Manager Zhang raised his eyebrows at her and sat down as she had asked. He didn’t ask any other questions and didn’t show any signs of impatience. It was more like, if you ask to sit, I’ll sit, and he even appeared as though he was all ears. No matter what he was thinking internally, at least the way he appeared made her quite satisfied.
The waiter noticed that the two had settled in for an earnest chat, so he felt it wasn’t right for him to linger. He glanced at Yaya, who instinctively looked towards her sister, Xiao Yu, who then nodded at her.
"You and the waiter go downstairs and wait."
Yaya thought her sister wanted to sell seaweed, so she didn’t think much about it and obediently went downstairs.
Xiao Yu casually brewed a cup of tea for the manager and then smiled as she spoke to him.
"Firstly, let introduce myself; my na is Shen Xiaoyu, I’m eighteen this year, and I live in Huagang Village."
The manager listened and his expression didn’t change much. He didn’t even hurry her along but just continued staring at her, signaling her to continue.
Even though Xiao Yu had t quite a few people, she couldn’t help but admire this manager for his composure.
"May I ask for your esteed surna?"
"Oh, there is no need for formalities. My surna is Zhang, Zhang Quan," he replied succinctly.
"Manager Zhang, has the business at Yingbin Building always been like this, or was it once better and has now declined? That’s why the popularity has waned?"
The manager smiled at her and said, "Well, what brilliant idea do you have, miss? Regardless of how it was in the past, this is what you see now. Do you have any redy?"
"You indeed are a straightforward person."
Manager Zhang chuckled, "Isn’t that the very reason you sought out? Tell , if what you say is good, today’s al will be on the house. If it’s diocre, then I’m sorry, you will have to pay the full amount, and not think of underpaying even by a single copper coin."
"Alright, since you’re so straightforward, I will also show you frankly and at the sa ti listen if my words are worth the price of this al."
After saying that, she imdiately asked, "I want to ask you, are there more locals or non-locals who co here to dine?"
Upon hearing this, the manager knew what she was about to suggest, but wisely, he didn’t interrupt her, instead he responded.
"Roughly half and half. This is a business passed down from our ancestors, and it has reached the third generation with . Regrettably, under my managent, the business has been worsening quite the opposite of when the older generations managed it. The chefs are still those inherited from the past, and I really do not understand why it has been on a downhill path!"
Xiao Yu nodded knowingly and then inquired while stroking her chin, "Then over these years, have you ever updated or refreshed the nu?"
The manager quickly retorted, "The chefs are family retainers passed down from generation to generation. While the overall direction hasn’t changed, they do make so adjustnts based on their capabilities."
"So, the new dishes you can offer aren’t many, right?"
"That’s right, after all, seafood is abundant here. Ultimately, we can only specialize in signature dishes. Non-locals co here, they definitely want to try our local seafood specialties, and locals have been used to these flavors since they were young. They are accustod to them and obviously wouldn’t easily take to other flavors."
However, Xiao Yu shook her head.
"That’s where you’re wrong. The problem lies exactly here. It’s true that outsiders co here looking for unique seafood, but if your seafood always tastes the sa and they travel this route frequently, eventually finding the tastes quite similar, they won’t co back after a while. And as for the locals, if you never give them a chance to try new dishes, how will you know whether they would like them or not?"
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