Hot Pot Franchise
Everyone's eyes were glued to Alexander Hayes, the guinea pig for the taste test.
Lily Evans looked at him eagerly: "So? Is it spicy? Is it good?"
Alexander Hayes moved his mouth a few times, swallowed the slice of meat, and said seriously, "It's especially delicious, not spicy at all."
"Not spicy? But look at all those red chilies!" Mark Hunter scratched his head, about to put his meat into the mild broth, but after hearing Alexander, he hesitated and eyed the spicy pot.
"Really, it's not spicy, the taste is just right." Alexander Hayes said, then tried a slice in the mild broth, "This one's good too, but I think the spicy pot is more fragrant."
"Oh, good, as long as it's not spicy! I can't handle spicy food." Mark Hunter immediately leaned toward the spicy pot, swished his meat, dipped it in the oil bowl, and put it in his mouth. His expression instantly turned peculiar.
"Well, Mark, is it spicy?" Cynthia Wu watched Mark Hunter's expression closely.
Mark Hunter swallowed the meat and replied with a straight face, "Not spicy, it's really fragrant!"
"Alright, I'll try it too!" Cynthia Wu was the first to taste the spicy hot pot.
Soon, everyone at the table followed suit, digging into the spicy hot pot. Some made funny faces after tasting it, but kept telling the others it wasn't spicy and was incredibly fragrant.
Finally, when the last person tried the spicy hot pot, he leaped up, fanning his mouth: "Oh my goodness, it's burning hot! How could you all say it's not spicy?"
Everyone burst out laughing. "If we admit it's spicy, how are we supposed to trick the next person into trying it? Ha ha ha!"
The dinner table was filled with laughter. Even as they complained about the heat, their chopsticks kept diving into the spicy hot pot. Only a few of the youngest, unable to handle the fiery flavor, stuck to the mild broth, but their eyes still lingered longingly on the spicy side.
One meal of hot pot conquered everyone's taste buds; all agreed it was delicious and incredibly fragrant.
The best part? It's so much easier to make than training a chef. As long as the soup base and oil bowl are tasty, and the ingredients are fresh, that's all you need.
"Lily, if you opened a hot pot restaurant, you'd have customers lining up out the door!" Mrs. Charlotte Evans said, her face full of envy.
Lily Evans smiled, "I'm not planning to open a restaurant myself. We're too far from Sichuan, and I don't know anyone there. If I just rush over and open a shop, it'll take too much time and effort, and I don't have enough reliable staff."
Mrs. Charlotte Evans sighed, "It'd be such a shame if this hot pot could only be eaten at Eight Treasures Bistro."
Lily Evans chuckled, "Just because I'm not opening my own shop doesn't mean I can't sell hot pot in Sichuan."
Everyone perked up—they could tell Lily Evans had come up with a new idea.
Lily Evans then explained the franchise model for hot pot restaurants in simple terms.
In the future, Eight Treasures Bistro would act as the main distributor. Anyone from outside wanting to join would need to pass a qualification check—like proving their capital, having a shop of a certain size, and enough staff.
Once qualified, they'd pay a hefty franchise fee, then buy supplies from the main distributor—taking home ready-made soup bases of various flavors.
To keep the soup base recipe secret, it would be ground into powder and packed in white silk bags. Even if someone opened the bag, the formula would stay safe.
As for the oil bowls, the main distributor would provide a few standard flavors. Over time, diners could adjust their own oil bowls to taste, so there was no need for secrecy there.
Lily Evans's whole modern franchise theory left everyone stunned.
Mrs. Charlotte Evans glanced at Arthur Evans, pulling him aside and whispering, "Darling, our Fortune & Grace Emporium has been running for years. We're doing better than most, but nothing compared to Lily's business. How about we turn the shop across from Eight Treasures Bistro into a hot pot place and join Lily in opening one here in the capital?"