Chapter 1302: Professional Pastry Chef and Profiteer Channing
Did they really think that they didn’t have to pay for the red wine they drank last night?
Today, Caroline had to do the work of two people.
In comparison, Max had also paid a “heavy price” to make cupcakes.
However, the “price” that Max had to pay was actually so enviable! It was the “Ghost” movie. For one moment, Caroline felt a little regret that she was stuck at the basic level when it came to her cake-making skills.
But recalling how Luke’s target had never wavered last night, she could only sigh.
What was the point of knowing how to make cakes? It was still about looks! That handsome Chris clearly liked Max’s type more; it had nothing to do with whether she knew how to make cakes or not.
Carrying a box of cakes, she got off the subway and went to the diner. She was shocked when she pushed the door open. “Did the refugees escape? Why are there so many people?”
Old Earl raised an eyebrow and turned around to look at her. “Wow, we’re going to be busy today.”
Caroline walked to the cash register and asked, “What happened? They look like they’re starving.”
Old Earl chuckled. “You don’t know? Some of the main water pipes were damaged from the explosions yesterday, and power was also affected. There’s a huge area over there with families that can’t make dinner. The diners are also affected, and can’t supply that much food. A lot of the people can only come here to look for food.”
Caroline’s face was full of despair. “Seriously? I’m going to die.”
Old Earl found that odd. “You’re pregnant?”
An annoyed Caroline said, “You can ask Max that later, since she’s asked for… half a day off today.”
She had been about to ask for the whole day off, but when she saw the customers crying for food in the diner, she was creeped out, and said half a day.
She really would die if she had to work all night.
Old Earl, however, was very calm. “There’s no rush. You won’t be busy tonight even if you want to be. Oleg went to the hospital. The doctor said that he had a concussion, so he’s also taking time off.”
Caroline was overjoyed. “If there’s no cook, I won’t have to deliver food.”
Old Earl chuckled. “No, Han looks very energetic in the kitchen. He said that he’ll be the cook tonight.”
Caroline was shocked. “He won’t kill anyone, right?”
Old Earl rolled his eyes. “Even Oleg’s food can’t kill someone. How bad can Han be?”
Thinking that made sense, Caroline put on her uniform and put the cupcakes on the counter.
As soon as she placed the cupcakes on the tray under the transparent cover, someone asked, “How much for the cupcakes?”
Caroline said, “One… is 5 bucks. Special price!”
She suddenly remembered what Old Earl said about burst water pipes, and forcibly twisted “1.50” into “1 for 5 bucks.”
The customers immediately felt the pinch. One of them was clearly a regular customer. “Last time I came, wasn’t it just 1.5?”
Caroline’s smile froze. She quietly took a step to the side of the cake tray and stood in front of him.
She found the price tag with the words “Cupcake: $1.50.”
Only then did she explain with a smile, “This is a new product which we hired a professional pastry chef to make. It originally cost 7 dollars, but now, the special price is only 5. There’s a limited number.”
That regular customer couldn’t help but blather on, but the others had never been here before.
Also, they had already gone to a few shops before coming here, and had to wait everywhere.
It was natural to be lazy.
Even among hardworking Chinese, more and more young people would rather order takeout than cook at home, let alone in America.
After being hungry for so long, many people were no longer interested in going elsewhere. That just meant spending more time traveling and taking longer to return home.
Thus, before Chef Han could start hawking his food, Caroline’s cupcake business was already booming.
She had a unique disposition when it came to money.
Her father had swindled a lot of rich people in New York, and she was a natural at inflating prices and taking customers on a ride.
After all, she was someone who, during her first day on the job at the diner, had dared to sell Max’s cupcakes for 7 dollars each and then pocket the extra 5.50.
Now that she and Max were partners, she naturally had the right to raise the price.
In any case, she had already said that these 5-dollar cakes were a limited “special product” made by a professional pastry chef.
Hadn’t Chris bragged that he was very good when it came to making cakes? He and Max had indeed made them together.
Everything Caroline said was the truth.
It had to be said that she knew how to seize an opportunity. The 50 cupcakes she brought sold out in less than half an hour.
In comparison, the turnover for temporary chef Han was less than one fifth of Caroline’s customers.
Overjoyed, Caroline could only call Max, who was sleeping at home, and have her bring the rest of the cupcakes.
Usually, 50 cupcakes would be enough for two days. Who knew business would be so good today?
May the water pipes remain bust for a few more days, a certain unscrupulous female cupcake peddler prayed.
When Max lumbered in like an old cow with a few boxes of cupcakes, Caroline was overjoyed.
Max complained that her back was still sore and her legs were cramping, but when she heard that the supply of “special cupcakes” at 5 bucks a piece wasn’t meeting customer demand today, her mouth dropped open in shock. “What?”
Caroline could only drag her into the storeroom. She told Max her excuse for raising the price earlier, and explained why the 5-dollar cupcakes were selling so well.
Max’s sore back instantly recovered.
The cupcakes were selling for 5 dollars each, which was more than three times the price, but the profits were five times higher.
The two women couldn’t let go of this windfall.
In fact, Max had only brought half of the cupcakes with her. She had made too many last night, and she couldn’t bring seven to eight boxes herself, even if there weren’t many people on the subway today.
That task could only be left to Caroline. Max happily sold the cupcakes in the diner and counted the money.
In her words, counting money wasn’t tiring, but moving the cupcakes was.
The cupcakes were sold out by ten in the evening, and there were basically no customers in the diner.
Both girls were exhausted but elated.
Now that they had nothing to do and no customers, they simply sat next to the cash register and began to scroll on their phones.
It was because of t.i.tanium Phone Company’s dominance of the high-end market that other major cell phone companies could only break through by investing in low and mid-range smartphones. Only then did they have a chance to counterattack and become king in the future.
100 bucks was enough to buy a secondhand low-end smartphone.
Of course, how these practically brand new “secondhand goods” came about was a different matter.