After saying that, the customer picked up the Rou Jia Mo with a bit of a show of defiance and took a big bite. While chewing, he exclaimed, "This Rou Jia Mo is so delicious, I could eat it for a lifetime and never get tired of it! It's so delicious."
The air suddenly went quiet, and the members of the tour group all turned their heads to look elsewhere, giving him an expression that said, "I don't know him".
It's one thing to sneak into someone else's restaurant to eat, but being caught by other customers was even worse. The worst part is that after they were talking badly about the owner, the owner didn't say anything, but this customer jumped out and slapped them on the face. And this was customer who had eaten at both restaurants. This was a bit of a sour experience… they all felt a little sting.
Bishop also blushed slightly. His crispy scallion pancakes were a well-known snack in Aden Square, even making it into the top 100 food rankings two years ago. Although it came in last, but it was still on the list.
Now, this customer was saying it was far inferior to this Rou Jia Mo, even implying a disdain for comparing it to anything else. His blood boiled, and he was about to explode in anger.
"Old man, we're here to eat, not to cause trouble. Bear with it." Miles tugged at Bishop's sleeve and gently comforted him.
If they really started arguing, it wouldn't look good for anyone. While businesses are all competitors, few would truly risk a falling out. Getting into a shouting match with someone else's customer in their restaurant was something they absolutely couldn't do.
Bishop, a seasoned businessman with decades of experience, understood the implications. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, gave a soft snort, and turned away without arguing.
The customer was just saying it casually and didn't dwell on it. He focused on eating his Rou Jia Mo. He only spoke up because he was a little annoyed that the owner was arbitrarily slandering the owner.
As the queue slowly moved forward, some regular customers occasionally recognized the owners and greeted them, all wondering why they weren't doing business in their shops but instead queuing up at the restaurant.
"Ahem, actually, it's just that a few of us old guys got together, and we couldn't decide where to eat, so we chose this popular restaurant to give it a try." Miles chuckled twice and explained to a regular customer. If he had known he would run into so many regulars, he wouldn't have chosen to come at this time.
"Hello, what would you like to order?" Yabemia noticed the tour group. Although she was a little wary of them coming as a group, worried that they might be there to cause trouble, she still smiled and came over with the menu to ask.
"Hiss! A serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice costs 600 copper coins? A Rou Jia Mo costs 300 copper coins? I'm asking if your restaurant's menu is wrong?" The old woman looked at the menu and gasped, her voice rising sharply as she stared at Yabemia.
"Yes, how can it be so expensive?" The others looked at the prices on the menu and were also somewhat incredulous.
600 copper coins could buy half a Roast Suckling Pig at the Freyr Tavern, which is the tavern's signature dish and ranked sixth on the Aden Square Food Ranking. However, at this restaurant, they could only buy a small serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, and they couldn't find even a few shreds of meat in it.
As for the 300 copper coins for a Rou Jia Mo, Bishop's scallion pancakes are only 5 copper coins each, and the portions are generous. The price difference is like night and day!
The most expensive dish in their restaurant was less than 200 copper coins, anything over 100 copper coins was a premium dish. How could they dare sell a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and a flatbread for several hundred copper coins? They'd probably get their reputation ruined on opening day.
Isn't this ripping people off?
Everyone looked at Yabemia, wondering what explanation she could give, or whether she realized they were owners of other restaurants and was deliberately using the price to scare them away.
"I'm sorry, guests, there's nothing wrong with the menu. The prices listed are the prices for all the dishes in the restaurant, and they are the same for all customers." Yabemia shook her head and smiled. She had gotten used to so many customers questioning the prices these days, but she would still explain it again with a smile.
Guests who find the prices too high will leave on their own, while those who can afford it might stay and try it. And those who stay are all won over by the restaurant's delicious food, which makes Yabemia happiest, and she admires Mai Ge even more.
However, she still didn't know the restaurant owners' intentions. If they were deliberately trying to cause trouble, she feared they would create problems, and she didn't know how to handle that.
If it was a fight, she felt she could easily defeat them all by herself, but she wasn't very good at arguing.
"But your prices..." The old woman raised an eyebrow, as if she wanted to say something more.
"Since everyone pays the same price, I'll have a serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and a Rou Jia Mo." Andrew said directly. He then glanced at the old woman and said, "Mrs. Virginia, every restaurant has its own pricing policy. Prices are clearly marked, and customers can choose whether or not to eat."
"I'll have one of each too." Bernice nodded, not intending to haggle over the price. As Andrew said, the fact that so many customers chose to eat at such high prices meant they considered it worth it.
As for whether these people were hired by the boss to act as food shills, Bernice's gaze lingered for a moment on the Gray Temple mage who was engrossed in eating a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. But no one could hire someone from the Gray Temple to act as a food shill, especially a mage who seemed to be of high status.
"I'll have a Rou Jia Mo." Bishop said after a moment of silence, nodding.
"I'm not eating. If I eat a Rou Jia Mo, I've worked for nothing today." The old woman stamped her foot and turned to leave.
The group exchanged glances, all somewhat helpless, but said nothing more.
Mrs. Virginia's restaurant business has been getting worse lately. In recent years, the old lady has had some problems with her tongue and her sense of taste has deteriorated a lot. Back in the day, her mutton soup was once in the top 50 of the food list and was a childhood memory for many people. They haven't tasted that flavor in a long time.
Mrs. Virginia' son and daughter in law died of illness a few years ago. She has a good for nothing grandson who has been fooling around outside all along. In the past two years, Mrs. Virginia had to pull his ear to get him to help out at the shop a little. However, he had no talent for cooking, and the mutton soup he made tasted worse and worse. Only a few regular customers of the poor old lady will come to have a bowl. Sometimes, if they are lucky, the taste will be better, but most of the time, very few people can finish a whole bowl. Life is not easy for them.
The others also ordered food one after another.
"Okay, but it's best to eat Yang Zhou Fried Rice sitting down, but there are no seats available right now. Should I bring the Rou Jia Mo to everyone first?" Yabemia asked with a smile after noting down everyone's orders.
"It's alright, we'll wait a bit. You can bring the food to us when there are seats available." Bernice said directly. The others nodded in agreement. Since they were there for a tasting, they naturally wanted to sit down and savor the food.
"Okay." Yabemia nodded, turned, and walked towards the kitchen. Once inside, she asked softly with a hint of worry, "Boss, are they here to cause trouble?"