Max woke up earlier than usual to head to the restaurant. He saw a message from Nina when he checked this morning. His best friend thanked him for helping her father and said good luck.
At first, he thought the good luck he needed was limited to preparation like yesterday. Maybe it would be a bit busier with his viewers coming to the restaurant after seeing his post, just like when he promoted the restaurant for the first time in the past.
However, he was wrong. No, he just underestimated his influence. An average view of 1K and 15K was way too different. The scale just couldn't be compared.
"Holy!"
When he arrived at the street where the restaurant was located, he noticed a long queue and immediately hid himself. Thankfully, he wore a mask and chef's clothes he bought last night, so no one noticed that it was him.
"What the hell?"
The line was so long that he couldn't even see the restaurant. At a glance, there were more than 100 people waiting already. And he was sure it would just increase more than this.
'Shit. What should I do? No, would we be able to handle them? I should go to the restaurant through the backdoor for now.'
Thinking so, he used an alternative way to reach the restaurant. He immediately entered and found Chef Rush standing in the kitchen.
"Chef!" Max called out to the large man, "Outside."
"I know." Chef Rush replied calmly without showing any panic. "There is a line. I have called both Kevin and Anna to work early today. They will bring extra ingredients, too. In the meantime, read the recipe on that table and learn it. Unfortunately, I have no time to teach you today.
We will learn on the fly."
The instructions were clear and precise. Max nodded and began to read the recipe. At the same time, he set the action camera and strapped it to his chest. The wireless microphone was clipped on his collar. He was ready to livestream anytime and just needed to start it.
'Let's see.' He mused while reading the piece of paper. A little bit traditional, but it might be put this way to avoid a leak of the secret recipe to the internet. 'There are 3 dishes Chef Rush wanted to teach me, huh? The Hell Noodles, Rush Noodles, and Gentle Noodles.'
The name was based on the ingredients used and how spicy they were—starting from the spiciest, Hell Noodles to the least spicy, Gentle Noodles. Rush Noodles was a specialty of the shop and was the most common one.
'Why did he only teach me 3 recipes? I remember there are many in the menus.' Max wondered as he squinted his eyes.
At that moment, Chef Rush explained it.
"We will only serve those 3 dishes today. There is not enough time to prepare a variety of dishes when we handle a lot of customers, so I cut down the menu. Side dishes like Char Siu will be served as usual. They are already prepared in the fridge and you just need to torch them."
That made sense.
"Yes, Chef."
Everything went fast after that. The waiter and waitress, Kevin and Anna, arrived with extra ingredients from the backdoor. The waitress recognized Max and greeted him before preparing to open the restaurant with Kevin.
— Mom, make me one like that!
— Now I am hungry. Having spicy food for breakfast is gonna train my stomach!
Max nodded in satisfaction as he managed to follow the recipe. He saw Chef Rush approach him and look at the noodles before taking a spoon and sipping the broth.
The atmosphere was tense. Did he mess up the spice? Why does Chef Rush stay silent after tasting it?
A second later, the chef took a chopstick and slurped the noodles. He chewed slowly and surely, making sure the texture was correct.
After a while, he hummed and nodded firmly.
"We can serve this to customers." The chef said. He turned to Max and patted his shoulders. "I am counting on you, boy."
Hearing that, Max beamed with a smile. It was a small accomplishment of just putting everything together, but he was happy to be praised and acknowledged.
"Thanks, chef!"
— Breeze is complimented!
— Good for you, Breeze
— Damn, the chef's voice is so deep. I am trembling in fear
— That is what you call a man. TRUE MAN!
— Somehow, I became tense when Breeze was waiting for the judgment. Good thing he passed!
— Meh, just putting everything together is easy.
— Easy? Try to do it in front of that chef. I bet you will be trembling in fear and unable to move!
The chat burst with fever like usual. Max didn't read them and continued his preparation. The front area was ready, and Kevin told the kitchen that they would open the restaurant soon.
Max was ready. He was confident he could take all orders without any problem.
"We're opening it!" Anna's voice was booming from outside as they opened the shutter.
Once the sign was turned open and the door was unlocked, the people from outside began to enter like a stampede and filled the area. Orders began to arrive without stopping.
War had begun.
"Alright! I will feed you guys until full!"