and quality, which are important because of the price, are also reduced.
‘The set menu is only a fraction of the cards I have.'
I was just starting.
The first card is ‘new menu.'
After the shop opened, the menu was tested through several tastings, and its commercial value was sufficiently confirmed.
‘I heard the reaction was very strong.'
The timing was also right.
The weather was getting hotter.
The summers in the capital of the Azutea Empire, which has a Mediterranean climate, are hot and dry.
The humidity is not high, so it boasts pleasant weather; but the sunlight is very hot, so it was just the time for the menu.
〈Season Limited Special Drink〉
Hello, summer!
Have a sweet, cool, and healthy summer at Armand with the trio of smoothies!
***
"Bring the blender."
"Yes!"
"Move faster!"
A pâtissier with a huge build charismatically commanded the kitchen while clapping his hands.
Milo, a dessert master who once worked for the imperial family but transferred to Maisond after being pushed into the fierce political battle of the imperial chefs.
This time, he was in charge of developing the menu for Armand, a new shop in the Horun District, and was too busy with all the changes that swept the kitchen like a storm.
"Milo. This person is one of the owners of Leticia. She came because she wanted to directly participate in the development of the menu for the newly opened dessert shop."
The mysterious woman who appeared with the manager of the Maisond pressed the robe that covered her face, making it difficult to identify who she was.
‘In any case, the nobles pretend to be decent on the outside; but when you get to know them, they're full of oddballs.'
While he clicked his tongue, she started pulling out a strange magic tool.
‘W-what is that? That strange thing?'
After that, a new world unfolded.
Whrrrrr!
With a strange sound, all kinds of ingredients, including fruits, began to be shredded in an instant, to the point they couldn't even be recognized.
It was a rather terrifying, yet surprising sight.
"The owner called this a blender. It's quite expensive, so take good care of the blade so that it doesn't rust."
Another machine was a machine with a hanging whipper.
Milo was astonished to see the cream puff up like a cloud in an instant.
Until now, in order to make the cream, he had to whip it to death and get muscle pain in his arm, but that whipper was spinning by itself at an insane speed.
"She called this a ‘whipping machine that does well by itself'."
At first glance, three magical tools that looked very useful were provided.
‘She's an employer who cares about kitchen facilities.'
Nobles had no interest in what was going on between their servants.
They just thought of them as a tool that has to do what they command.
An unknown emotion surged inside him.
In addition, he couldn't even estimate how much time could be saved through those products in the future, and how much dessert production and quality could be increased.
"This is a recipe I made. I hope you can adjust the amount of sugar and improve it to the taste of the guests."
She suddenly left behind a recipe called a ‘smoothie'.
Although it just required a blender to blend ice and fruit together, it had a fresher and cooler taste than ice cream.
In addition, the owner of Leticia, who shared the recipe, promised a huge bonus every time he satisfactorily completed the development of a new menu.
‘It's been a while since I've been motivated.'
The reason he quit being an imperial pâtissier was that he pursued money rather than honor.
Milo spurred development to release the smoothies with a more perfect taste, and the smoothie trio was completed.
Milo described them as the sweet and cool angels of the dessert world.
***
"What is a smoothie?"
"The drawing on the poster was so pretty."
Then, when the young ladies were talking with curious faces.
An employee in a neat and tidy attire approached them with drinks on a tray.
He was wearing a white shirt and dark purple trousers.
A badge in the shape of an Armand seal was attached to his shirt pocket, so he was immediately recognized as a clerk, and he also seemed to have a certain expertise.
"Ladies, would you like to taste the smoothies?"
The waiter smiled brightly and held out the tray.
"We are holding a tasting of the new menu for our customers at Armand, from 4 to 5 pm. This drink is a summertime drink called ‘smoothie' and is made from fruit."
Orange, yellow, yellow-green.
Beverages of 3 colors were put in small glasses of tasting.
"Oh my, it's the same color as the picture on the poster."
"The color is really pretty."
"Please, try all the different kinds. It is a healthy drink made from fruit."
At the invitation of the waiter, the young girls picked up the small glasses with curious faces, and carefully tasted them.
"I think this yellow-green one is made from green grapes."
"The orange one is made from melons."
"The yellow one tastes like sweet peaches."
Suddenly, a phrase flashed across their minds.
〈Sweet peach, XXX, and melon.〉
The reason why expressions such as a fruit shop suddenly appeared, while introducing the dessert menu with the banners, seemed to be because of these three seasonal fruit drinks.
The young ladies had originally thought about getting a different drink, but they changed their minds.
There was already a sweet and cool taste in their mouths.
A drink perfect for summer.
Just a light tasting was enticing.
"I will order a melon smoothie."
"… I want peach!"
Soon, the colorful drinks were served in long glasses.
As soon as they drank it, a refreshing sensation that made their head tingle hit their whole body.
The young ladies, who had become obsessed with the smoothies, got up from their seats with extremely satisfied faces.contemporary romance
"It was delicious."
"I want to come again. It's the first time I've had something like that, that isn’t even ice cream."
At that moment, as they passed by the door, they saw a poster.
[Join Armand as a regular during the new member registration period and enjoy special events and benefits!]
[The luck of the golden star will come to the 77th, 111th, 333th, 555th, 777th, and 1111th members!]
done.co