"Boss, the guests for the reservation have arrived!"
Meng Ruping's waiter approached Li Zhi quietly to call him over. Apart from the little girl Yang Yuqing, everyone else was somewhat fearful of Li Zhi.
Li Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, I know." He suggested letting Ruping and Huang handle the greeting for now. There was no need for him to show up immediately; it wasn't as if he had begged the other party to come to the Falling Star Tower for a meal.
After the waiter left, Li Zhi pondered a question. The relationship between the Falling Star Tower and its high-end customers was crucial. Visitors came to the Falling Star Tower to indulge in exquisite dining, enticed by its renowned reputation. The Falling Star Tower needed high-end clients to ensure profitability and enhance its reputation. There was a clear mutual benefit between the two.
Should the Falling Star Tower rely solely on customers to dine there, or should it maintain its own sense of exclusivity and treat everyone equally?
The $88 million package was not inexpensive; however, the Falling Star Tower had halted all other operations to cater to this exclusive group of guests. Was it worth it?
While it is true that high-end customers are valuable, one such customer is more important than a hundred ordinary diners. What about the character of the Falling Star Tower? Li Zhi's idea was to establish the Falling Star Tower as the most high-end restaurant, renowned far and wide.
The Falling Star Tower should have its own sense of pride. From the moment it began, it should be itself, and everyone should understand its pride, not to be altered by the "operators."
What is the pride of the Falling Star Tower?
Rules!
"Perhaps the person who made the reservation today will be proud of this meal for the rest of their life!" Li Zhi muttered to himself. From now on, the Falling Star Tower will remain unchanged, even if a foreign president or national leader visits. It should maintain its unique sense of pride.
"Huang, come up here." "I have something to tell you!" Li Zhi called Huang, regardless of whether he had other matters to attend to. Li Zhi was the boss, and he was in charge of everything here.
Huang actually had nothing else to do downstairs. The guests, about six or seven people comprising both men and women, had been escorted to the third floor by Meng Ruping. However, their appearances were unfamiliar to him, and even if he had seen them before, he probably wouldn't recognize them. They hadn't greeted him, and Huang didn't feel inclined to approach them.
Being too proactive might give the impression of being overly eager, which could diminish his value.
At that moment, Li Zhi called him, and he went up to the third floor.
…
"Why are the private rooms here so small?" "We paid nearly three million dollars, and yet the service quality and dining environment are like this?" Someone complained.
Meng Ruping smiled and said, "I'm sorry, this is the largest private room at the Falling Star Tower, and also the best."
The private room was approximately 50 square meters, occupying about a third of the third floor. If it wasn't reserved in advance or for special guests, it wouldn't be opened.
In other locations, it might be considered small, but at the Falling Star Tower, it was already quite spacious.
In Meng Ruping's mind, she always remembered Li Zhi's words: the service staff at the Falling Star Tower should be humble, but not inferior to anyone else. They all received white-collar salaries, just with different job natures.
"Why is such a small place so expensive?" The question seemed to be directed at Meng Ruping and the others but also sounded like a mutter to oneself.
Meng Ruping didn't bother to answer such a question. The place may be small, but not everyone can come here whenever they want. If it weren't for the advance reservation, even if they added another million, they wouldn't be able to dine here tonight.
"May we start the meal?" Meng Ruping asked with a smile.
"Please do!"
The woman sitting in the middle spoke calmly after taking off her coat.
There weren't many people in the room; only seven in total, five women and two men. One man was in his forties, and the other was in his twenties. Both of them were alert, constantly surveying their surroundings.
"Qian Rou, it's been many years since you last visited Haicheng, hasn't it?" The woman who spoke was also very beautiful, in her early thirties, slightly younger than the woman sitting in the main seat. ###
If Li Zhi were here, he would surely recognize the woman speaking. Yun, the owner of the 1978 bar, was none other than her. Sitting beside Yun were a pair of beautiful sisters, Sun Jiao and Sun Rao, whom Li Zhi also knew from the bar.
The girl who had just spoken was also an acquaintance, the one with a grudge, Fang Guoxiang.
Apart from the woman sitting in the main seat and the two men, Li Zhi was not familiar with the others. However, he didn't know that yet.
Despite the small size of the private rooms at the Falling Star Tower, the soundproofing was excellent. After all, the entire building had undergone a renovation costing several million dollars.
"Boss, did you call for me?"
Huang pushed open the door to the private room and walked in, smiling.
"Have the guests arrived?" Li Zhi asked.
Huang sat down next to Li Zhi, took out a cigarette, and handed one to Li Zhi, saying with a smile, "They have them, but they all look unfamiliar." "I can't tell where they're from."
"Okay, I called you to discuss the future of the Falling Star Tower," Li Zhi nodded and went straight to the point. If he didn't say it now, he might forget amidst all the other matters.
Handing Li Zhi a cigarette, Huang squinted and said, "Boss, I'm all ears."
"When do you think it's appropriate for the Falling Star Tower to officially open for business?" Li Zhi asked.
Huang thought for a moment and said with a smile, "It's been over a week, and the Falling Star Tower has already identified several issues."
"Tell me about them!"
Li Zhi took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of smoke. He used to have a smoking habit, but it disappeared after being transformed by the Starry Sky i9. In a clichéd manner, he didn't smoke cigarettes; he smoked loneliness, feelings, and sentiments.
"The scale of the Falling Star Tower is too small, which limits its development." Secondly, the prices are high-end, but there isn't a high-end venue. Third, the environment, as mentioned earlier, is at best comparable to that of a mid-range restaurant. "Eighty percent of high-end customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the environment here."
At this point, Huang paused, put away his smile, and said seriously, "What I've said so far isn't the most important." The most crucial issue is that the Falling Star Tower is too reliant on you, Boss. Without you, the Falling Star Tower would close sooner or later. Although I don't know where you source all those top-notch ingredients from, I suggest that you loosen your control over the ingredients. The Falling Star Tower needs to have direct control over the source of its raw materials.
Li Zhi shook his head and said firmly, "It's impossible." "No one else can acquire as many top-notch ingredients as I can." Without access to the source of the ingredients from Port 5, where would they go?
Huang had already anticipated Li Zhi's opposition and squinted as he said, "Since it's impossible for us to personally procure the ingredients, there's only one other way."
"Which way?" Li Zhi asked.
Stockpiling! Huang exclaimed, "Without the top-notch ingredients provided by the Boss, the Falling Star Tower would close in no time." Just like today, if the boss had been a little late, our reputation would have been ruined. Boss, could you please consider stocking more high-quality ingredients? We could rent or build a cold storage and preservation facility stocked with enough ingredients to last for at least a month, or even longer, in case of emergencies.
Today, Li Zhi made Huang experience what it meant to be unreliable. He was more concerned about the future. If it happened today, it would surely happen again.
It wasn't certain when Li Zhi would be able to arrive as promptly as he did today.
Would you like to build a cold storage and preservation facility?
Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "That's feasible, but the cold storage facility is a bit small." It might be better to establish a reserve base for raw materials. We could purchase some land, and then I could introduce a shipment of live seafood, such as lobsters, abalones, and king crabs. During normal times, we could even open it up for the Falling Star Tower's customers to visit.
"I have no objections!" Huang squinted and nodded with a smile. The more significant Li Zhi made it, the happier he would be. This raw material reserve base would definitely be considered part of the Falling Star Tower's industry, and when it made money, he would have a share in it.
"The current condition of the Falling Star Tower's environment is as follows." It won't change in the short term. "If anyone minds, they can ask the other party to dine elsewhere," Li Zhi said calmly.
Huang chuckled and muttered, "Boss, working with you makes me feel at ease." Hearing your words puts my mind at ease. Yes, this is the environment we have, and whether people like it or not, no one is begging them to come here to eat. "They're just spoiled!"
"Stop flattering me!" Li Zhi rolled his eyes and said, "I called you up here to talk about the future of the Falling Star Tower."
"Alright, boss, go ahead." "I'm listening!" Huang grinned and said.
"Firstly, starting now, Falling Star Tower will no longer offer exclusive booking services, regardless of the individual making the reservation." No matter how much money is offered, it won't be provided. Everything will be based on the reservation time. The Falling Star Tower should have its own sense of pride, and from now on, it will no longer bow to anyone. "Today is the first time, and it will also be the last time!" Li Zhi said.
Huang looked at Li Zhi with his small eyes, not saying anything, but nodding in agreement with Li Zhi's view. From Li Zhi's expression, it was evident that the boss had made a final decision this time.
"From now on, this will be the rule of the Falling Star Tower, and no one, including myself, can change it at will," Li Zhi said calmly.
The Falling Star Tower will no longer offer exclusive booking services to anyone. From today onwards, for as long as the Falling Star Tower is open for business, this rule will be in effect.