Chapter 295: Buffet

Seeing Ma Chun’s expression, Lin Dong’s first reaction was that there was trouble.
This trouble undoubtedly came from Maple Forest Restaurant.
Since learning that Fu Tongshan had gone to the capital, Lin Dong no longer had any worries. No matter how big the problem, Ling Zhengyang could handle an even bigger one.
“Owner, you’re finally back…”
Rushing up to Lin Dong, Ma Chun felt as if he had met a relative. Over these past few days, he had been extremely anxious, waiting day and night until Lin Dong finally returned.
“Take it easy. If there’s something to discuss, let’s talk in the back yard,” Lin Dong said casually.
Anxiously, Ma Chun still nodded and quickly followed Lin Dong.
Once in the back yard, as soon as Lin Dong and Yun Lan sat down, Ma Chun brought tea and water, then hurriedly said, “Owner, Maple Forest Restaurant is up to something again.”
“Hmm!” Lin Dong nodded. “Tell me slowly. What’s going on?”
Ma Chun took a breath and explained, “Just five days ago, Maple Forest Restaurant suddenly announced a brand-new business model.”
“A brand-new business model?” Lin Dong became a bit more interested.
Ma Chun nodded. “On the second floor of Maple Forest Restaurant, there were originally a mix of large tables and private booths. Five days ago, they added a row of iron cabinets on each of the southeast sides. It’s said that high-quality charcoal burns beneath them, with various dishes and drinks available above. At one of the rows, the best dishes are made from second-tier spirit beast materials, and the best drink is ordinary Jade Dew. At the other row, the dishes are made from fourth-tier spirit beast materials, with the best drink being three-year-old Jade Dew.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Dong wasn’t quite sure he understood.
“The guests at these two rows can serve themselves as much food as they want,” Ma Chun continued. “They charge by head—two taels of silver allows unlimited eating at the second-tier spirit beast material table, while four taels lets guests eat freely from both tables’ dishes and drinks.”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. It sounded familiar…
Buffet?
Lin Dong laughed. Isn’t this just a buffet? He asked, “Are there any restrictions on time or how much food can be left after eating?”
“Yes, yes!” Ma Chun nodded eagerly. “The time limit per visit is one hour; otherwise, extra fees apply. Also, too much food left will incur additional charges.”
Lin Dong was amazed. This third young master was truly a natural genius.
A buffet—he actually came up with that!
“Owner, have you seen this kind of business model somewhere before?” Ma Chun asked cautiously.

“I’ve indeed seen it,” Lin Dong nodded.
Ma Chun sighed in relief. “I thought it was Ling Zhengyang’s own idea! Since the owner has seen it, there must be a way to deal with it, right?”
In this world, this buffet was indeed invented by Ling Zhengyang. But Lin Dong didn’t explain further. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “What does Liu An think?”
“Liu An believes this business method has many advantages, but one major flaw,” Ma Chun mused. “The flaw is that there’s absolutely no atmosphere for hosting banquets or drinking. Although regular customers sit at the same table, there’s no need to persuade them to try more dishes; everyone eats on their own, making it hard to create a lively atmosphere.”
“Is that all?” Lin Dong pressed.
Ma Chun shook his head with a wry smile. “That’s it! Initially, we thought that with this method, everyone would choose the more expensive dishes, so Fenglin Restaurant would lose more money the busier it got. It would be like indirectly lowering prices to attract customers, and when they couldn’t afford it anymore, they’d have to give up. But unexpectedly, nothing changed at Fenglin Restaurant for three days in a row. I sent someone to check, and after counting how much they ate… they weren’t losing money at all. At this rate, they wouldn’t lose more than if they charged 20% more—almost the same as raising prices to 20%.”
Lin Dong nodded. It was already remarkable that Liu An had thought of this. If it were him, not knowing about buffets, he might be stuck for ten days or half a month. After thinking, Lin Dong asked, “Are the dishes and drinks at Fenglin Restaurant too salty and greasy?”
Ma Chun hesitated. “I seem to recall the staff mentioning that there are no light dishes or ingredients made from spiritual beasts at Fenglin Restaurant.”
Lin Dong said slowly, “Both types can easily make people thirsty. Greasy foods also make people feel full faster.”
Ma Chun slapped his own face lightly, somewhat self-reproachful. “How could I not think of this?”
“Anyone would probably not think of it right away,” Lin Dong shook his head.
“Owner, then what should we do?” Ma Chun asked anxiously. “Although this business method has some flaws and won’t be as attractive to big clients as the current one in the long run, it’s unique and novel. Should we just imitate Fenglin Restaurant?”
Lin Dong smiled bitterly. “Imitating others—unless you have an improved method—means you’ll always be second.”
“Then what should we do?” Ma Chun asked.
“Don’t worry. Let me think!”
Although Lin Dong couldn’t think of a solution right away, he wasn’t too worried. In his view, Ling Zhengyang must have been aware of the flaws in the buffet when he introduced it. Just the lack of atmosphere alone meant it couldn’t compare to regular ordering. Continuing like this was undoubtedly a sign of running out of ideas.

Given Lin’s Inn’s current advantages, once the Spirit Stone Fan was used, it would be enough to knock Ling Zhengyang back to the ground with a single strike. Of course, the Spirit Stone Fan needed to be used after completely destroying Ling Zhengyang’s confidence to make him utterly disheartened and too ashamed to keep the Maple Forest Restaurant open in Autumn Wind City. Using it now would surely have a much weaker effect.

Lin Dong felt a bit regretful—Yu Mudan and the others had arrived a bit too early. The emergence of a group of chefs at Lin’s Inn with skills surpassing those at Maple Forest Restaurant would have only fueled Maple Forest Restaurant’s popularity half a month ago. But now, it could serve as a decisive blow to knock Ling Zhengyang out again.

The same applied to customers. If introduced half a month ago, with Lin’s Inn already having a clear advantage, these chefs would have merely added more appeal. Over time, people would have gotten used to them, and compared to the buffet, their novelty would have faded significantly. But if introduced now, with proper promotion and by finding some gimmicks among Yu Mudan’s best dishes and pastries, it wouldn’t be inferior to the buffet.

“How’s the red wine from Lin’s Winery?” Lin Dong asked.

Ma Chun shook his head. “I heard it requires spiritual materials and is still in preparation. I asked Lord Liang—there will be at least another half year before the first batch of wine is ready.”

“Half a year…” Lin Dong smiled bitterly. It was already too late.

“By the way, shouldn’t Lord Liang Shangtian have some red wine in stock?”

Ma Chun was stunned before awkwardly saying, “I’ve never asked.”

Lin Dong decided, “Go ask. If there’s about 1,800 pounds, it can be given as a gift with VIP cards. Figure out how to distribute it—anyway, it has to be given before the new red wine is ready.”

Ma Chun nodded, hesitating to speak further.

“Let me think!”

Lin Dong understood what Ma Chun meant. Although red wine had some appeal, giving it in small amounts—and since not everyone liked wine—its appeal still lagged behind that of the buffet.

Tapping lightly on the table, Lin Dong frowned slightly. The buffet had many advantages, but its disadvantages were equally obvious. Aside from the atmosphere, the biggest flaw was probably…

It was too salty and greasy!

Lin Dong slapped the table sharply. If the buffet wanted to make a profit, given the conditions in Autumn Wind City, it could only encourage customers to drink more water and eat more fruits. Otherwise, first- and second-tier spiritual materials and beasts were also things that wealthy families wouldn’t casually have their kitchens prepare every day. If they could eat them freely, they would naturally choose the best ones.

“Owner, have you come up with a solution?” Seeing Lin Dong’s expression, Ma Chun hurriedly asked.

Lin Dong nodded and turned to Yun Lan beside him, asking, “What diseases can be caused by eating too salty, too greasy, or too much?”
“If you often eat too salty, you’re prone to colds, fragile bones, and those elderly who are prone to dizziness should avoid it even more. The same goes for too much greasy food—this is something the elderly especially avoid. Another major harm is damage to the stomach,” Yun Lan explained. “If you eat too much, the worst consequence is stomach damage, followed by shortness of breath, and nightmares at night.”
Ma Chun was astonished. Just eating a little food could cause so many problems?
Lin Dong pressed on, “Do ordinary doctors know these things?”
Yun Lan nodded. “These are basic medical principles. I also learned them from medical books.”
“That makes things easier!” Lin Dong let out a long sigh of relief.
Yun Lan reminded him, “No matter which case, these symptoms only appear over time. If it happens occasionally, it’s not a big problem.”
“It’s business! Of course we need to exaggerate a bit,” Lin Dong said with a grin. “Besides, this way I’m helping everyone gain some medical knowledge—consider it a good deed.”
Yun Lan was speechless.
“What do you mean, boss…?” Ma Chun asked cautiously. “Should we exploit these flaws and promote them aggressively?”
“Yes!” Lin Dong smiled. “It would be best to convince one or two respected doctors from Autumn Wind City to distribute flyers in their name. Title it ‘First Session of Health Knowledge Lecture.’ Have them give lectures, then turn the content into brochures to distribute everywhere. The content of this first session should be about not eating too salty, too greasy, or too much. Keep preaching and distributing it every day until Maple Forest Restaurant loses business and has to change its business methods.”
Ma Chun was stunned. A health knowledge lecture? And just the first session?
“Um… is there a second session?”
“Mm!” Lin Dong nodded. “For the second session, let those doctors decide the content themselves.”
“In that case, we’d need to rent a venue long-term and hire several doctors,” Ma Chun hesitated. “We’d also have to print a large number of brochures.”
“We can charge for later sessions!” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “If there’s a good response, people who want to attend can pay. With limited seats, we can charge more depending on popularity. The same goes for brochures—keep the price low, but add a little profit to benefit both the public and ourselves. If there’s no response, just stop. Anyway, the goal has been achieved.”
Ma Chun grinned. A problem that had troubled him for so long was solved instantly once the boss returned. Moreover, this method could not only crush Maple Forest Restaurant but might also earn a lot of silver…
Filled with admiration, Ma Chun didn’t know how to express it.