The customers, seeing Xie Yuqing's reaction, knew that Mingyue Zhai had succeeded and applauded in celebration.
"Impressive, to satisfy Old Man Xie when he was angry. The Mingyue Zhai chef's skills are extraordinary, making my mouth water," one remarked.
"Mingyue Zhai will surely become the premier restaurant in Mist City! The Su family might even surpass the Wu family!" another exclaimed.
"Are we next? We want to taste the 'medicinal cuisine' too, we're so eager!"
The customers called out, praising Mingyue Zhai to the skies.
Hu Ziming, standing nearby, looked displeased.
He had expected Xie Yuqing's presence to put Mingyue Zhai in an embarrassing predicament. To his surprise, not only did Mingyue Zhai not collapse, but Xie Yuqing's praise propelled it to a higher level!
Where was the logic in that?
It made him furious just thinking about it.
This wouldn't do!
Hu Ziming said with a cold expression, "Is being delicious enough? Everyone, don't forget that Lu Ming explicitly stated that Mingyue Zhai's specialty is medicinal cuisine! Eating here can cure illnesses! Now, it's just delicious. May I ask, has any illness been cured?"
This was, in fact, nitpicking.
However, Lu Ming had made such bold claims, so it wasn't entirely unreasonable for them to demand proof.
Lu Ming chuckled, he had been expecting this!
He looked at Xie Yuqing and asked, "Old Man Xie, how are you feeling now?"
Xie Yuqing blinked his eyes and laughed heartily, "Comfortable, I feel utterly comfortable now. My whole body is refreshed, as if I've returned to my twenties. Most importantly, the mouth ulcer in my mouth has healed about seventy to eighty percent. It's miraculous!"
The hardest thing in the world is to get your enemies to change their tune and praise you.
This requires great skill.
Clearly, Lu Ming had achieved it.
Initially, Xie Yuqing had emphatically dismissed "medicinal cuisine" as nonsense and a scam. But now that his mouth ulcer was healed and his body felt more comfortable, his attitude had undergone a complete 180-degree shift.
This was his being won over by Lu Ming's capabilities.
Xie Yuqing gave Lu Ming a thumbs-up and praised, "I dare to call Mingyue Zhai the number one restaurant in Mist City!"
Whoosh—
Amazing!
Number one restaurant in Mist City!
This title had always belonged exclusively to Wuyue Zhai. He never expected that a simple meal would allow Mingyue Zhai to snatch it away. Although it was Xie Yuqing's personal opinion, with his prestige, it would surely spread quickly throughout Mist City.
The first battle for the Su family against the Wu family had been fought exceptionally well.
Hu Ziming's face turned ashen. If he left like this, how could he explain it to Wu Lingxuan?
In desperation, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Everyone turned to look at Hu Ziming, as if he were an idiot.
Then Hu Ziming analyzed, "Medicinal cuisine is indeed powerful, but this method has significant problems. Everyone, haven't you noticed the issue?"
What other issues?
Lu Ming asked, "Hu Ziming, what else do you want to say?"
Hu Ziming sneered, "The entire process of medicinal cuisine involves first taking a pulse, then selecting ingredients, and finally customizing the meal. The whole process is incredibly complicated, taking at least tens of minutes per customer. With such low efficiency, how can you run a restaurant? Mingyue Zhai can at most serve as a private kitchen for the wealthy, Hahahaha."
This...
The customers exchanged glances, finding his point valid.
"Yes, not to mention anything else, just preparing the meal for Old Man Xie just now took over forty minutes. How can a restaurant operate with such efficiency?"
"In the end, only the wealthy will probably be able to afford it, and it will have nothing to do with us ordinary folk."
"Sigh... all that excitement for nothing."
Lu Ming had already prepared for this issue.
If you always think one step ahead of your opponent, you can be victorious in every battle!
Lu Ming said, "Everyone, please rest assured. Regarding the efficiency issue, Mingyue Zhai has two solutions. First, anyone dining in the private rooms on the second floor can have medicinal cuisine customized, regardless of whether they are wealthy or ordinary people, we treat everyone equally! Second-floor private rooms require advance reservations, so it depends on how skilled you are at grabbing seats on various apps."
He paused and continued, "In addition to customized medicinal cuisine, Mingyue Zhai has also developed a complete set of ordinary medicinal cuisine! Although it's not customized and cannot be prescribed according to each person's constitution. However, this set of ordinary medicinal cuisine is suitable for all customers and has various special effects. For example, this 'Beauty Medicinal Cuisine' will make your skin smooth and delicate after consumption. This 'Refreshing Medicinal Cuisine' will make people feel invigorated. Children can eat it before an exam, which helps them to be energetic and full of vitality for the test."
A total of 30 sets of ordinary medicinal cuisine were launched, enough to meet the needs of the general public.
As for those who truly needed customized medicinal cuisine based on their own conditions, they could strive to reserve second-floor private rooms on the various apps!
After hearing Lu Ming's complete plan, the customers eagerly took out their phones to make reservations.
"Haha, I got the first one, I grabbed it!"
"Woohoo, I also managed to reserve a private room, awesome!"
Soon, all ten private rooms on the second floor were booked. Those who wanted a private room would have to wait until someone finished their meal and the room became available.
The competition was fierce!
A restaurant's private rooms were harder to book than tickets for Deyun Society, it was truly something.
Others, though regretful, still had 30 sets of ordinary medicinal cuisine to choose from, so it wasn't a complete loss. Moreover, the price of customized medicinal cuisine in the private rooms was outrageously high, and most people couldn't afford it anyway.
Eating ordinary medicinal cuisine was sufficient.
Everyone got what they needed, and they were all satisfied.
Suddenly, Mingyue Zhai became incredibly popular, fully booked, with many people even queuing outside. Even the regular seats on the first floor had to be fought for.
Incredible!
Seeing this scene, Hu Ziming was greatly angered.
"A bunch of yokels who have never seen the world!" Hu Ziming cursed resentfully, turned around, and left Mingyue Zhai with Wu Hao.
He had intended to give Mingyue Zhai a difficult start, but instead, he had helped Mingyue Zhai make its grand debut.
Unsatisfied, truly unsatisfied!
Watching Hu Ziming and Wu Hao leave resentfully, Su Wanran couldn't stop laughing. She patted Lu Ming on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Well done!"
A complete victory, worthy of celebration.
At this moment.
Xie Yuqing, having eaten his fill, stood up and walked over to Lu Ming, saying, "I am truly getting old. Faced with the ever-changing culinary trends, I can't keep up with the times."
Lu Ming smiled, "Old Man Xie, what are you saying? It is precisely with Old Man Xie's help that our Mingyue Zhai can be promoted further."
Promoted?
Xie Yuqing pondered for a moment and said, "If you only operate this way, your promotion will be limited. You need a larger channel to package you before your reputation can truly be established."
Xie Yuqing chuckled and said, "Although I have retired, I still have some connections at Mist City Television. The station director is my close friend, and the director of 'A Bite of Mist City' is my disciple. How about this, I will recommend you to Mist City Television after I go back and arrange for a special program about your Mingyue Zhai. I guarantee it will make you incredibly popular and famous nationwide!"
Lu Ming and Su Wanran exchanged glances, overjoyed.
They clasped their hands.
They said in unison, "Thank you!!!"