America's Greatest Villain: I Defeat Magic with Magic

"Me, the lobby manager?"

Hu Dan was surprised that Chen Yuan would suddenly make this appointment.

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Among the current waiters, you have the most seniority. You are the most suitable to be the lobby manager. You will also be paid $200 a day, with tips on the side."

Chen Yuan chose Hu Dan not only because of her seniority, but also because she is an "all-rounder".

In recent days, in addition to serving dishes in the lobby, she has also been going to the snack window every day to make fried chicken, fries and grilled squid for Su Nian or Emily.

It's fair to say that she has a thorough understanding of all the major business processes of this restaurant, from beginning to end.

The only drawback is that Hu Dan is also an international student, and theoretically should be focusing on university life.

So Chen Yuan added at the right time: "However, you also have academic pressure. If you feel that the workload is too heavy or the position is not suitable, I will see if someone else can handle it."

"No way!" Hu Dan was afraid that this windfall would slip away, so she quickly patted her chest and assured them, "I agree! Letting me be the lobby manager is absolutely no problem."

Rongding Pavilion's normal business hours are from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, which is a full 10 hours, excluding a 1-hour lunch break.

According to California regulations, overtime pay must be paid for work beyond the 8-hour workday.

In other words, according to the conditions given by Chen Yuan, one can earn at least $5000 a month by working!

Add in the usual tips, easily surpassing $6000.

This level of salary is considered an enviable high salary among the struggling Chinese international students.

Moreover, with Rongding Pavilion becoming a "student practice collaboration pilot" at USC, the immigration and labor departments have no reason to keep an eye on this restaurant anymore.

Although Hu Dan is not a student at USC, she can work openly and legitimately in the store for a long time as long as no one reports her.

Thinking of this, Hu Dan rubbed her hands together excitedly:

"Anyway, I majored in business administration in college, and there weren't many important courses. Working in the store is a good opportunity for me to gain management experience. But could you give me a formal work certificate so I can find a job when I go back to China?"

Chen Yuan was surprised that Hu Dan had even thought about finding a job after returning to China so clearly, and couldn't help but laugh:

"No problem, it's settled then."

Then he turned his gaze to Su Nian and Anna standing to the side:

"Although the three of us will be focusing on our studies from now on, Rongding Pavilion is also a USC-certified student practice service pilot program, so we can earn academic credits in addition to our salary by working at the store in our spare time."

Su Nian nodded. After all, Chen Yuan had gone to great lengths to make Rongding Pavilion a pilot project for cooperation with USC so that she could get rid of her status as an illegal worker.

Although she doesn't talk much, she is very grateful to Chen Yuan.

"Don't worry, Brother Chen. I'll come to the store to help out whenever I have time, especially on Saturdays and Sundays."

Chen Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then smiled and said:

"Next, Rongdingge will register as a non-profit organization at USC, and will even recruit some new members to do charity work on campus. These project experiences will help your studies."

Since Vivian wants Chen Yuan to replace Vanderbilt's Life Sciences Charitable Foundation, Chen Yuan needs to make preparations in advance.

With Su Nian, the "Fried Chicken Beauty," and Anna's post-production skills, it's not necessary to have too many people to set up a campus charity event.

Chen Yuan finally looked at the remaining two waiters:

"As for Emily and Yang Qiu, you should also help Hu Dan with some of her work. Starting tomorrow, your salaries will also increase by 30%."

Emily and Yang Qiu are both locals, but being a waitress in America is considered a low-level manual labor job, so their original hourly wage was only slightly higher than the minimum wage in Los Angeles.

Chen Yuan raised their salaries by 30% in one go, which means that their salaries are definitely among the best in the industry.

The reason Chen Yuan was so generous in raising the employees' salaries was naturally due to the $9 grant promised by Vivian.

Although she had hinted that the money could be spent however she wanted, Chen Yuan was not so naive as to squander public funds as if they were his own private stash.

It is perfectly reasonable to use this money to improve employee salaries and benefits, and no one can find fault with it.

Moreover, Rongding Pavilion's turnover has been rising steadily recently, so even without that grant, raising wages for employees wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Emily and Yang Qiu had only been working at Rongdingge for less than a month, and they were both overjoyed to receive a raise so quickly.

Emily, in particular, had been planning to go to the performing arts night school after Chen Yuan finished speaking.

Seeing that Chen Yuan not only made Hu Dan the lobby manager, but also so generously gave them a raise, their minds began to wander.

After experiencing the harsh realities of Los Angeles, Emily gradually realized that it was far too naive for an ordinary girl with no connections to dream of Hollywood.

These days, you can work comfortably in a popular restaurant like Rongding Pavilion and earn a much higher hourly wage and generous tips than your peers. Why not just stay here permanently?

Moreover, Hu Dan is an international student, and she will leave here sooner or later in two years.

By then, she would be the most senior and a local white woman, so wouldn't the position of lobby manager be a natural fit for her?

Thinking of this, Emily wasn't in a hurry to leave. She immediately straightened her work attitude and reported to Chen Yuan:

"Boss, when you weren't here last night, I noticed that the two new dine-in dishes that the kitchen introduced seem to be quite popular."

"New dishes? You mean Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu?"

When Emily mentioned it, Chen Yuan remembered that he had indeed made improvements to Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu in the kitchen a few days ago, while retaining the numbing sensation and appropriate spiciness, and taking into account the tastes of the local Americans.

Emily nodded, and said excitedly:

"A few tourists from China came last night. They saw these two new dishes on the menu, so they ordered them to try. They raved about them."

Yang Qiu, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in: "They said that although our new dishes are not as authentic as Sichuan cuisine in China, at least they are not as sweet and greasy as those in other Chinese restaurants, and they have perfectly preserved the soul of numbing spiciness."

"Afterwards, they seemed to have shared our two dishes on the TT platform in China, and as a result, quite a few tourists came to try them today."

Chen Yuan was both amused and exasperated. What kind of mentality is it for tourists from China to travel thousands of miles to a Chinese restaurant in America to eat Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu?

Emily laughed and said, "Because so many people are ordering these two dishes, quite a few local diners have also tried them out of curiosity and found that they really suit their tastes. Especially the black guys and Mexicans who prefer stronger flavors, they really like them."

The two men's detailed reports brought Chen Yuan a genuine and unexpected joy.

The modified Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu were originally just a boring experiment suggested by Vivian, but unexpectedly, both tourists and locals were very receptive to this "modified version".

Could we follow this line of thought and improve upon more classic Chinese dishes?

After all, apart from high-profile philanthropy, doing catering in a down-to-earth manner is Rongdingge's fundamental business.

Thinking about this, Chen Yuan's mind began to stir.