I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 458
Chapter 458: Nuo’er’s Meeting About…
Routine meeting at the cafe.
“I’ll start with something everyone is probably interested in.”
That morning, after everyone, including Lan Jiajia and Ai Luodi, arrived, I organized the documents on the table in the upstairs of the cafe.
“First of all, last month, our cafe’s revenue tripled, and all our business operations expanded significantly. So, I plan to use this extra income to purchase some new equipment for the cafe, such as kitchen utensils and some toys and essentials for the cats.”
“In addition to these, some of the equipment at Little Bird Leisure Bar needs upgrading, and we also plan to renovate the small garden outside. We want to turn it into a real garden with flowers, plants, and fruit trees so that everyone can rest there when they’re tired from work.”
“After calculating the costs for these upgrades and new equipment, and projecting the future revenue of the cafe, I’ve decided to increase everyone’s base salary by 30% starting next month.”
“Oh—”
Upon hearing this, Ai Luodi, who looked like she had been gaming all night and had panda eyes, clapped her hands. “Yay, a raise!”
“Is it rising that quickly?” Lan Jiajia looked a bit incredulous.
“Um, Nuo’er, I just want to remind you, with such a quick salary increase, you know… many companies that start this way face challenges later on. Have you considered this sustainability issue?”
I nodded, “I’ve considered it, and there’s no problem.”
Lan Jiajia spoke tactfully, but I still understood what she meant.
On Tongmeng Net, I’ve seen videos of some street vendors complaining. If you sell things, especially barbecue, at places with many repeat customers like school gates or residential areas, never offer a discount to anyone.
For example, if a student asks to buy your sausages, which are normally 5 yuan each, for 3 yuan because they only have 3 yuan, and you agree, in a few days, that student will bring a bunch of others saying, “He sells his sausages for 3 yuan.”
The same logic applies to salary increases in a company. Employees have a tendency to develop expectations. If an employee gets a raise two or three months after joining, they will expect another raise after three months. If they don’t get it, they might lose motivation. Moreover, the increase they expect must be at least 30% or higher.
Lan Jiajia probably thought I looked young and was concerned that I might lack experience in managing the cafe, so she kindly reminded me.
Xiao Mo and I have indeed considered this issue. If the cafe were like a regular restaurant, such a salary increase would pose certain risks. However, the cafe is far from ordinary.
There’s Vivi, who watches the cafe 24/7, Dolly and Yueyue, who handle deliveries, and Fei Luo and Gabriel, who work at Little Bird Leisure Bar downstairs—none of them need a salary.
And Xiao Mo doesn’t care about her salary at all.
Therefore, the real labor costs of the cafe only include Chef Wang in the kitchen, Ai Luodi, Lan Jiajia, and the cleaning lady.
Moreover, in the past few months, the cafe’s revenue has been skyrocketing.
I understand this is due to the influencer effect. Right now, the cafe is at its peak popularity, with various social media and short video creators coming in to shoot videos.
However, this influx is clearly temporary. These influencers come once or twice, but they won’t be regulars. The cafe is benefiting from a one-time surge in popularity, so this current hype is obviously inflated. Once the buzz dies down, the revenue is likely to drop.
Even though the cafe is currently experiencing a crowding issue with many customers struggling to find seats, there’s no need to expand it significantly. Otherwise, when the hype dies down and the place is empty, it will feel awkward.
Considering these factors, I have the confidence to give Ai Luodi, Lan Jiajia, and Chef Wang a raise.
From Lan Jiajia’s perspective, giving a raise every two or three months is not a big issue.
The base salary here isn’t very high to begin with, most of the earnings come from commissions.
“Next is the issue of employee changes.”
Seeing Ai Luodi, Lan Jiajia, and Chef Wang nod in understanding, I gestured to Gwendolyn beside me.
“This is our new employee, Gwen, who will primarily handle desserts. Chef Wang can also consider her as an assistant.”
Although vampires mainly consume blood, it doesn’t mean they can’t eat human food, they just don’t prefer it as much.
At least Gwendolyn expressed that she enjoys good food when she encounters it.
The biggest issue with vampires as chefs is their dislike for certain spices like garlic, ginger, and chili peppers, which Gwendolyn doesn’t like. Because of this, I assigned her to tasks related to sweets.
She usually works with Vivi upstairs, experimenting with milk tea, making small cakes, soda crackers, and other snacks like exotic buns, which also helps “promote Shenzhen’s food culture.”
“Another foreigner? Got it,” Ai Luodi said, looking like she was used to it. “What’s the role this time?”
“Vampire,” Gwendolyn said, waving her hand as she introduced herself. “I dislike garlic, ginger, green onions, and cilantro. I can cook, but I generally won’t use these seasonings. Also, if there’s anything else you need me for, I’m happy to help.”
“Gwen can also serve as a waitress like Vivi… Oh, and there’s also this person.”
I gestured to Sikong Yue beside me. “We’re all familiar with her, right? Miss of the Jialan Company, known in our country as Sikong Yue.”
Sikong Yue waved to everyone. “Long time no see, I’m back.”
“Then…”
Lan Jiajia tentatively asked, “What is Miss Sikong Yue’s role?”
“Human!”
“Cough, cough.”
I awkwardly added, “With this, our staffing issue is basically resolved. For the next few days, we’ll focus on expanding the small garden.”
“Got it.”
Ai Luodi yawned, “I’m not very familiar with flowers and plants, so you handle that.”
“Okay, that’s all I need to say for today’s meeting. Does anyone have anything else?”
I closed the folder. “If not, the meeting is dismissed.”
“I have a question.”
At this point, Xiao Mo raised her hand. “When will you marry me, Nuo’er?”
“Get outta here! I’d rather marry a cat!”
I sulkily picked up the folder and tapped Xiao Mo on the head with it.
“Meeting dismissed!”
“……”
……