I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 182



Only Noblemtl

182 Copycat (4)

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Lucas. Please have a seat.”

I felt the same way when I first saw him a year ago, he is truly a young owner-chef. He pours me coffee and offers me a seat.

Eden was thrilled by the change in Segreto’s status in just one year. His vision was not wrong.

“Thank you.”

Bam.

As soon as I sat down on the sofa, he brought me some coffee.

“Eat.”

Eden stared at Jehee intently. He must have known that she was joking, but she brought out the coffee as if nothing had happened.

“You are kind.”

“Is there any reason why that wouldn’t be possible?”

He shrugs and answers.

“It’s funny how you show off.”

Eden has met many people in his business. These people are not easily affected by change-ups.

“What are you talking about?”

He asked again with a face that said he didn’t understand English. Eden felt a little annoyed.

“You know I’m actively scouting for staff here. Three people have already come over. And there are quite a few staff members with whom I’m having positive conversations.”

Of course, there was no such employee, but Eden wanted to shake his confident face and start a conversation.

“That’s really strange. There’s no way Mr. Eden would treat his employees better than I would. Either Mr. Eden went to extremes to get in my way, or the contract was fraudulent. Or he’s lying. Either way, it’s fine. Do whatever you want.”

Eden felt uneasy at his completely unwavering appearance. Why did he look so comfortable?

“You have great confidence.”

“Mr. Eden.”

“Go ahead.”

“I heard that someone has been recruiting our staff by writing them empty checks. I was intrigued and did some research on Mr. Eden. He seems to be quite famous in the West.

You’ve been running a restaurant for 15 years and have had quite a bit of success by hiring employees and copying their recipes. If you open a few branches and sell them, how much do you make per store?”

Eden’s eyes sink at Jehee’s cynical words.

“Watch your words, sweetheart.”

He finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and showed his true colors.

“Half a million dollars? Or a million dollars? There must have been expenses, and he had to pay his employees’ salaries, so he probably ended up with much less.”

Jehee also no longer showed him courtesy.

His words were true. In the beginning, the contract size was less than $500,000, and the most successful contract was $2 million. The net profit was a little over half.

“You’re the only one who will never be a victim? That’s incredible confidence. I’m not that easy.”

At that moment, Eden thought that he wanted to see that calm face crumpled even if it took all the strength he had.

“Hahahaha. Mr. Lucas. I’m Korean, as you know. The capital, Seoul, is a pretty big city. Its population is probably similar to New York.

So let me ask you a question. There are about 24,000 restaurants in New York. How many do you think there are in Seoul?”

Suddenly, a question came out of nowhere. Eden answered, bewildered.

“20 thousand?”

It was a reasonable inference. New York is one of the most visited cities in the world. If the population were similar, the number of restaurants would be somewhat less than in New York.

“Ding-Ding, that’s wrong. There are over 80,000. Isn’t that amazing? That’s one restaurant for every 120 people.

Of course, the restaurant industry is a devil’s paradise. There is no trace of fair competition? Professional ethics? Those noble businessmen have already gone bankrupt.

So, from my perspective, what Mr. Eden is doing now is completely normal.

At least the landlord didn’t kick out a successful tenant and then steal the business name and menu without permission. In Seoul, when a restaurant becomes popular, copycats will spring up like mushrooms. That is, until they all go out of business.

“If a franchise becomes popular, competitors with slightly different names appear in less than six months. Consumers can’t even tell what the original is.”

Eden looks at Jehee with a tired face. He is drinking coffee calmly.

Now, is this story a made-up story? Probably not. A little research will confirm this.

“What on earth are you trying to say?”

Something seemed wrong. Eden wanted to end this unpleasant conversation quickly.

“So what I’m saying is that you’re just a snobby little brat who preys on innocent American business owners.

I also have a fine dining restaurant in Seoul. It was a wasteland because it was not long before full-fledged dining came in. Of course, Segreto is the leader in Seoul. What do you think this means?”

His gaze was so intense that Eden found herself avoiding eye contact without realizing it.

“Is this not your first time experiencing something like this?”

“Hahahaha. There are almost no Italian restaurants operating in Seoul that haven’t copied Segreto’s menu.”

When Jehee visited Seoul last time, he visited various Italian restaurants to do market research. From Gangnam to Hongdae to Sinchon, all the restaurants in operation were serving familiar menus.

There was no place that didn’t sell Roman-style pasta, which was not mainstream in Korea, and you could even find his signature Deep Blue Sea calzone. The amuse-bouche and main dishes were also minor copies of Segreto, with only different plating.

“So, don’t feel guilty and do your business with peace of mind. But is this your first time at fine dining?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“You signed a 5-year long-term lease. I can guess why. It must be because the rent for the first year is low.”

Unlike Korea, New York real estate often offers benefits for long-term contracts. Eden may have passed this on to the next tenant by lowering the rent burden through long-term contracts and then quickly moving out.

“How on earth do you know that?”

Eden is shocked.

“If you work in New York for a long time, you’re bound to have a real estate agent or two that you’re close with. That’s not important, but five years is a contract that no one who knows the fine dining industry would ever have made. Have you done any research on how high the failure rate is?”

“Ha! Going out of business? That’s never happened to me before.”

Eden snorts.

“The West Coast and New York are different. They are very different. New York is hell for the self-employed in a way that Seoul is not. Rent and labor costs are 40% higher than in big cities in the West.”

“Do you think I didn’t know that?”

“Well, that’s good. Actually, I was also trying to see Mr. Eden.”

“wherefore…?”

Bam.

He throws the papers on the table.

“What is this?”

“This is a real estate sales contract. I recently purchased the building that Mr. Eden moved into.”

Soho is one of the central business districts in New York. Eden’s eyes widen at the news that he bought a building more expensive than his entire assets, which would only be worth a little over ten million dollars if he cashed them out.

“I… Really?”

Eden checks the documents.

“Why are you doing this?”

Everything was confusing. What on earth was this guy thinking?

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. First, I’m going to double the rent on the first floor that Mr. Eden signed a contract for. Fortunately, New York doesn’t have any regulations on this.”

“I already have a contract, do you think that will be possible?”

Eden laughs at Jehee and says:

“You misunderstood. Of course, Mr. Eden’s contract is protected by a contract. Of course, I’m talking about the landlord who will move in after Mr. Eden. What do you think this means?”

Eden thought carefully about what he had said, and he was able to find the answer.

“So you’re saying not to even think about withdrawing it during the contract period?”

“You’re a smart guy. That’s right. Mr. Eden, you’ve never run a restaurant for more than a year. I hope you’ll give it a try this time.

“Try to figure out what it means to run a sustainable business and get a taste of New York’s killer rents and labor costs.”

Something was wrong. Alarm bells rang loudly in his head that something was seriously wrong.

“Wouldn’t it be better for both of us if I just cancel the contract and leave?”

It was humiliating, but for now, this was the best. Eden looked at Jehee with longing eyes.

“Of course, that is possible. In case of termination, the $500,000 deposit will be forfeited and you will be required to pay 50% of the total rent for the entire contract period in a lump sum. Also, please remember to return the building to its pre-contract condition.

It’s all in the contract.”

Eden’s head was spinning. How much would it cost to cancel the contract? Then he shook his head to clear away the distracting thoughts.

What the heck is this, before we even start selling?

“You mean you’re going to see the end?”

“I’m saying that I will honor the contract. Now it’s time to see how good of a restaurateur you are. Go back and think about it. You’ll have to be in business for five years.

Oh! And don’t even think about using Segreto for marketing. I know a lot of good lawyers.”

Eden gets up with a look of exasperation and truds out of the office.

“Tricks are paid in kind.”

Jehee looks at him and smirks.

* * *

Eden’s restaurant, Sogno, has opened for business.

Perhaps because it is old fashion, they did not do any marketing through SNS, but rather held a promotional event by hanging up a large banner and handing out discount coupons on the street. It seems like the event is still going on for a week, so it seems like the reservations are not filled.

“This is Sogno, an authentic Italian dining place! Come today and get 30% off.”

Sign spinners wear ridiculous costumes and hold signs as they solicit customers on the streets of Soho.

“Hey, gentleman! How about a pasta dish for lunch today? You can get it for cheap if you take this coupon.”

The sign spinner looks at me and hands me a coupon.

[Authentic Italian Dining Sogno, Michelin-starred cuisine at a lower price. 30% OFF]

I stared at the coupon and headed to Sogno. He was a valuable long-term tenant, so it would be nice to increase his sales.

Although lunchtime is not over yet, there are empty seats here and there. Bruno Mars’ songs are playing from the speakers and servers are busily delivering food.

It’s been a while since I sat down, but no one comes. The server in charge of my table seems to be busy.

Since tips are distributed per table, servers don’t pay attention unless it’s on their territory.

As I had no choice but to raise my hand, a server came running from afar.

The food is served shortly after ordering. It appears to be pre-made.

A wilted salad and an amuse-bouche that looked like something I’d seen somewhere before came out. This was our menu item, French toast.

I tried the salad first. Washing and preparing vegetables every day is more labor intensive than you might think. It also takes time to dry them after washing.

That’s why they prepare vegetables in bulk at once and store them in the refrigerator for later use. After three days, the arugula and romaine lettuce are dead and mixed with the sauce, having lost their texture.

The sauce seemed to be based on our restaurant’s dressing, but the ratio wasn’t right, perhaps because avocado was expensive.

The French toast used American ham instead of Italian salami and omitted the truffle powder.

Looking at the Dom Riesling (a white wine enjoyed by the common people in Germany) as a wine, it seems that they have put in a lot of effort to lower the unit price.

Primo Piatti had a Southern-style seafood pasta dish, a variation of the marinara I had for lunch.

It is easy to guess why I chose this pasta. It is the cheapest among all Segreto menus. However, since there are few ingredients, the quality of the tomato sauce is important.

When I roll up the noodles and put them in my mouth, the mussels and tomato sauce do not harmonize, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.

Judging from the fact that they made the tomato puree themselves, it seems that they put a lot of effort into it, but the problem was the skill of the chef who made the pasta. Mussels are also an ingredient that requires careful preparation, and they smelled fishy because they were used right after rinsing them in water.

The steak was advertised as being cooked in an oven, which seemed to be a variation on the main course we had served, featuring porcini mushrooms.

But do they know? If you use sirloin that has not been dry-aged, the taste of porcini mushrooms will disappear. In addition, the method of cooking it once in the oven and then searing it in the oven is a technique that requires a lot of skill from the chef.

As expected, the steak was overcooked and not tender. The meat was also choice grade, not prime.

I pay the bill and tip the server 30%. Her face lights up.

“Thank you. Please come again.”

Eden has yet to fully realize the reality.

New Yorkers are adventurous, so they’re always interested in new restaurants opening.

And soon after, reviews of Sogno started coming in.