Chapter 49

Summary of the previous episode ------------------------------------------------------

Yuki and Natsuki visit Aera's shop.

Yuki points out that the shop's threshold is high and suggests displaying prices outside to make it easier to enter.

However, Natsuki announces that this alone won't work.

"Why not? Customers will come, right?"

"Yes, they will come, but that doesn't mean it will be profitable."

"Huh?"

Aera, tilting her head in confusion, looks cute.

It's good that Natsuki brought her here.

I wouldn't be able to say such harsh things to Aera. -- Well, I probably would, but it would hurt my heart.

"This daily special is 50 rea, right?"

"Yes! It's one of my best creations! I've considered the presentation and variety of ingredients."

"Wow, impressive. I've never seen such a dish in this town."

"Right!"

Aera looks pleased, but her smile freezes at Natsuki's next words.

"But will it be profitable?"

"Maybe if it sells a lot?"

She averts her gaze slightly as she says this.

"How many exactly?"

"100 plates. But this is a strategy of low profit and high volume! By offering only one type of dish, I can reduce costs and sell cheap, delicious food. Even if the profit per dish is low, it will be enough if it sells a lot!"

"--- Did someone teach you that?"

"Yes!"

"It won't work."

"What!? Are you lying?"

"No, I'm not lying. However, the scale is different. You said it would be profitable if it sold over 100 plates, but how many seats does this shop have?"

"26 when full."

The shop is quite spacious, with only five tables for four and six counter seats. The capacity is relatively low compared to the size of the shop.

"In other words, you need to turn over four times for lunch. Assuming each customer leaves in 30 minutes, that's two hours. This might be within the acceptable range, but you're the only one here, right?"

"Yes."

"Preparation time might not be needed if you prepare in advance, but serving the dishes, handling payments, and cleaning up after customers leave—can you do all that in a minute or so per person?"

"..."

In the context of low profit and high volume, places like gyudon shops and hamburger stands fit this model because they are fast.

If the food is served quickly, the eating time is short, and sometimes customers take it to go without staying in the shop. This increases the customer turnover rate. However, the atmosphere of this shop is the opposite.

It's not a place for take-out lunches; rather, it's a place where people can sit down and enjoy their meals leisurely.

If you aim for low profit and high volume, you would need to pack more tables and make the layout more suitable for quick dining, where lingering is discouraged.

"Another approach is to make a profit from drinks ordered in addition to lunch, but it took a few minutes to serve the tea earlier, right? You might be able to do some tasks simultaneously, but isn't it a bit too much?"

"Maybe... hire someone?"

"If you hire someone, you need to make enough profit to cover their salary. If it's just you, you might manage even if you're in the red. But if you hire someone, you need to be profitable. Can you sell 200 lunch plates? That's 8 turnovers in 4 hours. It's a bit too long for lunch. Even if you sell that many, how much profit would you make? With low profit and high volume, the margin is very thin."

"..."

"Natsuki, stop! Aera is about to cry!"

"Right! I understand Natsuki's logic, but could you be a bit more gentle?"

Aera is being completely overwhelmed.

She's on the verge of tears.

Natsuki speaks calmly, but her words are hard to refute and thus very painful, mentally.

"If you want to improve the business, being gentle won't help."

If this were someone unrelated, it would be easy to say, "You opened a shop with a sweet idea and it failed." But since it was a classmate who suggested it, and considering Aera's appearance, the guilt is overwhelming.

"Alright, alright. We understand that Aera's method won't work. Do you understand, Aera?"

"...sniff. Yes."

"Of course, if you're going to say that, you have a solution, right? Right?"

If it were just "It won't work, so give up," I would cry too for bringing her here.

"I have some ideas... but they are just a student's limited knowledge."

"Even so, it's much better than nothing," Natsuki says.

"By building on that, we can all think together and make it better. I believe that!"

I believe that too.

I didn't bring her here to be a hatchet man.

"First, put up a sign in front of the shop. This is a must. However, the lunch price should be raised. Considering the taste and the atmosphere of the shop, it's clearly too cheap. It should be set so that you can make a profit with at least 20 plates, ideally 10."

"Then, you don't need to turn over once during lunch. Customers can enjoy the atmosphere and have a leisurely meal. I think that's the goal we should aim for."

"What do you think, Aera?"

"Depending on how many I make... if I set it at around 100 rea, there should be some leeway."

"Then, you could write 'Lunch is limited to 40 plates' or something. You can adjust based on the turnover rate and customer flow."

With low profit and high volume, you need to make a lot, and the profit margin decreases due to waste. If you can sell out, you can afford a higher cost ratio without incurring losses.

"By lowering the turnover rate, you can also ensure profit from drinks and side dishes. Generally, the profit margin on drinks is high... right?"

"Yes. This Musuuk tea uses good leaves, but it only involves boiling water and pouring it in, so the profit margin is high."

"Ah, this tea is delicious."

It has a tea-like color, a good aroma, and a hint of sweetness. It's easy to drink because it has no astringency or peculiar taste. The menu shows it costs 35 rea. Compared to a coffee shop I visited before, it's cheaper, but compared to a regular cafeteria, it's more expensive. Of course, a regular cafeteria wouldn't have such good tea.

"Also, you should consider the target customer demographic and review the menu accordingly."

"Customer demographic...?"

Aera ponders this. She didn't really consider this when she set up the shop—rather, she followed the advice of the self-proclaimed consultant.

"What do you two think?"

"If it were me, I wouldn't serve any alcohol during the day. For the alcohol served at night, I would limit it to a few high-end options. And I would set the price of the evening meals a bit higher."

"Um, I don't think there are many shops that don't serve alcohol. Why?"

"First, there are no decent people who drink during the day!"

I assert this strongly, and Aera gives a troubled smile.

"Well, that's a bit biased, isn't it?"

"--- I won't deny that. I think there are some decent people. But in general, if you look at other cafes, there are people who drink and cause a commotion during the day. If they come, the atmosphere of this shop, which you spent money to create, will be ruined."

Even though she was persuaded to open the shop, it's a good one. It would be better to aim for a relatively inexpensive, elegant atmosphere to succeed. If you do the same as other shops, the interior will be wasted. Aera nods in agreement after I explain this.

"Also, if you increase the number of alcoholic drinks, they will go bad if not consumed."

"Ah, yes. Especially ale deteriorates quickly."

"Also, I'm worried about Aera."

"Huh?"

"If you serve cheap alcohol, people will get drunk and pass out. If you hire someone in the future, that's one thing, but right now it's just you, and it could be dangerous."

"Naoto..."

Aera looks at me happily... and Yuki cuts in with a raised hand.

"Hey, I think it would be good to put up a blackboard inside the shop to display the menu. It takes time for Aera to bring the menu to each table every time."

"Ah, yes, that's true. That could be a good idea."

This wouldn't ruin the atmosphere of the shop if the menu were a bit more elegant and hung on the wall.

After discussing various ideas, we decided to target women and local civil servants, limit the number of drinks to a few soft drinks, and increase the number of high-priced desserts to ensure profit. For dinner, we decided to limit it to reservations and serve high-end meals for special occasions.

"But will it be okay? I have some confidence in my skills, but when it comes to high-end dishes..."

"Probably. Since the lunch is so good, the people who come for lunch will likely make reservations for dinner."

"Right. If the quality is known, it can compete with the cafes on the main street."

Her skills are good enough, so if the promotion is done well, it should be fine. If she plans to run it alone, this is the limit. Considering the preparation, if she runs the shop normally at night, she might have to work without sleep.

The father of the Bear Inn, which is about the same size, is experienced, but that's an exception. It's a mystery how the food comes out without any problems.

"Hmm, I think I want to target morning customers too. It seems a waste since there are many commuters passing by."

"For commuters, maybe a take-out lunch? Aera, do you have any ideas?"

"Take-out... just a moment."

Aera goes to the kitchen and returns with a dish that looks like a meat-wrapped rice ball. When cut and tasted, it contains something like mashed potatoes. It's like a croquette with a thin slice of meat as the coating. It's quite delicious. If it were sold near my lodging, I would buy one or two before going to work. From the looks of Yuki's expression, it seems to suit their taste as well.

"Right now, it's on a plate, but I plan to wrap it in leaves and sell it. It's about 10 rea each."

"Wow, it's delicious. I've never seen this before, is it common?"

"I'm not sure. In the city where I trained, some places sold it..."

"I've never seen it in this city."

"It wasn't available in the neighboring city of Saarstadt. I think this could sell well."

"Right, it might be a bit busy in the morning, but if you sell it early in front of the shop, people might buy it as a trial at 10 rea. If it's delicious, more people might come to the shop."

"Got it... I'll try my best!"

Aera clenches her fists with determination, and Natsuki gives her another critique.

"Do you have any variations? If it's the same every day, people might get tired of it."

"Variations... I can change the meat and the flavor of the potato inside a bit..."

Considering it as a croquette, I think it could prevent some boredom, but another item would be nice.

"Hmm, if you had a rich sauce, you could make a 'katsu sandwich' or something."

"A rich sauce? How about an Inspire Sauce? I don't know what a 'katsu sandwich' is."

"An Inspire Sauce? What's that?"

"Ah, Yuki might not know. It's common among elves... Naoto, do you know?"

Oh, you're asking me?

Of course, I don't...

"Sorry, I don't know."

"Huh? Really? I thought most households made it... Would you like to taste it? It's from my home, but the ingredients are from this area, so it's a bit different from my family's taste. Please wait a moment."

Aera returns to the kitchen and soon comes back with a small plate in her palm and offers it to us.