Upstart Pastry Chef ~Territory Management of a Genius Pâtisserie~ - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: The Very First Customer

The dragon carriage, laden with a large amount of prepared sweets, landed in the courtyard of Count Fernande’s estate. It hadn’t even been an hour since departing from Arnoldt’s place.

Indeed, the dragon carriage is convenient. It would have taken half a day with a horse-drawn carriage.

We transferred the luggage to a carriage and arrived at my shop.

In front of the shop, large flowers were arranged. Many seemed to be congratulatory gifts, likely due to the connection with Count Fernande.

Upon entering the shop, the staff turned towards us.

All of them had finished changing and were beginning preparations for the opening.

“Everyone, good job. Today and tomorrow are the pre-opening days. Then, after a day’s break, we’ll have the grand opening. Let’s do our best for these two days.”

“Yes!”

Everyone nodded. Their expressions were good. They were filled with motivation.

Skills are important, but above all, it’s the mindset that matters most.

“First, let’s display the sweets that have arrived. Arrange them as we did at Farne’s estate.”

Quickly, the women began their work.

At Farne’s estate, we had practiced with a simple set resembling this shop.

Boxed sweets were neatly lined up, and cut cakes were placed in the display window.

The packaging for the sweets was also splendid. The negotiator Farne entrusted did a great job.

Arnoldt’s crest, along with elegant letters spelling out “Arnoldt”, adorned them.

The name of this shop is Arnoldt. It’s the simplest and most fitting choice.

In the transparent display window, three types of cakes were lined up.

In order to prevent the sweets from losing moisture and to enhance their visual appeal, a display window is essential.

Although it’s quite a costly purchase, we had it installed without hesitation.

Lined up in that display window are pinaru honey cake, berry cookies, and custard pudding.

“Yeah, that’s a good arrangement.”

Not only visually pleasing, but the window is also lined with ice thanks to Tina’s magic, maintaining a high level of cooling.

Since custard pudding doesn’t keep well, it’s necessary to keep its temperature low.

On shelves other than the display window, boxes of pinaru honey cake and cookies, securely wrapped, are stacked one after another.

This is the advantage of baked goods that can be stored.

Making fresh sweets requires a lot of effort, and they spoil easily, leading to waste and taking up space. Profit cannot be gained from them alone. Baked goods truly support the shop.

After finishing arranging the sweets, we set up tables and chairs for the dining area, which we prepared only for this occasion. Besides tables and chairs, there are other things necessary for the dining area.

“Tina, is the tea ready?”

Calling out to the kitchen, Tina’s voice echoes back.

“Yes, everything’s fine! Kurt, this tea smells really good.”

“Well, it’s the tea Farne recommended. Its quality is top-notch.”

We splurged on the tea too. We can’t serve cheap stuff when attracting high-class customers.

Everyone’s taste buds are quite refined.

To ensure that the tea lives up to its reputation, Tina learned how to brew it from Farne’s butler, Volg.

“Kurt, I’ve filled the kitchen’s water pitcher with plenty of water.”

Chloe, the elf, popped her head out from the kitchen.

“Thank you, Chloe.”

The water Chloe creates with magic is soft and refreshing, just like the water from the spirit village. It’s perfect for tea and we also use it for making sweets.

Good tea leaves with Chloe’s water. It should make the best tea.

“Everyone, just a little more. We’re on track to finish well before the opening. Let’s keep up this pace.”

Preparations are completed in no time.

It’s the first day, so I expected things to move slower, but it seems the training has been thorough.

The education must be good. They’re truly professionals. They’ve trained everyone well.

Once all preparations are done, we place the special menu item, Imperial Torte, near the display window.

We set up a dedicated display stand and cover it with a transparent box.

Furthermore, we place a paper next to it indicating that it was served to Duke Lenaril, along with a note stating the price of five gold coins.

I don’t expect it to sell at this price, but it’ll serve as an effective display to make use of the large space in the store.

With all preparations completed, everyone takes their positions. It’s just fifteen minutes until the pre-opening.

I’m starting to feel nervous.

Time passes slowly.

And finally, it’s time to open.

We change the sign on the door from Closed to Open.

Within minutes of opening, our first memorable customer arrives.

“Welcome!”

Everyone greets them in unison.

The very first customer was Count Fernande. It seems he made time for us despite being busy.

Next to him was Farne. She wasn’t wearing a dress today but still looked elegant in a dress that suited her as a young lady.

“Hmm, so this is Kurt’s shop. Quite impressive.”

“It’s all thanks to the support of Count Fernande and everyone who has helped me.”

Count Fernande surveys every corner of the shop.

Then he walks straight ahead and gazes at the cakes in the display window.

“Ah, it’s nice to be able to see and choose sweets like this. Three types today, right?”

Count Fernande looks interested as he observes the pinaru honey cake, the special berry cookies, and the custard pudding displayed in the window.

“No, there are actually four types.”

I gesture towards the dedicated stand for the Imperial Torte.

“Over there is the Imperial Torte, which I hope you’ll also enjoy, Count Fernande. It’s priced at five gold coins. Given its price, it serves more as an attraction or decoration.”

“I see.”

“Besides the Imperial Torte, the other three sweets are provided free of charge for today’s customers. If you like them, you can purchase them as souvenirs. Those are charged separately.”

The souvenirs include cranberry cookies and pinaru honey cake only.

We can’t offer custard pudding as a souvenir due to the fear of food poisoning. It’s only available for immediate consumption in the shop.

During the actual opening, we plan to instruct the staff to ensure that customers consume it within three hours.

“Ah, a set of cookies for souvenirs costs one silver coin, and a whole cake is two silver coins. It’s quite impressive to have sweet treats at this price.”

“That’s the policy of this shop.”

In an era where sugar is incredibly expensive, this price is exceptional.

We could sell them for twice the price, but we deliberately kept it low. We wanted many people to enjoy sweet treats, so we kept the prices down.

Count Fernande gazes at the sweets in the display window, then after a while, he speaks up.

“Well then, I’ll take one each of the cookies, a pinaru honey cake, and a pudding.”

“Father, isn’t that too much?”

“In that case, Farne, would you like to choose just one?”

“Of course, I’ll have them all.”

Count Fernande and I exchange wry smiles. Farne may not look it, but she’s quite a glutton.

“It’s an honor for both of you to enjoy all the sweets. Right this way, please.”

I lead them to the dining area.

The staff arrive with the ordered items plated on dishes.

Tina appears with a teapot and serves the tea.

On the table, the three types of sweets and the tea are arranged.

“Ah, this tea has a wonderful aroma. That’s a thoughtful gesture.”

“I feel like becoming a regular at this shop.”

Farne murmurs with delight.

It’s a grateful sentiment, but it’s not that simple.

“I apologize. Once regular business starts, the sweets will be for takeout only.”

“That’s a shame. Having them available for eating in would increase popularity.”

“We would need more staff, and it would slow down turnover, so it’s tough. We had to give it up to ensure that many people could enjoy the sweets.”

If we consider profit, having a dining area where we can sell drinks with low cost ratios isn’t a bad idea.

However, it’s predicted that the interior will be terribly crowded shortly after opening. We don’t want to burden inexperienced staff any further.

Moreover, customer service in a dining establishment is challenging. The lower the prices, the higher the proportion of demanding customers tends to be.

Allowing such customers to linger for extended periods and tarnish the reputation of the shop would be disastrous.

“That’s a shame indeed. Well then, let’s dig in.”

“Yeah, I can’t hold back any longer. I enjoyed the pudding last time, but I’m curious about the cake.”

Count Fernande jests and lifts his fork.

True to his words, he takes a bite of the pinaru honey cake.

“Hmm, this moist texture, elegant sweetness. The dough is even more delicious than before. Perhaps it’s the oil. There’s a faintly pleasant aroma lingering.”

“You have a discerning palate. This cake uses special oil. It results in a finer, lighter texture compared to cakes made with butter.”

Indeed, Count Fernande has a discerning taste.

He seems to have noticed the presence of the premium oil used in this cake, grapeseed oil made from grape seeds.

“Indeed, and the fruit in this is excellent. Its chewy texture and overflowing juiciness. It feels like it’s cleansing me from within. I can’t stop eating this.”

Count Fernande widens his eyes and moves his hands. He seems to be eating with urgency.

And with a swift gulp, he finishes a slice of the cake.

It’s no wonder he’s engrossed. Pinaru from the spirit village is one of the finest fruits. Its grape scent pairs excellently with the dough.

After several trials, it was concluded that grapeseed oil surpassed walnut oil when making this cake.

“Marvelous, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is an outstanding cake. It’s hard to believe that a whole one costs just two silver coins. This shop is bound to become a hit.”

“Thank you very much.”

With his seal of approval, I feel relieved. There aren’t many people with as discerning a palate as him.

“Kurt, I liked these sweets. I’d like to buy some as souvenirs. But how long do these cookies and cakes last?”

“They should last about a month without any issues.”

“Then please pack ten cookies and ten cakes for me. I’ll give them to my subordinates. I need to treat them occasionally. And, when you have such wonderful sweets, you want to introduce others to them, don’t you?”

I bow my head.

Surely, this is also cooperation in promoting the shop.

“Father, why didn’t you order the Imperial Torte? You said you wanted to eat it again.”

“Farne, you didn’t make too many of those. I really want others to experience that amazement. I shouldn’t be eating something that I’ve already experienced.”

“Indeed. You’re right, Father. I’ll refrain from it as well.”

I chuckled wryly.

“At that price, I don’t expect it to sell quickly.”

At my words, both Count Fernande and Farne tilt their heads.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s just five gold coins, right? It’ll sell quickly, I think.”

The two billionaires casually say such things.

Their sense of money seems to be beyond my imagination.

“Kurt, thank you. I enjoyed it. It’s great that your sweets will now be easily available for everyone.”

“Oh, Father.”

They both enjoyed the cake and tea to the fullest before leaving.

After them, the next customer promptly appeared.

Today, even though they’re all invited guests, with a considerable number of people, there’s no time to rest. Let’s get to work briskly.

Somehow, we made it through the day.

Fortunately, there were no major troubles, and we were able to close the shop safely at the scheduled time.

However, one unexpected thing happened.

“Kurt, they’ve all been sold.”

“I’m a bit surprised myself.”

Today, we had brought in tomorrow’s batch of sweets as a precaution in case of unexpected sellouts.

But despite that, everything was sold out.

To be precise, I was convinced we’d run out of stock midway through and hastily used the reserves in the kitchen to make more on the spot. Even that additional batch was sold out.

And most importantly…

“The Imperial Torte is gone too.”

“I never imagined it would be gone in just two hours of opening. Even if it did run out, I thought it would take at least two weeks until the expiration date.”

Even though the main customers were wealthy merchants and nobles, I never expected the five gold coin slice of cake to sell out instantly.

I received quite a scolding for causing the sellout.

That was the one thing I couldn’t replenish. While I could make more of the Imperial Torte by aging cocoa beans and making chocolate, the chocolate is stored securely at my home due to its high value. Since I couldn’t leave the shop during the pre-opening, I couldn’t make additional batches today.

They’ve been reserved for tomorrow instead, and there are six reservations already. The dessert that impressed Duke Lenaril seems to have had quite an impact. It appears that the nobles who attended the meals of the Four Dukes have been boasting about it endlessly, and the word spread like wildfire through word of mouth.

It’s the pride of nobility. They can’t bear the thought of someone else having tasted the world’s best cake while they haven’t. For the sake of their pride, even a five gold coin cake seems cheap to them. That seems to be their mindset.

Today’s sales total around sixty-five gold coins. The majority of it was earned by the Imperial Torte.

A whole cake, twelve slices, for sixty gold coins (equivalent to about seven million yen). It’s quite a lucrative business.

However, I mustn’t get too used to this success. Thinking of it as the norm would lead me astray as a pastry chef. I’ve seen many colleagues fall into that trap. It’s important to remember that this is just a temporary demand.

“Everyone, you did a great job today. Thanks to you, we were able to satisfy our customers. Let’s do our best again tomorrow.”

Bright but slightly tired voices respond.

It’s their first time, so mentally, they’re more exhausted than physically.

They deserve a break today, to prepare for tomorrow.

But first, a treat.

As I clap my hands, the doors open, revealing a feast.

“I’ve prepared a feast for everyone today. If anyone wants to take some home early to rest, let me know. And remember, go easy on the alcohol!”

Cheers erupt.

It’s a good reward for everyone who worked so hard.

I join them for a meal and even take a ride on the dragon carriage, just for a little while.

There’s prep work to be done for tomorrow. Considering today’s sales, I’ll need to prepare even more.

It’s tiring, but a sense of fulfillment envelops me.