Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Li Yuanzhao raised his chin, smugly saying, "Setting up a factory requires site selection, involving many factors. However, I, your humble servant, have discovered that opening a restaurant involves even more elements. It's a major field of study."

"Tell me, what's the most important thing to consider when opening a restaurant?"

"The people, of course." Fang Zheng Yi quietly waited for him to show off.

"Exactly, it's the people. A place with many people is good for opening a shop. To open your doors for business, you naturally need to find a place with a lot of people. Even the best wine fears a deep alleyway." Li Yuanzhao tapped the table with his knuckles, saying, "But all you've said are the views of a commoner, not yet touching on the true scholarship."

"Look at the restaurant across the street. Isn't it more crowded than the one we're sitting in, with a constant stream of people going in?" Li Yuanzhao pointed towards the opposite side.

Fang Zheng Yi followed his finger and looked, nodding his head.

Indeed, he had noticed as soon as he entered that the restaurant across the street was doing much better business than the one he was in.

It was the peak of lunchtime, so it was very clear.

"Why is it that, separated by only one street, the number of customers at the two restaurants differs so much?" Li Yuanzhao asked.

"Because this place's food is bad? The portions aren't big enough? The prices are too high?"

"Wrong, completely wrong! I've been to the restaurant across the street, and the food isn't any better than here, nor is it more affordable, but it's just more crowded." Li Yuanzhao licked his lips.

"Let me tell you where the secret lies! Look at this street, the other side is sunny, while the side we're sitting on is shady." Li Yuanzhao spoke eloquently, "The shady side of the street has more empty storefronts than the sunny side. If you don't believe me, take a closer look when you go outside."

"Besides that, the restaurant across the street has no steps, while this restaurant has three steps."

Fang Zheng Yi frowned, vaguely recalling that there were indeed several steps at the entrance.

At the same time, he was secretly shocked... Good heavens, it seems he really has found some clues!

"Your Highness, please continue."

Li Yuanzhao said seriously, "Don't underestimate these three steps. Just these three steps alone can reduce his customer flow by at least ten percent!"

"As for the principle behind it, I haven't figured it out yet. If it's just because people are lazy, it shouldn't make such a big difference with just two extra steps. But I've observed at least dozens of restaurants, and the facts are mostly like this."

"As for the sunny and shady sides of the street, that's easy to understand. I guess it's because the storefronts on the sunny side look brighter, and the indoor lighting is better. This lighting makes the food look more appetizing. The shady side is dark and dull. I've specifically tested this with dishes, and the brightly colored ones always look more delicious."

Fang Zheng Yi gasped.

What opening-a-store expert, a genius in the catering industry! He's even delving into psychology?

"Did you figure all this out by yourself?"

Li Yuanzhao nodded, then shook his head: "Of course, I thought of it, but not entirely. I'm not running around outside alone; I have people below me doing things according to my instructions."

"We gather everyone's findings at night, looking for patterns, to arrive at this conclusion. The secrets of site selection don't stop there. The distribution of wealth among the people, the direction of daily travel... all have a big impact!"

"A slight difference can lead to drastically different results! It's like when I, your humble servant, am building a train. If a small part is wrong, it might not seem like a big deal, but once the whole thing is put together, the entire machine won't work."

Fang Zheng Yi couldn't help but clap his hands twice.

"Your Highness is truly talented. The shop hasn't even opened yet, and I think you're already halfway there."

A genius is a genius; the Emperor's seed is definitely not wasted!

Li Yuanzhao chuckled: "More than halfway! Even if this business fails, I'll still be eighty percent successful! I've solved a remarkable problem that can benefit the people of the world, but I'll tell you about it after I've completely succeeded in opening the shop."

"Right now, I've already chosen the location for the shop, right next to the restaurant across the street! Regarding the new shop's decoration, I have a bold idea."

Fang Zheng Yi stroked his chin, curious, "What bold idea?"

"Use glass! Use glass extensively to build the house, like Jingxing Qianzhuang. And not just ordinary glass, but orange and red glass. Think about it, everyone else uses wooden windows, paper windows."

"We use glass, and when the sunlight shines through, the color on the food will be several times better than others!" Li Yuanzhao said with excitement, "At the same time, the entire storefront should be pushed forward two inches, making it stand out from others."

"Isn't our place called 'Fast Food'? I increasingly feel that this name is good, highlighting the word 'fast'!" Li Yuanzhao gestured with his hands, "Look, the restaurant across the street has three floors, which is not small, but it's often full at noon, which is a waste of a lot of business."

"For our shop, in addition to the regular indoor dining, I want to set up a separate window directly facing the street, like a street stall. People pay and directly get their food, wrapped in oiled paper or lotus leaves, and eat it on the go. This will earn us a lot more customers."

"Finally, since there's a window for direct sales at the entrance, I don't think it's necessary to build three floors anymore! I think we should use the entire height and area above the second floor to create three-sided advertisements!"

Speaking of this, Li Yuanzhao excitedly drew a large circle in the sky with both arms, attracting onlookers from the surrounding diners.

"Such a big sign! Such a big advertisement! The only one of its kind in the world, who else can compare! Don't you think my idea is ingenious?"

After Li Yuanzhao finished speaking, he looked forward to Fang Zheng Yi's response.

Fang Zheng Yi was silent.

He was supposed to research management methods, but now the marketing is already maxed out! Is the Crown Prince's thinking so jumpy because he didn't drink the Meng Po soup clean in his previous life, or is he infected by me?

He's a bit dazed now...

After a long while, Fang Zheng Yi tentatively asked, "Your Highness, have you ever eaten McDonald's?"

"Ah, what's that? I haven't eaten it. Is it delicious?" Li Yuanzhao was momentarily confused, then urged, "Don't talk about other things, just tell me if my plan will work!"

"I don't know if it will work, but if you open this restaurant, it will definitely become a spectacle in the capital in less than two days." Fang Zheng Yi said speechlessly, "No ordinary person would do it like you; the cost would be unbearable."

Li Yuanzhao sneered: "Heh, what unbearable cost! Others may not know, but don't I know how much glass is worth? You've made something out of those broken pieces."

"I've calculated the cost. The furniture and everything can be the same ordinary kind, so overall it's not more expensive than a regular restaurant. I've already had someone help me draw a rough sketch of the house. We don't need to rebuild it; we can just modify it on the existing foundation. It should be able to open in about two months."

"Then... have you thought of a name? It needs to be a catchy sign." Fang Zheng Yi asked.

"I haven't thought about it. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think you might as well call it Kentucky Fried Chicken..."

"Kentucky Fried Chicken? A good name! It highlights cheap and affordable, eating big pieces of meat. Let's settle on that."

......