Chapter 70 Frozen Crab Prices Are Low

Chapter 70 Frozen Crab Prices Are Low

“I understand, Manager.” Chef Li sighed, relenting. “I’ll use frozen crab, and I’ll season it as you instructed.”

“That’s more like it.” The manager smiled with satisfaction. “By the way, Mr. Li, the boss has been in a good mood lately. I heard it’s because she asked her family for a large sum of money to invest in the shop. You know, at times like these, we have to help her achieve some results and show her our capabilities.”

Mr. Li was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then said in a low voice, "Manager, isn't it wrong to deceive customers like this? There's such a big price difference between frozen and live crabs, and the taste is really..."

“Master Li,” the manager’s tone suddenly turned cold, “who doesn’t do this in this industry? Only old fogies like ‘Golden Brilliance’ across the street are clinging to the idea of ​​fresh ingredients. What era are we living in? If the customers like it, that’s enough. Besides,” he lowered his voice, “the boss doesn’t understand any of this; she only looks at surface data and customer traffic.”

Master Li sighed helplessly, "Alright, I'll do as you say."

The manager hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and his disdainful expression became even more pronounced. He turned on his computer to check the recent sales data for "Trend K," and his smile deepened.

"Jin Xuan, Jin Xuan, you think you can beat 'Golden Glory' by poaching a chef and running an event? You're too naive." He opened a spreadsheet and began to re-plan the procurement and cost control of the spicy crab. "The money saved from using frozen crabs could be used for so many other marketing campaigns. By the time customers realize the taste is off, you, Jin Xuan, will have already been scolded by your parents and sent back home. Then this shop will still have to rely on me."

Meanwhile, in the lobby of "Trend K", several waiters were chatting.

"I heard the boss is going to have a price war with 'Golden Brilliance' across the street and do a spicy crab promotion?" a young waiter asked in a low voice.

"Exactly," another senior waiter scoffed. "The boss was in a meeting today saying he wanted to expand and strengthen the business, and teach that old-fashioned KTV across the street a lesson. But I think it's just the manager giving nonsensical orders again."

"Manager? What does he know?" the first waiter laughed. "I heard the boss poached the chef from out of town with a high salary."

"So what if they're poached with high salaries?" a senior waiter said mysteriously. "I just saw the manager and chef alone in the office for a long time, I wonder what they were plotting. But, using frozen crab to save costs isn't a secret in the restaurant industry."

The waiters exchanged a knowing glance and went back to their work.

A few hours later, while Jin Xuan was still enjoying VIP treatment at the beauty salon, the first batch of spicy crabs from "Trend K" had already been served to customers. Initially, customers were attracted by the lively promotional activities and modern decor, and placed orders to try it.

"Hmm... the taste is alright, but it's a bit too spicy," a young customer commented, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"The crab meat seems...not that fresh?" his friend said hesitantly. "But it's not too bad either; maybe it's just how it's prepared."

In a corner, a regular customer frowned and put down his chopsticks: "This taste...it's different from before. The crab meat is loose and crumbly, the texture is strange."

But these scattered reviews were quickly drowned out by the lively music and noisy crowd. The receptionist continued to greet each customer with a smile, promoting the "super value spicy crab set meal".

The manager stood backstage, watching the steadily increasing order volume, and nodded in satisfaction. He picked up his phone and sent Jin Xuan a message: "Boss, the spicy crab promotion is going very well! We've already sold over 50 portions today! Don't worry, everything's going smoothly at the store."

Jin Xuan saw the message on the massage bed in the beauty salon and smiled happily. She had no idea that her casual decision, and her manager's opportunistic act, were quietly eroding the reputation and future of "Trend K."

Meanwhile, across the street at "Golden Glory," Su Yingxue was personally inspecting the fresh crabs to be used the next day, each one crawling energetically in the tank.

She also received news from the other side. Ye Feifei was still a little worried, so she continued to check the crabs. "Don't worry, we'll just do our part."

Ren Jie, dragging his suitcase, stood on this bustling commercial street in Fuzhou, squinting at his phone's navigation. His intuition as a food enthusiast told him that this street held a hidden gem.

"Both KTVs are having a 99 yuan spicy crab promotion? Interesting." He muttered to himself, adjusting the action camera on his chest.

As a national food critic with millions of followers, Ren Jie is particularly sensitive to the stories behind this kind of business competition. He first walked towards "Trendy K," a modernly decorated and brightly lit restaurant on the street corner.

"This is it." He pushed open the glass door, and was greeted by deafening pop music and a smell mixed with perfume and cooking fumes.

The receptionist quickly greeted him: "Sir, welcome to Trendy K! We're currently offering a 99 RMB spicy crab set meal. Would you like to reserve a private room?"

Ren Jie smiled and said, "Let me take a look around first. I'll just wander around."

The lobby was indeed stylishly decorated, with several abstract art paintings hanging on the walls, but the floor felt a bit sticky. He noticed that several waiters were rushing around, their faces showing signs of fatigue.

"Do you have spicy crab available right now?" Ren Jie asked casually.

“Of course, we have fresh food every day,” the receptionist replied expertly. “However, we’ve been quite busy lately, so you might have to wait.”

Ren Jie followed the waiter to the private room area. As soon as he entered, he frowned—although the overall environment was bright and shiny, the room was a bit crowded. Because business was so good, the previous customer had just left the room, and there were still crab scraps on the floor, with only a few bites left, but no waiter had come to clean it up.

"Is this the spicy crab they're so proud of?" Ren Jie decided to find out.

He ordered a 99 yuan set meal and a few new songs. The wait was longer than expected, about twenty minutes later, the spicy crab finally arrived.

The moment Ren Jie lifted the lid, he noticed something was off—the crab meat was too uniform in color, with an unnatural orange-red hue, and the aroma wasn't strong enough. Instead, it had a strong Sichuan peppercorn and chili flavor that almost masked the seafood's own taste.

He picked up a crab leg; the shell was unusually hard, requiring considerable effort to pry it open. The crab meat inside was loose, clearly not fresh, and had a dry texture. The seasoning was extremely heavy, making it so spicy that he had to drink water.

"Is this what they call spicy crab?" Ren Jie frowned, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue. What annoyed him even more was that his hands were covered in oil and seasoning after he finished eating, but no cleaning supplies were provided, and he could only awkwardly wipe them repeatedly with tissues.