Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Pre-Opening

The interior construction in Eclava has also been completed.

Already, the staff members have moved there.

They can use the dragon carts to transport goods and return to the village on holidays.

However, their livelihood will be based in Eclava, so preparations are necessary. They have been given some money and instructed to purchase what they need.

I had my own tasks to attend to.

Before opening the shop, a pre-opening event must be held.

A pre-opening is when the shop is opened only to invited guests, not to the general public. It’s all about preparation.

There are two purposes. First, to acclimate the staff. With the number of customers limited, it will be a good experience.

The second is publicity. The individuals invited to the pre-opening are influential figures. If we achieve great success here, it will be a good start.

Choosing whom to invite carefully is essential.

Invitations have been sent jointly with Farne’s name to the authorities in Eclava.

We’ve also invited the baron whom Jorg is acquainted with.

The semi-opening will be held for only two days.

Since the purpose is advertisement, we plan to provide a dining area for guests to enjoy the sweets for free. If they like them, they can purchase souvenirs, which will be charged.

There won’t be a dining area during the actual opening. We can’t afford to allocate resources there, and it would slow down turnover.

“The problem lies here.”

I groaned as I looked at the stack of letters delivered to Arnoldt’s village.

Since we sent out invitations, it’s somewhat expected that we’ll receive responses.

Among the requests written there, there are a certain number demanding the cake served at the Lenaril Duke’s residence.

Yes, it’s the Imperial Torte, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made.

It has gained notoriety because numerous nobles have tasted it.

Moreover, considering the status of the nobles requesting it, it’s not easy to brush them off.

“Kurt-sama, won’t you make it for them?”

Tina brought me some tea.

My throat was parched, so I appreciated it.

Thanking Tina, I accepted the tea and spoke up.

“Well, it’s a pastry that keeps for a while, and we do have some ingredients left over.”

Cocoa obtained with the financial power of Count Fernande. There’s still some left. The other ingredients aren’t too difficult to acquire. With enough money, they’re obtainable.

If I start making it now, the aging period of the chocolate is a bit of a concern, but I should be able to finish it in time for the pre-opening.

“What’s the problem then?”

“I can’t set a price on it. After all, cocoa costs as much as buying a mansion. Let’s see… if we think about it seriously, I’d want five gold coins for a slice of cake.”

A gold coin is worth roughly 120,000 yen.

A slice of cake would cost 600,000 yen.

“Wow, that’s expensive.”

“Well, yeah. Forget it. I’ll make a whole cake and sell it by the slice. If Tina can make some ice, we can display the Imperial Torte on the counter for a week, as it was served at the Lenaril family’s dinner party. It’ll attract customers. But of course, we can’t give it away for free, even at the pre-opening, so we’ll charge for it.”

That’s the decision I’ve made.

Let’s exclude it from the complimentary gifts during the pre-opening.

If there are leftovers, we’ll just eat them ourselves.

We’ll keep the minimum amount of cocoa for emergencies, so there shouldn’t be any issue.

“Five gold coins… Can anyone really afford to pay that much for a slice of cake?”

“Who knows? There might be. Among the invited guests, there are some absurdly wealthy individuals with distorted senses of money. Besides, they’re not just paying for the pastry itself; they’re paying for the bragging rights. If it’s for boasting, they’ll throw out that much without a second thought.”

“It’s a world I can’t imagine.”

Tina tilted her head in wonder.

Tina grew up as an orphan and lived a poor life, even after becoming a servant in Arnoldt’s impoverished household. She couldn’t imagine the kind of people who would pay gold coins for pastries.

I know this firsthand.

For ordinary folks, the cheaper, the better.

But it can be reversed depending on the purpose of the customer.

For example, a customer who wants to boast about eating such a luxurious pastry from such a prestigious store.

Or someone giving it as a gift to impress someone.

In such cases, the higher the price, the more valuable the pastry becomes.

Even in my past life, I made pastries for such clientele. It goes against my policy, but using top-notch ingredients without worrying about the budget was, in a way, enjoyable and a good experience.

“Well, it’s not a bad deal. If it goes well, it could be a huge profit. If we make a killing from greedy nobles, we can lower the prices of other pastries.”

A whole cake, twelve slices. If they all sell, that’s sixty gold coins, totaling seven hundred and twenty million.

It’s not bad to indulge the wealthy in their whims.

“Ahh, it’s just… unfair. Some kids are so hungry they can’t eat anything.”

“That’s how it goes. That’s why I make sure to offer products that are affordable and enjoyable for many people, as well as top-notch but expensive products for the wealthy’s indulgence. Let’s leave the small talk at that. Tina, you’re becoming quite skilled at baking pastries. Before the pre-opening, you’ll be trained to bake everything except for Custard Pudding and Imperial Torte.”

“Leave it to me, Kurt-sama!”

There’s no time left until the pre-opening.

There’s a mountain of tasks to accomplish.

Even though it’s not the grand opening, there’s absolutely no room for slacking off.

The success or failure of this event will greatly affect our advertising efforts.

On the day of the pre-opening, the villagers in charge of pastry making, along with Tina who is responsible for baking, worked together from early morning to produce a large quantity of pastries.

All of it will be delivered to the Eclava shop by dragon carriage.

Among them is the Custard Pudding that only I can make. And of course, the Imperial Torte is included as well.

Tina and I loaded the pastries onto the dragon carriage with the help of the villagers.

We then boarded the carriage.

And then, the dragon took flight.

Now, it’s the pre-opening day.

Our guests are the discerning elites of Eclava, making them quite formidable opponents.

But still…

“Tina, let’s go!”

“Yes, Kurt-sama!”

We will make this a success, no matter what. After all, this is the first step toward my dream.