Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 268 183: Luck Maxed Out, Just Arrived and Already Ran Into the Food Stall_2

He could only arrange it himself, sell more or less, depending on fate.

After all, it's not like he was forcing anyone to set up a stall.

Lunard waited only a few minutes before it was his turn to step forward. He waved and laughed directly: "Hey! Long time no see, Lin!"

"?!"

Lin Chen didn't have time to ask what he wanted to buy when he heard the familiar voice and suddenly looked up.

"Why are you here, old man? Aren't you keeping your stall? I remember you worked all year round without breaks."

"No way!"

Lunard chuckled: "The food truck is now being taken care of by Neo. That kid has been working for me for almost a year; it's time to train him on independently running the stall."

"Besides, who can work all year round without breaks? I'm getting old, even with white hair, I need to rest when needed."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the boxes piled on top of the stall.

"What's on sale today, seafood?"

"Yes, raw crab, shrimp, salmon, and some cooked shellfish, marinated with sauces. If you can eat raw, I'd highly recommend you try them; they're absolutely great."

"I can eat raw, of course. Just prepare enough for me to enjoy in one go."

Being old acquaintances, he was well aware of Lin Chen's culinary skills; buying just one portion of each would surely not be enough.

"Okay, then three portions. But be careful eating so much raw food at once; if you end up with stomach issues, don't blame me."

"No worries!"

Lunard patted his chest: "I can eat fifty oysters in one go; this amount isn't going to take me down."

Seeing Lin Chen chatting and laughing happily with customers and employees buying food, Nagishiro Sho watched enviously.

Which chef doesn't hope to gather countless loyal customers? This stall model seems to provide more instant feedback from diners than cooking in a restaurant does?

He didn't hurry to leave; instead, he pulled up a chair nearby to watch how long Lin Chen would take to sell out.

Especially on such a tranquil night, without any publicity, he couldn't believe many customers would come.

The situation was as he expected; a whole hour passed, and there weren't more than thirty customers in total. Yet, everyone packed more than the usual portion, plus twenty servings taken by two security guards before. It roughly estimated close to a hundred servings.

"It's almost eleven; nobody's coming anymore, right?"

It was quiet around, with only the sound of waves crashing faintly in the ears.

Just as he was about to get up and return to his room for a rest.

A car suddenly drove up from the direction of the distant cliff, its headlights glaring brightly in the deep night.

"Screech—"

The car was speeding; its tires screeched loudly as it turned, coming to a steady stop before the stall.

Two Black men jumped out from the car, grinning broadly with their shining white teeth.

"Boss! Good evening!"

"We were just worrying about what to eat while working late at night when we heard your stall was open. We rushed right over."

Working late?

Lin Chen turned to glance at the giant cliff shrouded in darkness; indeed, he saw lights on the top, likely setting up a venue.

So these two Black guys should be part of the team that visited yesterday.

"Good evening, how many portions do you need?"

"We have twenty-two people working the night shift, dinner and breakfast for two meals; each person eats two portions, eighty-eight portions. Plus the ten guys coming in the morning, a total of… make it a hundred and twenty portions, put it on President Wang's account; he said he covers the meals."

"?"

Put it on President Wang's account?

Lin Chen had a peculiar expression, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

What he meant by covering meals probably wasn't this sort of coverage?

But he didn't mind anyway; after all, it's not his misfortune.

The four women also appeared to be suppressing their laughter, efficiently packing boxes for a hundred and twenty portions, filling eight large bags.

Lin Chen had prepared a little over two hundred servings today. Ever since his sixth sense was enhanced, he's been able to nearly precisely estimate the daily amount needed, with a deviation of not more than ten servings.

After assisting the two Black men in loading the food onto the car, they tidied up a bit and finished the day's business.

Jonathan didn't leave either; he stayed in the restaurant, deep in thought.

He didn't need to see what happened outside to know; whenever Lin sets up a stall, he never fails to sell out, with sales as remarkable as his cooking.

Jonathan was pondering why stalls are mostly run by Orientals and South Americans, like Thai fried rice, Ah San's curry, Chinese, Japanese, Korean food, Turkish kebabs and ice cream, tacos, etc.

But for Western food trucks, he could only think of hot dogs, crêpes, or fish and chips?

Western cuisine clearly has numerous varieties; why has no one tried to set up a stall?

Pasta can be pre-cooked and ready; just make a sauce on-site to mix it, isn't that suitable for stalls too?

Steaks are simply pan-fried and rested for less than ten minutes; isn't it simple enough?

There are also various salads; if supermarkets can sell them, why can't food trucks?

Thinking about it, it seemed only hygiene came to mind.

Western cuisine demands excessively strict environmental hygiene standards, resulting in trained chefs adhering strictly to these standards, believing the stall environment to be too exposed, potentially causing diners to get sick.

But the thing is, don't stalls sell food to numerous customers too; why is Western food suddenly deemed unhygienic?

Having figured out the pivotal point, a strong urge to try setting up a stall surged in his heart.

"Anyway, I don't need to work as hard as Lin or have as much stamina. Occasionally setting up a stall to build reputation should be fine too."

"I need to show everyone that Western food can also be sold from stalls! Maybe I could even teach many customers how to make delicious Western food at home."

Reaching the level of Head Chef in Western cuisine undoubtedly means a deep passion for food; otherwise, one can't survive the tediousness and high pressures of the career.

With an idea and motivation, practical considerations were next.

Like where to buy a food truck, what time is suitable for setting up, which food to prepare, how to attract customers, and so on.

He planned to consult Lin for advice tomorrow to gather some experience.

Two restaurant Head Chefs setting up stalls simultaneously; this catchy idea certainly sounded promising.

Returning to the hotel front desk, satisfied after buying marinated raw seafood, Lunard wanted to register and check in, but he saw the two pretty receptionists quickly slurping crab shells, gulping crabmeat along with hot porridge, looking blissfully happy.

"Is it delicious?"

"?!"

The sudden unfamiliar voice startled the two women, who hurriedly removed their gloves and wiped their mouths before looking up.

"Haha, don't worry, I won't complain about you. Look, I bought a lot too, haven't had the chance to eat yet, just wanted to hear your opinion."

"Phew…"

Seeing the man holding heavy boxes, the two women let out a sigh of relief.

Recently, the news of hotel staff dining alongside guests had been noticed, with numerous suggestions online to separate meal times since the simultaneous dining led to long queues and extended waits.

They were truly worried a guest might see them and become dissatisfied, especially those who couldn't buy food, possibly filing complaints out of frustration.

"It's super tasty, don't worry and enjoy it, sir. Seeing you buy so much, you're probably a big fan of Chef Lin, right?"

"Me?"

Lunard paused, laughed: "Yes, I really am a fan of his; we've known each other for a long time even before he came here."

"Really?!! Did you come from afar just for this?"

"Yes, I just arrived; seeing his stall, I rushed to buy food before even checking into my room."

"Hey hey, could you tell me what delicious things Chef Lin used to sell from his stall?"

Exploiting the title of being a loyal fan, Lunard quickly befriended the receptionist, exchanging contact information, and arranged to notify each other whenever Lin Chen sets up his stall.

Both women eagerly welcomed the option, considering the logistics team was so sought after, asking them for help was getting harder. It would be better to seek other avenues for assistance.