Chapter 154: Small Product, Big Profits

Two improved versions of Jianbing Guozi, one large and one small, were placed there. Everyone couldn’t wait to try them, but they also felt somewhat reluctant to spoil the little one’s craftsmanship.

Well, even while tasting the Jianbing Guozi, the little one completely stole Liu Heming’s spotlight. As soon as the little one cut her pancake into small pieces, a bunch of forks clattered onto the plate. When those forks lifted away, there was hardly anything left on the plate.

Then what little remained was taken away by Lewis, who acted as the Boss, and he quickly swept the crumbs into his mouth.

“Hey, could you guys have a little more self-respect?” Liu Heming shouted at them in frustration.

“Hahaha, Dexter, you get to enjoy Alex’s cooking at home, but we only get to taste it here once in a while. I really didn’t expect Alex to be this amazing,” Lewis said with a loud laugh.

“What about you three? Did you remember how to make it?” Liu Heming then turned to Amelia and the other two.

“Boss… I was only watching Alex’s performance just now,” Amelia said somewhat sheepishly. Bella and Eileen also nodded awkwardly.

Liu Heming rolled his eyes and had to make another one. This time, he explained the process more carefully. He wasn’t worried about others learning the skill; even if they did, they wouldn’t have his unique Iron Griddle.

“What does everyone think about the taste of this pancake? Will it be popular with customers?” Liu Heming asked after this Jianbing Guozi was also shared and finished.

“Dexter, don’t worry, I can assure you that this pancake will definitely sell well too,” Lewis said confidently.

“Well, Boss, I think it’s also very good. But there’s one issue: how do we price this pancake? I see there are so many toppings we can add here,” Amelia asked after nodding vigorously.

“Here in our Xiangshui Town, let’s start at five US Dollars for the most basic version: one egg, one crispy Thin Pancake, and some seasonings. If someone wants to add other things like fried chicken, beef, or Braised Marinated Meat, they’ll have to pay extra,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“You can mix and match freely to see if you can come up with fixed combinations. After all, you’re from the United States, so it’s better to match them according to your own tastes. That will make it easier for customers to choose.”

“Of course, if a customer likes to add double, triple, or quadruple portions, that’s up to their preference. We’ll simply calculate the price based on the extra toppings they choose; the seasonings are free.”

After saying that, Liu Heming took a menu from the side and wrote prices next to items like chicken strips, Soy-Braised Beef, eggs, and Braised Marinated Meat.

Everyone was familiar with the other items, but Soy-Braised Beef was something they tasted for the first time. It was like Liu Heming’s secret weapon, and Lewis particularly enjoyed the combination with Soy-Braised Beef.

He did a quick calculation in his head: if you added two eggs, two of those crispy Thin Pancakes, along with two portions of Soy-Braised Beef and two portions of Braised Marinated Meat, the price would actually reach sixteen US Dollars. At first, he thought it was expensive, but after looking at the amount of meat, he felt it was very cheap and that eating it would be very satisfying.

“Dexter, I really admire you. After I mentioned developing fast food that suits American eating habits last time, you came up with this,” Lewis said with emotion.

“Actually, this is very common on the streets of China; it’s a very popular food. It’s just that the one I make now has more topping options,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“Girls, go over there and practice with the leftover dough. Once you’ve practiced enough, you can start selling. If you don’t practice well, you’ll just have to watch.”

Actually, Liu Heming was quite grateful to the System now. It was because of the System that he came up with this idea.

People say failure is the Mom of success. His random crafting of various items at the Ranch gave him this idea. Without the System, if Amelia and the others tried to make the pancake, they might manage after practice, but the flavor would not be as good.

The method for making the pancake is very simple; there’s no secret recipe involved. But for his pancake to be popular, this Iron Griddle played a crucial role. And the magic of this Iron Griddle was granted by the System.

“Dexter, tell me honestly, are you planning to expand the business in the future?” Lewis came over to Liu Heming and asked while Amelia and the others were learning.

“How did you guess?” Liu Heming asked curiously, as he did have such an idea.

“Because you slipped up earlier. You said the pancake starts at five US Dollars here in Xiangshui Town, so it must have a different price elsewhere,” Lewis said, rolling his eyes.

“Pretty much, but not now; it’ll be in the future,” Liu Heming said with a nod and a smile.

“Even if we sell elsewhere, there will be investment costs. Here in Xiangshui Town, it’s simple: I can just use your Restaurant. Although I give you a cut, it’s hassle-free for me. If we move to another place, rent would be a big problem.”

“Besides, I don’t have that many people under me right now. The method for making the pancake is simple, but it still requires a lot of practice. I’ll hire more people later and train them. When the conditions are right, I’ll expand to big cities.”

One thing he didn’t mention was that he still needed more Iron Griddles. Even though he had crafted many, his skills weren’t stable yet; many only had +1% or +2% additional attributes.

He needed to practice too, to stabilize his Iron Griddle crafting skills. That way, he could push forward his fast-food venture in the future.

Now he had truly tasted the rewards in this area. While big restaurants might have high profits, this small fast-food business wasn’t bad either.

Xiangshui Town didn’t have many permanent residents yet, but just with some passing truck drivers, his business was doing this well. What if he moved to a bigger city with more people? Although the investment cost would be higher, the future sales would also be much greater.

This was the big profit in a small product—it relied on volume.

Lewis nodded and gave Liu Heming a firm pat on the shoulder. If in the past he had been helping Liu Heming, now it was Liu Heming who was helping him.

In Xiangshui Town, if Liu Heming wanted to open his own fast-food restaurant, it wouldn’t cost much at all. Now the thirty cents he took felt like an extra bonus for himself.