Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 502 Business Issues

Xiao Wei asked, "Are there many customers upstairs?"

Li Na turned her head and said, "Today was alright, about 80%."

Xiao Wei said, "That's good. It means there are more and more wealthy people in Fengtian, and our reputation is growing. Tell these people to work hard and do their jobs well, and they'll get bonuses at the end of the month."

Li Na raised her eyebrows and asked, "Do I have one?"

Xiao Wei said, "You? Let me think about it. I'm currently considering whether this shop still needs you."

Li Na rolled her eyes at Xiao Wei, who said, "I'm not kidding. You should start handing over the work to Wei Yun and get her up to speed as soon as possible. You should be ready to leave at any time."

Li Na said to Xiao Hong with a twitching face, "Your man is too cruel. Look how delicate and frail I am, and he doesn't know how to cherish a woman? You should really think about this. If you don't like it, I suggest you break up with him quickly."

Xiao Hong pouted and said, "Give up, you vixen, you'll never have a chance in this lifetime." The two girls laughed and joked together.

On the other side, Xinghai whispered to Xia Maosheng, "Where is this? Xiaowei and Xiaohong seem to know them quite well?"

Xia Maosheng said, "This shop is run by Xiaowei and Xiaohui. He's the owner, how could he not know them? Let's find a place to sit down and eat, we're hungry. Xiaowei, shall we eat upstairs or downstairs?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's sit downstairs. There are too many people upstairs today, so let's not squeeze in." The upstairs corridor was a bit narrow, less than two meters wide, so it was indeed a little inconvenient when there were many people in the private rooms. Fortunately, half of the private rooms had their own restrooms.

The restrooms in hotels are a serious issue; they should be considered standard or even mandatory.

There are quite a few restaurants in Southwest and South China without restrooms. Some that do have restrooms are just tiny corner units, barely a meter square, and they're filthy and greasy. I really don't know what these people are thinking. Can you imagine the embarrassment of a restaurant without a restroom? I've lived here for fifteen years, and when I go to a restaurant, I always ask about the restroom first. If there isn't one, I absolutely refuse to go in.

The condition of a public service venue's restrooms directly reflects its perceived class; no amount of boasting will change that. One visit to the restroom is all it takes to gauge the place's prestige. No matter how nicely the storefront is decorated, how elaborate the lobby is furnished, or how high the prices are set, it's all irrelevant. Many venues that are reluctant to spend money on restrooms, yet have a very high-end image, eventually go out of business after a while, often without knowing why.

Xiao Wei asked Xiao Hong to lead everyone to a place to sit down, while he went to check on the restrooms upstairs and downstairs. He didn't understand these grand principles, but he knew that a spacious, clean, tidy, and fragrant restroom would make people feel comfortable, and that was enough for him. He then took a look at the kitchen, chatted with An Laowu for a bit, and learned that the dishes in the restaurant had been adjusted according to what they had discussed last time, making An Laowu feel much more relaxed than before.

After greeting Sister Jin and giving a quick look at the kitchen's layout and cleanliness, Xiao Wei went downstairs to find Xiao Hong and the others. He sat down next to Chen Hui and said, "It's alright, but we need to keep a close eye on the hygiene. It's getting hot soon, and it can easily smell bad if we're not careful. Do you remember the Cultural Palace? That was back in autumn and winter."

Chen Hui nodded.

After lighting a cigarette and drinking a cup of tea, the dishes were served one after another. Since there were no outsiders present, no wine was offered. After exchanging a few greetings, everyone started eating casually.

Xinghai and Liuliu had looked at the menu. The two of them were so shocked by the meal that their worldviews were completely shattered and their faces turned pale. This one meal cost several hundred yuan, and they hadn't even had any alcohol. Xiaowei's restaurant is too shady; he's really ripping people off.

However, it really is delicious, and since I didn't spend any money on it, I might as well eat it.

Then I held on.

Rural children are just that honest.

We asked the waiter to clear the table and make tea, and everyone sat there to slowly digest their food and chat.

Xiao Wei said, "I'm going back to Longcheng tomorrow to settle things there. I've been away for a while now. Lao Xia, you and Geng Hui can stay here for a few more days. You can accompany Chen Hui around and help him come up with ideas. Xinghai and Liu Liu can come along for a few days. After that, Xiao Hui can take you to see the place and get familiar with it, and figure out how to get around before you go back."

They all nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wei said, "The store must be located in the center of a commercial area, or as close as possible. It doesn't matter if the place is big. We can open a restaurant and a cake shop together. If that doesn't work, we can also open a small hotel. Anyway, there won't be any empty spaces. We should sign a long-term contract, or even a buyout for several years."

Chen Hui said, "I know, don't worry. If it gets too big and we can just rent it out again, like we did at that mall today."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Sure, really sure. I think this will definitely work. But if we're going to do it this way, it's best to find someone to buy the house first, otherwise we'll end up hurting ourselves."

Rent will definitely increase year by year according to market conditions. If you rent a place and then sublet it, you won't make much money after a few years. Of course, you can raise the rent, but there's a limit. Can you even keep the business running if you raise it to several thousand for a single garment?

Look at the Chongqing Metropolitan Plaza near the Liberation Monument. It's deserted. Every single shop inside is losing money because the rent is too high. You have to sell a piece of cloth for several thousand yuan inside. How many of them are big-headed dolls?

Wanda's commercial complexes across the country have been struggling in recent years, resulting in numerous lease terminations and vacancies. He constantly criticizes e-commerce. While e-commerce is certainly a factor, his own exorbitant rents are the primary reason. People always tend to criticize others.

Chen Hui picked his teeth with a toothpick and said, "I understand, I know. I'll make sure you understand everything clearly, you can rest assured when I handle things."

Xiao Wei said, "Pedestrian streets are the first choice, followed by central business districts. The location needs to be easily accessible with high foot traffic, and ideally, the entrance should have some space but be slightly away from the road. The building's height doesn't matter; if it's too tall, we can always install our own electrical system later. The key is that the building's front face must be on the main street, understand? If the side faces the main street, it's pointless. The storefront must be large."

Chen Hui asked, "How many?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Do you think you're going to look for stones by the river and grab a handful? Go ahead and look, there are at least six or seven places. If you find too many, just pick from them. You might worry about doing other things, but why worry about buying a house? It's all money sooner or later. But we should still try to consider the more commercially concentrated areas of the city evenly, like Heping, Shenhe, Dadong, Huanggu, Tiexi, and if there are any suitable ones in Sujiatun, that would be fine too."

Chen Hui asked, "Do we want the whole building?"

Xiao Wei said, "I've noticed that in Fengtian, most of the commercial areas are high-rise buildings. It doesn't really matter whether we live in a high-rise or a bungalow; it's the same as long as we have enough space. Besides the places I mentioned, we can also go to the areas around higher-end residential areas, like the government staff quarters or the 601 Institute area. People in these areas generally have higher incomes and stronger purchasing power."

Chen Hui thought for a moment and then asked, "What if they don't want to sell?"

Xiao Wei said, "These days, government-owned enterprises are almost failing financially, and they don't contribute much money to the construction of buildings."

(End of this chapter)