My Girlfriend Chose a Rich Man, Then My Money Started Multip

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Seven days before the grand opening, Golden Plate was finally starting to look like a real restaurant again.

New tables filled the dining room, and the freshly painted walls gleamed beneath the hanging lights. A few workers were still putting the finishing touches on the entrance, while the kitchen echoed with the clatter of equipment as Ethan tested the newly installed appliances.

Noah checked the preparation list in his hand. The renovation was nearly complete, but there was still plenty to sort out before they could welcome their first customers.

“How many staff have we hired?”

Maya checked the figures on her tablet. “Six servers, two cashiers, three kitchen assistants, and two cleaners. Everyone has confirmed their schedule.”

“Hire two more servers for the dinner rush.”

She looked up. “We don't know how many customers we'll get yet. If the place is half-empty, we'll still have to pay them.”

“And if we're busy and the service falls apart, those customers might never come back.” Noah handed her the list. “Two extra servers won't put us in financial trouble. I'd rather have enough people on the floor than leave customers waiting because we're understaffed.”

Maya considered his point, then added a note to her tablet.

“All right. I'll contact the candidates we interviewed yesterday.”

Noah glanced around the dining room. He had already spent a considerable amount bringing the building back into shape, but a beautiful interior wouldn't mean much if the food and service failed to meet expectations.

Ethan called from the kitchen.

“I need you two to look at something.”

Noah followed Maya inside. Ethan stood beside a preparation counter with several sheets of paper spread out in front of him. He had spent the past few days testing old recipes and deciding which dishes were worth bringing back.

“I don't want an oversized menu,” he said, handing Noah the list. “Golden Plate built its reputation on the food, not on offering a hundred different dishes.”

Noah scanned the page. The selection included the restaurant's signature roast, cream soup, and homemade pasta. It wasn't a large menu, but each dish required a different preparation process.

“How many can you handle without overloading the kitchen?”

“This selection is manageable with our current team. Once business picks up and we have the operation running smoothly, we can expand.”

Noah nodded. Starting with an extensive menu would mean more ingredients, more waste, and more pressure on the kitchen. He would rather offer a smaller selection that customers could rely on than promise dozens of dishes and deliver inconsistent results.

“Which one matters most to you?”

Ethan pulled a sheet from the bottom of the stack.

“The Golden Roast.”

The dish had once been the pride of the restaurant. According to Maya, customers used to come specifically for it. After Ethan left, the restaurant tried to keep it on the menu, but the owners changed several ingredients and altered the cooking process to cut costs. The result never lived up to the original.

“I've tested it three times,” Ethan explained. “The original recipe still works, but some of the ingredients are harder to source in large quantities now.”

“How difficult are we talking?”

“Difficult enough that we can't rely on an ordinary supplier if we want to serve it every night. I can find substitutes, but the flavor won't be exactly the same.”

Noah examined the ingredient list Ethan handed him. One of the key ingredients had to come from a specialty supplier, and the price was higher than they'd originally budgeted.

“What happens if we use a cheaper alternative?”

Ethan gave him a firm look.

“Most people might not notice the difference in the first bite. Our old customers will. The Golden Roast isn't something we can cut corners on.”

Noah remembered what Maya had told him about the restaurant's decline. The previous owners had started reducing costs to protect their margins. Over time, those small compromises had damaged a reputation that had taken years to build.

He had no intention of making the same mistake.

“Find a supplier who can meet your standards. Get quotes from several places before we commit.”

Ethan seemed surprised. “You're willing to pay more for the ingredients?”

“I don't mind paying a fair price for something that does its job. But if an ingredient makes that much difference to the dish, we need to account for it properly.”

Noah returned the list.

“Make sure we can maintain the same quality every night. I don't want customers coming here for the Golden Roast and getting a different dish every time they return.”

Ethan studied him for a moment before taking the papers back.

“Understood. I'll handle it.”

A little later, Noah tried a freshly prepared Golden Roast while Ethan waited nearby for his verdict.

The meat had a rich, browned crust, but the inside remained tender. The sauce complemented the natural flavor instead of overwhelming it. Noah finished his first bite, then cut off another piece.

“This needs to be our signature dish.”

Ethan folded his arms. “You're sure?”

“If it tastes this good when the restaurant is packed, people will have a reason to come back.”

A faint smile crossed the chef's face.

“That's what I wanted to hear.”

For Noah, it was a promising sign. Ethan wasn't simply helping them put together a menu anymore. He was beginning to treat Golden Plate like a restaurant worth fighting for.

---

That afternoon, Noah reviewed the additional equipment needed to get the restaurant running. The renovation had already covered the ventilation system and the kitchen's main appliances, but testing the menu had revealed several gaps in their original budget.

Noah approved an additional oven for preparing and serving the Golden Roast, a temperature-controlled storage unit to keep ingredients at the proper conditions, and a new payment system to speed up transactions at the register.

The total came to $80,000.

He went through the suppliers' quotes one last time before authorizing the payment.

His phone vibrated.

[Purchase: $80,000]

[Reward: $1,600,000]

Noah studied the notification for a moment. An $80,000 purchase had earned him another $1.6 million. The system remained his biggest advantage in expanding his assets, but this time, the money had come from buying equipment the restaurant genuinely needed.

He closed the notification and forwarded the payment confirmation to the supplier.

Beside him, Maya was checking the staff schedule when she caught sight of his phone.

“You look unusually happy for someone who just paid an $80,000 bill.”

“The equipment we need has been ordered.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That's all?”

“What else would it be?”

“Most people don't smile after spending that much money.”

Noah slipped his phone into his pocket. “If every purchase went this smoothly, my life would be a lot easier.”

Maya laughed. “I don't know if that's the real answer, but at least you sound like a satisfied restaurant owner.”

“I am. For now.”

That last remark made her return to her tablet.

“Then I hope you stay satisfied when you see the marketing costs.”

Noah turned toward her. “Is there a problem?”

Maya opened another report. “I've contacted several local marketing agencies. We can run ads and promote the opening, but that doesn't guarantee we'll attract people who actually care about the food. Golden Plate has been closed for ten years. Many people who knew the name may have moved away, and younger customers might never have heard of it.”

“How much are they charging?”

She showed him several proposals. Noah went through them one by one. Most offered standard advertising packages, but none could guarantee that the campaign would bring in customers who genuinely wanted to try the restaurant.

“We don't need to spend a fortune just to put the Golden Plate name everywhere,” Noah said. “We need to give people a reason to try the food.”

“Any ideas?”

He glanced toward the kitchen, where Ethan was testing another dish with one of the assistants.

An idea began to take shape.

“Let's start with the Golden Roast. Find out whether we can hold a tasting before the opening. Invite a few local food reviewers and people who used to eat here before the restaurant closed.”

Maya considered the suggestion. “If they like it, they could help spread the word. But if the food isn't consistent yet, we'd be inviting people to criticize us.”

“That's why we won't invite anyone until Ethan confirms the menu is ready.”

She nodded slowly. “I'll look for old customer records and contact a few local reviewers. We'll need to move quickly, though.”

“How long will it take?”

“If I start tomorrow morning, I can arrange everything within a few days.”

“Then get started. We don't have much time.”

---

By evening, Noah had reviewed the opening schedule again. They were contacting additional staff, suppliers were sending in their quotes, and Ethan had finished most of the menu testing. At least they finally had a clear plan for the next seven days.

One question remained: would anyone actually show up?

His phone vibrated.

[Restaurant Revival Mission]

[Completion Deadline: 30 Days]

[Days Remaining: 6]

Noah frowned. He had six days left to get Golden Plate ready and make sure the opening went well. The renovation was nearly complete, but the system wouldn't consider the mission successful simply because they had restored the building.

He opened the mission details again to make sure he hadn't overlooked any requirements.

Then he put his phone away and turned to Maya.

“Tomorrow, start contacting former customers. I want the guest list for the tasting session ready as soon as possible.”

“I'll take care of it.”

Ethan called them from the kitchen a moment later, asking them to try another dish.

Noah walked over, picked up a fork, and took a bite. Ethan watched him closely as he waited for a response.

“Still needs work?” Noah asked.

“A little adjustment to the sauce,” Ethan replied. “I want to make sure the flavor stays consistent when we're preparing dozens of portions in one night.”

“Take the time you need to get it right. We can't risk the restaurant's reputation just to open a few hours earlier.”

Ethan nodded and returned to the stove.

Noah looked around the busy kitchen. They had spent a great deal of money bringing Golden Plate back, and the system had rewarded him far beyond the amount he'd invested. But money couldn't force customers to love the food or restore the restaurant's reputation overnight.

In six days, Golden Plate would have to prove it deserved a second chance.

---

The day before the opening, Noah was checking the final preparations when Maya approached him with her tablet.

“Daniel Cross just confirmed his reservation for tomorrow night.”

Noah looked up. “The food blogger with millions of followers?”

Maya nodded and showed him Daniel's profile. He was well known among food enthusiasts. His reviews could put a restaurant on the map almost overnight, but he had also built his reputation on being blunt about places he didn't think deserved the praise.

“He usually reviews established restaurants,” Maya said. “If he's coming here, he must be interested in the story behind Golden Plate.”

“Or he wants to find out whether this place is still worth talking about after being closed for ten years.”

“That's what worries me.”

Noah handed the tablet back. “We can't control what he'll write. We can only make sure the food and service live up to our standards.”

Maya glanced around the dining room. The tables had been arranged, the cutlery was ready, and the servers were practicing with the new reservation system. After weeks of dealing with renovations and suppliers, she wanted everything to run smoothly.

“If Daniel likes the food, the exposure could be worth more than we could afford to pay for.”

“And if he doesn't, we'll still need to give the customers who come tomorrow a reason to return next week.”

Maya gave him a faint smile. “You have a way of making every problem sound simple.”

“That doesn't mean it is.”

Noah picked up the preparation list from the counter. There were still a few things to check before the restaurant opened. He wasn't going to waste time worrying about a review that hadn't been written when they could still make sure everything was ready.

“Let Ethan know Daniel is coming,” he said. “But don't let him feel like he needs to cook something different just to impress a blogger.”