Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 463 - 375: If Chinese Food Can Be Sold at Stalls, Why Not Western Food?

"Customers who have paid, please wait on both sides of the grill. For those at the back, please step forward and let the nearby waitstaff know how much you need. We operate on a pay-first, collect-food-later basis."

Dais was walking back and forth in the middle of the grill, maintaining order and occasionally directing diners to either side.

A few customers at the front followed her instructions and moved to the sides, while those at the back took a couple of steps forward on their own accord.

"Sir, how many dozens of oysters do you need?"

Nicole, without even holding a calculator, went up with a notepad and pen to ask.

"Please give me six dozen, thank you."

"Okay."

Nicole casually wrote the number 6 on a slip of paper and handed it to him, "How would you like to pay? Card or cash?"

While asking, she looked more carefully at the customer’s face in front of her, feeling it somewhat familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before.

This situation had happened a few times already, and she didn’t find it surprising at all, as it was likely just a returning customer who had previously bought food at the restaurant and whom she might have casually noticed.

"Card."

"Hmm?"

Dais happened to be passing by with a tray full of grilled oysters from the window, ready to place it on the table beside her when the familiar voice made her instinctively turn her head.

Upon seeing that familiar yet unfamiliar face, her mouth twitched slightly.

"Jonathan Chef?"

"Uh, hi~" Jonathan waved at her with a smile, "Good afternoon, Miss Dais."

"Good afternoon."

Setting down the grilled oysters and taking another empty tray, Dais had no intention of chatting with him, exchanged greetings, and turned back to the food cart, handing the tray to Lin Chen.

"Chef?"

Nicole was stunned, her big eyes blinking as her brain raced furiously, eventually recalling who the guy with this face in front of her was.

Wasn’t he the other Head Chef who cooks Western dishes in the restaurant!

Even colleagues were coming to buy food, plus two Michelin Chefs coming from far away to learn the craft, it was enough proof of Lin’s value, right?

With that thought, her curiosity about Lin Chen grew even stronger.

But with the strong curiosity came an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

It seemed as though she had now infiltrated Lin Chen’s team, spending a lot of time in front of him every day, which logically should make it easier to reach him than when she was a customer.

But in reality, there was barely enough time to even attend to the guests, let alone have the energy to chat.

Clearly, the situation she envisioned before coming in wasn’t like this, so why did it feel like she had actually come here as a worker?

"Forget it, there’s no rush, it’s only noon. Once the items are sold out, by the afternoon at the latest, there’ll be plenty of time to chat."

She comforted herself this way a few times in her heart and soon came to terms with it.

Since he himself is a workaholic, he would definitely have a better impression of those who work hard.

I must work hard first!

Lin Chen also saw Jonathan, and the two exchanged a look from afar, nodding at each other, which was considered a greeting.

He hadn’t expected that this guy would come all the way to buy food.

Upon thinking about it, having set up stands at the restaurant entrance so many times, indeed, he never left anything for Jonathan to try.

And since his setup and breakdown times were earlier than Jonathan’s, their schedules overlapped and diverged, leaving only Sundays for such opportunities.

There was once a weekend when they had an event, meaning, all told, only two Sundays were left for Jonathan.

It was reasonable, after all.

Just as he was about to look away, his sharp sixth sense suddenly kicked in.

"Hmm?"

Lin Chen paused, looking quizzically at Jonathan again, catching the flash of mischief in his eyes.

What’s going on?

The two were on the same level, theoretically eliminating the possibility of anything malicious between them, with no need for it anyway.

Causing trouble for the other would ultimately backfire, so that couldn’t be it.

If it wasn’t that, then what was it?

In a brief moment, Lin Chen ran through all the related events concerning Jonathan in his mind, especially personality traits and preferences.

"What was his personality like... oh right, lazy? I recall Helena complaining about it often."

"Wait, lazy?"

He seemed to have caught onto something, and Lin Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Today is Sunday, and Jonathan should be preparing next week’s menu, placing orders in advance, and getting ready for the evening.

Even though it’s a rest day, the time to actually rest isn’t much.

A person who likes to slack off would hardly leave work without staff to come and buy food, something definitely seemed off.

This guy... could he be aiming for me?

Is he trying to get me to help him recruit?

Seems unnecessary; recruiting isn’t exactly difficult.

As long as the Radisson brand and benefits are advertised, plenty of people would be willing to apply.

If it’s not about staffing, then could it be about the menu?

Ah, it must be the menu!

Thinking of this, he suddenly realized.

This is also one of the reasons he comes out every day to run a food stall instead of doing self-service inside.

Having to come up with a batch of entirely new menus every week is indeed quite troublesome, and many dishes don’t taste as good when not made and eaten on the spot.

Despite the vast variety of Chinese cuisine, those suitable for self-service fast food are actually just those few.

If the same dishes are made repeatedly, both physiologically and psychologically, the chef falls into a state of exhaustion and doesn’t want to make those dishes anymore.

If you were just an employee, it would be fine, as you could work with your eyes closed and wouldn’t have to think much.

But now he is in the position of Head Chef, part of the management, and must be responsible to his diners.

That’s why he chooses to run the food stall outside, fulfilling his tasks and earning money while also bringing diners some new experiences.

If he feels this way, Jonathan must be experiencing the same thing right now.

The fatigue period has arrived.

Western cuisine is even harder to manage than Chinese cuisine, as Western buffet style is almost the same all over the world, leaving little room for creativity.

It’s nothing more than salads, pasta, thick soups, pizza, with some grilled meats and cheese, and there’s hardly any way to change their taste or form.

But the problem is, even if this guy wants him to help with the menu, can he miraculously create a bunch of new dishes?

No way.

No need for him to remind, Jonathan can surely figure out such an obvious reasoning himself.

So, what exactly is he after?

Quickly going through the possible reasons in his mind, after concluding that this guy is after something from him, he couldn’t narrow down further than that.

But that’s alright, as long as he knows it’s related to the menu.

After all, he is not in a hurry, it’s Jonathan who’s anxious, wait for him to come over on his own.

A few minutes passed.

Jonathan left the crowd holding a full bag in hand, heading straight towards John, who had already marked the spot.

John had arranged two plastic stools together early, with two bottles of chilled cola on the ground, the bottles were covered in water beads, looking very refreshing.

"Come on, let’s eat while it’s hot, this stuff won’t be as good once it cools down."

Jonathan didn’t mention the money, casually placing the bag on the ground, taking out two boxes and placing them on the plastic stool, sitting down himself, eagerly stabbing the oyster with the plastic fork.

Earlier, while waiting in line, he had already figured it out after smelling the familiar aroma of garlic.

This garlic sauce Lin Chen made was not new; he had used it many times before for dinner for several chefs and other guests, and Jonathan had tried it many times; the taste was indeed great.

However, he hadn’t tried pairing it with grilled oysters yet, so he didn’t know exactly how it would taste.

But it would surely be delicious, that’s for sure.

As an experienced chef, his skin’s tolerance to heat surpassed the average person, as if he was unafraid of the heat, grabbing the oyster shell and bringing it close to his mouth directly.

John was astounded, not believing it, he reached to grab an oyster too.

As soon as his fingers touched the oyster shell, it felt like being shocked, his face changed, almost dropping it, but his desire for delicious food overcame his reaction, enduring the pain and throwing it back into the box.

"Fuck!"

"It’s hot, hot, it’s burning me!"

"Can’t you feel the heat with your hands? You grabbed it directly?"

"Is it hot?"

Jonathan laughed, waving the fork, shovelling the plump oyster meat along with the garlic sauce and juice into his mouth, letting out a breath of heat.

"It’s okay, just a bit hot."

"Freak!"

John muttered softly.

He wouldn’t fall for it a second time, carefully lifting the kraft paper box, avoiding direct skin contact with the piping hot oyster shell.

"By the way, what time will those ingredients you ordered be delivered? Just received news, they’ve been prepared, can be delivered anytime."

"Let them deliver, through the back door delivery channel. The front is locked. I’ll head back after eating here."

Previously the deliveries were made to Lin Chen mostly and occasionally to Jonathan. This sudden collaboration surprised John a little.

He didn’t ask much. That’s how suppliers work: only providing options, can’t force customers to make choices.

Even if both parties belong to the same company it’s the same.

But he was confident that after using it once, Jonathan would definitely prefer his ingredients first.

Not mentioning anything else, at least they’re all in one family, everything can be easily negotiated.

Even offsetting some labor costs with food or other means is possible; it’s definitely cheaper and faster than ordering from unknown suppliers outside.

Especially with activities like Lin Chen’s farm stalls to attract customers; if hosted several times more, he would even consider supplying at cost, just earning some labor fees.

The two of them buried their heads in eating for a while, their cheeks bulging, the atmosphere bizarrely awkward.

John’s eyes darted around, felt that this wasn’t right, needed some conversation.

"Jonathan Chef, don’t you want to occasionally switch work modes like Lin?"

"There are many foods in Western cuisine suitable for selling at a stall, right?"

"That’s true," Jonathan nodded, sighed, "but nothing innovative can be made, just the same old hot dogs, tacos, pizza, burgers."

"It’s impossible to serve something different every meal like him."