Chapter 246: A Call from Song Xia

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to lunch.”

After finishing their coffee, Chen Mo led Wang Yang to the Employee Cafeteria.

Why not eat out, you ask?

Well, because the cafeteria chefs are top-notch. Unless you’re dining at a five-star hotel, outside food can’t compare to the Employee Cafeteria. Plus, it’s a waste of money.

Following President Chen, Wang Yang was quite curious about the cafeteria’s meals. During the factory renovations, he had inspected the work and heard from Clothing Factory employees that the cafeteria was excellent. However, since it wasn’t open to outsiders, he hadn’t had the chance to experience it.

Unexpectedly, today President Chen personally took him there, which was a pleasant surprise.

“President Chen, the dishes are ready.”

A cafeteria employee hurried over to greet them as they entered.

Chen Mo nodded and followed the employee to a table, having already informed Wang Maonian by phone beforehand.

Arriving at the table, Wang Yang saw that the food was indeed as good as he’d heard.

The meals were truly exceptional.

There were six dishes in total, each looking delicious and appetizing.

At President Chen’s gesture, Wang Yang sampled the food.

The taste was better than any small restaurant he usually visited.

President Chen’s company certainly treated its employees differently from other factories; they were truly well taken care of.

After lunch, Wang Yang took his leave, and Chen Mo returned to his office. Just as he reached his desk, he received a call from Song Xia.

“Is something the matter?” Chen Mo asked curiously upon answering.

“President Chen, I heard the company has ordered all businesses to take a holiday starting tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“But, the Coffee Shop is part of the catering industry. Isn’t a month-long break a bit too early?”

Song Xia asked cautiously over the phone.

Typically, catering businesses don’t take breaks all year, and they get busier during holidays. President Chen was giving up a huge opportunity by closing so early for the New Year.

Moreover, only the Cat Café and Maid Café were profitable, while the overall Coffee Shop operations were still losing money.

Taking a paid holiday now would only increase the losses.

Listening to Song Xia, Chen Mo thought carefully.

If they took a month-long paid holiday now, there would be no income during that time.

But Song Xia had a point; it was unusual for the catering industry to close so early.

After some thought, he spoke calmly.

“The holiday is voluntary. You can inform the employees. Those who choose not to take a break will receive triple their daily wages starting tomorrow.”

After all, aside from the Cat Café and Maid Café, the Coffee Shops were losing money.

By keeping employees working, he could pay double wages and burn through more funds.

Currently, there are 15 Coffee Shops, each with about 11 employees including the manager. Song Xia had previously calculated that the total monthly payroll was around 100,000.

For 15 shops, that’s 1.5 million.

This amount also included various employee benefits.

If he paid triple wages now, it would amount to 3 million!

“But President Chen, if some choose to take a break, we won’t have enough staff!”

Song Xia asked again. Currently, each shop has 10 employees working in shifts.

If employees choose to take a break, there won’t be enough staff.

“If employees choose to take a break and there aren’t enough staff, we can close some shops.”

Chen Mo said decisively, secretly hoping that the Cat Café and Maid Café staff would choose to break, so these two popular shops would close, reducing his income.

These two cafés were currently booming, with customers needing to book in advance.

Together, they brought in about 1 million in monthly revenue.

“I understand, President Chen.”

At Nanhe Coffee Headquarters.

Song Xia hung up the phone.

She looked at the people in the office, who were all managers from various Coffee Shops.

After receiving the holiday notice, she had gathered them here.

“So, what did President Chen say?”

Seeing Song Xia hang up, Su Dan quickly asked.

During the New Year, most people take a break, making it a peak time for customer traffic. More people means more opportunities to promote Nanhe Coffee.

Even if they couldn’t turn a profit during the New Year, they could at least boost Nanhe Coffee’s reputation.

But President Chen’s decision to close for a month during this time made her anxious.

So she and Song Xia had arranged this meeting.

Song Xia looked at Su Dan’s anxious face and spoke slowly.

“President Chen said the holiday is voluntary. Those who choose not to take a break will receive triple wages. If too many take a break, we can close some shops accordingly.”

Is that so!

Hearing Song Xia’s response, Su Dan seemed thoughtful and then relaxed.

If it’s voluntary, she could find a way to keep most employees working.

Song Xia hadn’t lowered her voice, so the other managers in the meeting room heard her and began discussing the situation quietly.

After a while, Su Dan and Song Xia finalized the meeting details, and Su Dan clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, please be quiet. You’ve all heard Manager Song’s update.”

“The holiday is voluntary, which shows President Chen’s respect for the employees. We’re lucky to have such a good boss.”

“However, as President Chen’s employees, we should also do something for him.”

Su Dan paused, scanning the room to ensure everyone was listening before continuing.

“We all know the current state of Nanhe Coffee. Except for the Maid Café and Cat Café, the other Coffee Shops are losing money.”

“And now, there are 15 Nanhe Coffee locations in Jiang City, and President Chen has ordered five more, with locations being scouted. Once finalized, they’ll start renovations immediately.”

“I’m not highlighting Nanhe Coffee’s growth speed but expressing concern. With the current state, adding five more shops means five more losing locations for President Chen.”

“Even though President Chen has other sources of income, there’s always a limit to investments. Maybe he wouldn’t mind if 30 or 40 coffee shops were losing money. But what about 50 or 100 failing locations?”

“Do you think President Chen will keep investing in a losing business?”