Food: Selling Boxed Meals at a Construction Site

Xu An had a busy morning and got a lot done.

First, he sorted out all the staff and work arrangements for the three locations of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, making everything crystal clear.

Then, he went to the braised food shop to monitor the progress of the plumbing and electrical work, and he also signed for two freezers that were delivered to the store.

He organized all the relevant documents for the braised food shop and handed them over to Uncle Dongliang’s friend to help with the business license application.

Finally, he went to the Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center to meet with the staff of the preparatory committee and sign the catering contract for the exhibition period.

The staff member in charge of signing the contract with Xu An was a stranger. This time, he didn’t see the old man or the middle-aged man, and it seemed the beautiful young woman from the photo wasn’t there either...

While signing the contract, Xu An discovered that the required daily number of boxed lunches had already been filled in: a total of 2,860!

’Almost three thousand orders!’

That was nearly half as much again as the two thousand he had originally expected.

After signing the contract, Xu An also made a stop to visit Manager Han at Xinyang Commercial Kitchen Technology Co., Ltd. Most of the equipment was still being installed and had not yet reached the commissioning phase, but based on the progress at the site, it would only be another day or two.

By the time he had finished all of this and returned to the restaurant, it was already eleven in the morning, just as the lunch delivery rush was starting. Xu An and Uncle Guosheng were thrown into another flurry of activity. It wasn’t until one o’clock, when he was back at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, that things finally quieted down.

Sitting behind the cash register, after carefully reviewing the contract he had signed with the exhibition’s preparatory committee that morning, Xu An used the mouse to open a web browser. He typed "insulated food truck" into the search bar and began his research.

Now that he had secured the catering deal for the exhibition, buying an insulated food truck really needed to be prioritized.

After browsing for a while, Xu An found that the price for a food truck meeting his requirements was around fifty thousand.

Fifty thousand was just the price of the vehicle. Including various fees and expenses, the final cost would be closer to sixty thousand.

The restaurant originally had over seventy thousand in available liquid capital, but after leasing the braised food shop and paying the rent and security deposit, only a little over sixty thousand remained...

’If I buy this food truck outright, my liquid capital will be completely wiped out. I still need to set aside funds for the automated kitchen equipment, and then there are the greenhouses... there might be a chance with those, too...’

Both the automated kitchen equipment and the greenhouses required money.

Especially the latter. That was over ten greenhouses; the money needed would be no less than the cost of the food truck.

’Speaking of the greenhouses, Aunt Hong’s daily output doesn’t seem to be enough to cover the demand during the exhibition.’

’That means I’ll have to buy vegetables from the wholesale market every day, and that part of the cost will double!’

Just as Xu An was trying to figure out how to stretch the seventy thousand he had to cover a food truck, automated kitchen equipment, and the construction of greenhouses, a young man appeared at the entrance of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, peering inside. Despite the thirty-eight-degree heat, he was impeccably dressed in a full suit.

The man’s gaze quickly swept over everyone in the restaurant before finally landing on Xu An, who was sitting behind the cash register, staring blankly into space.

Yes, he recognized that face. This young-looking man was the owner of the fast food restaurant.

The young man stepped into the restaurant. The fan by the door happened to turn in his direction as he entered, and the strong blast of air brought him a powerful sense of cool relief, relaxing the strained expression on his face from the heat.

"Boss Xu, good afternoon."

The young man’s voice pulled Xu An’s wandering soul back into his body. His brain subconsciously replied to the greeting, "Hello, are you here to eat?"

After speaking, he looked at the man and realized he’d never seen him before; he was a complete stranger.

’Then how does he know who I am?’

’How strange.’

"It’s like this," the young man said, handing Xu An a flyer and his business card. "Hai City Bank recently launched a new commercial loan. The amounts are higher than before, and the interest rates are lower. It’s perfect for small and medium-sized businesses that need to manage their cash flow."

’A business loan!’

Xu An was very familiar with the term. After graduating from college, he constantly heard about classmates and friends, one buying a car, another buying a house, almost always with a loan.

Of course, Xu An had no personal experience with this; it was all just hearsay. He’d never been through it himself.

He reached out and took the flyer and business card from the man, then looked at the information on the card.

’Hai City Bank Loan Officer — Zhou Yaodong’

As a Hai City local, Xu An had a pretty good impression of Hai City Bank.

When his boxed lunch stall’s income first exceeded five hundred a day, he had gone to Hai City Bank to open an account. To this day, all the restaurant’s income and expenses, every transaction, went through that bank card.

Setting the business card aside, Xu An picked up the flyer to look over its contents.

After reading just a few paragraphs, Xu An’s breathing quickened, a flush creeping onto his face. He scanned the rest of the flyer’s contents at a rapid pace.

The flyer was wordy, but the gist was simple: you could get a loan with your business license, and if you met the conditions, you could borrow a minimum of 200,000 and a maximum of 20 million!

Loan Conditions:

First condition: Must be eighteen years or older. ’I meet that one!’

Second condition: Must have good market prospects and comply with national policies and regulations. ’This is definitely a fit!’