Chapter 246: Song Xia’s Call

"Let's go, I'm taking you to lunch."

After finishing their coffee, Chen Mo took Wang Yang directly to the employee cafeteria.

As for why they weren't going out to eat? Naturally, it was because the cafeteria was staffed by star-rated chefs. Unless they went to a star-rated hotel, how could any outside kitchen compare to the employee cafeteria? Plus, it would be a waste of money.

Wang Yang followed behind Chen Mo, feeling quite curious about the food in the employee cafeteria.

Back when the workshop was being renovated, he had come to inspect the renovation quality and had heard from the Garment factory employees that the cafeteria was excellent. However, since the cafeteria wasn't open to the public, he had never had the chance to experience it himself.

He hadn't expected that today, Chen Mo would personally take him there, which came as quite a surprise.

"General Manager Chen, the dishes are all ready." A cafeteria employee hurried over as soon as they saw Chen Mo enter.

Chen Mo nodded upon hearing this and followed the employee to a table. He had already called Wang Maonian before coming over.

Upon reaching the table, Wang Yang looked at the food, and it was just as he had heard. The food really was excellent.

There were six dishes in total, and each one looked appetizing, with perfect color, aroma, and taste.

At Chen Mo's gesture, he took a small taste. The food tasted even better than the small restaurants he usually frequented.

This company of Chen Mo's was truly different from other factories; he was really too good to his employees.

After lunch, Wang Yang took his leave. Chen Mo went straight back to his office, but just as he sat down, he received a call from Song Xia.

"Is something the matter?" Chen Mo asked, puzzled, after answering the phone.

"General Manager Chen, I heard that the company has issued an order for all branches to go on holiday starting tomorrow?"

"That's right."

"But coffee shops belong to the catering industry. Isn't a one-month holiday a bit too early?" Song Xia asked cautiously over the phone.

Normally, the catering industry never takes a break all year round. In fact, the closer it gets to the holidays, the busier it gets. By starting the holiday so early, Chen Mo was completely giving up the huge opportunity presented by the Lunar New Year period.

Moreover, currently, only the Cat Cafe and the Maid Cafe were profitable. When calculating all the coffee shops as a whole, they were still in a state of loss. Wouldn't giving paid leave this early just increase those losses?

Listening to Song Xia's words, Chen Mo thought about it seriously.

If he started a one-month paid holiday now, he could guarantee that there would be zero income for the month. But Song Xia was right; since it was the catering industry, taking a holiday this early was indeed hard to justify.

After some thought, he spoke indifferently.

"The holiday is entirely voluntary. You can notify all employees about the holiday. For those who don't want to take a break, starting tomorrow, their daily wages will be tripled."

Anyway, except for the Cat Cafe and the Maid Cafe, all the coffee shops were in a state of loss. If those employees came to work, he could pay them double wages, which would allow him to burn through even more funds.

There were now 15 coffee shops. Each store, including the manager, had 11 people. He had previously asked Song Xia to calculate, and the monthly salary for all employees was about 100,000. With 15 stores, that was 1.5 million.

However, this salary also included various benefits given to employees. If he were to pay triple wages now, that would be 4.5 million!

"But General Manager Chen, if some people choose to take a break, there won't be enough staff!" Song Xia asked again.

Currently, there were 10 employees per store, working in two shifts. Furthermore, the employees in each shift had to take turns resting. If employees voluntarily took a break, there wouldn't be enough staff in the stores.

"If employees choose to rest and there aren't enough staff, you can choose to close down a store."

Chen Mo said without hesitation, though he was secretly thinking that it would be great if the staff at the Cat Cafe and the Maid Cafe took a break. If those two coffee shops closed down, he would instantly lose the income from those two.

After all, these two coffee shops were currently in a booming state, and customers needed to make reservations in advance every day. Therefore, the income from these two coffee shops was quite high, totaling about 1 million in revenue per month.

"I understand, General Manager Chen."

At the Nanhe Coffee headquarters, Song Xia hung up the phone. She looked at the people in the office; these were the managers of the various coffee shops. After receiving the news about the holiday, she had summoned all these managers.

"How did it go? What did General Manager Chen say?" Seeing Song Xia hang up the phone, Su Dan quickly asked from the side.

During the Lunar New Year period, most people would be on holiday, which was the peak period for stores to receive foot traffic. As long as there were many people, their chances of promoting Nanhe Coffee would be much higher.

She didn't expect Nanhe Coffee to turn a profit during the New Year, but at least they should use the Spring Festival period to build up Nanhe Coffee's reputation. However, Chen Mo was giving a one-month holiday during this period, which made her anxious. That was why she had discussed it with Song Xia, leading to today's meeting.

Song Xia looked at Su Dan's anxious gaze and spoke slowly.

"General Manager Chen stated that the employees' holiday is entirely voluntary, and those who don't want to rest will receive triple wages. If too many people choose to rest, we can appropriately close some stores based on the number of people resting."

Is that so! Listening to Song Xia's answer, Su Dan was lost in thought, then let out a sigh of relief. If it was voluntary for the employees, she had a way to get most of them to stay and work.

Song Xia hadn't intentionally lowered her voice just now, so the other managers in the conference room had heard her words, and they all began to whisper and discuss the content.

After a while, Su Dan finished discussing the meeting content with Song Xia, then stood up and clapped her hands.

"Everyone, quiet down. You all heard what General Manager Song just said."

"The holiday is entirely voluntary for employees. This is General Manager Chen's respect for his staff, and it is our good fortune to have met such a good boss."

"However, as employees of General Manager Chen, we must also do something for him."

Su Dan paused here, her eyes slowly scanning all the managers in the conference room. Seeing that everyone was listening carefully to her, she continued.

"Everyone is well aware of the current situation of Nanhe Coffee. Except for the Maid Cafe and the Cat Cafe, which are profitable, all the others are in a state of loss."

"And now, there are already 15 Nanhe Coffee shops across Jiang City. Furthermore, General Manager Chen has already ordered that five more coffee shops are currently selecting locations; once the selection is finished, they will immediately begin renovations."

"I am saying this not to show off the development speed of Nanhe Coffee, but out of concern. After all, with Nanhe Coffee's current state, adding five more coffee shops just means five more loss-making stores for General Manager Chen."

"Although General Manager Chen has income from other industries to support this, there is always a limit to investment. Perhaps General Manager Chen wouldn't care about 30 or 40 loss-making coffee shops. But what about 50 or 100 loss-making stores?"

"Do you think General Manager Chen will keep investing in a loss-making industry forever?"