Chicken Castle officially opened for business the next morning. Coco and Alana were stationed at the front of the restaurant. Their job was to take orders and serve customers. Hupo switched his armor for plain clothes and an apron. His duty was to cook food. Easton was responsible for helping Hupo in the kitchen and for washing the dishes.
Coco stood near the doors, bouncing on her toes. She looked down at her brown uniform and smiled.
Good - it’s clean and free of wrinkles. I should look good for the customers. A lot of people will be rushing in soon, so there’s a good chance a hot guy will be among them.
She wondered how many customers would walk through the front doors. Considering how amazing the food was, probably thousands. Through the large front windows of the restaurant, she could see the street gradually filling with pedestrians. Soon, there was a steady stream of people passing by Chicken Castle, but none of them entered the restaurant.
Customers are going to come flooding thought those doors, any moment now…
After standing for half an hour, she crossed her arms and began tapping her foot.
Any time now…
Another half an hour passed, but there were still no customers.
She stepped away from the door and began cleaning the cups.
Hupo sighed. “I’m sorry, everyone. The lack of customers is my fault. I got caught up in the excitement of opening my first restaurant and neglected to promote its grand opening.”
I can’t let Master Hupo blame himself. There’s gotta be something I can do to help. That’s right, promoting the restaurant should be similar to promoting the arm wrestling contest. I can do this!
“Don’t worry, Master Hupo, I’ll pull in some customers for us!” She marched toward the door.
Before she could reach it, a boy and a middle-aged man entered.
The man looked at Coco. “Is this a restaurant?”
“Yep, you’ve come to the right place!” Coco gestured toward a table. “Have a seat.”
The two customers walked slowly to the table. Once they were seated, she brought them two menus. “Can I grab you two some drinks?”
The man returned the menus to her. “Water is fine. For both of us. Bring us something to eat. Anything.”
That’s weird. Why doesn’t care about what he eats?
“Uh… okay. I’ll get right on it.” She heard the sound of hot oil crackling and smelled fragrant spices coming from the kitchen.
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Turning around, she saw that Hupo and Easton had already started cooking. Alana was bringing two cups of water to the table.
Wow, they know exactly what to do. This is the best teamwork ever!
A few minutes later, she heard the sound of a ringing bell from the kitchen, which indicated that the food was ready.
She grabbed the plate of sizzling hot chicken that was sitting on the kitchen counter and brought it to the table. “Enjoy your meal.”
The man nodded. He and the boy sat in silence, with their heads lowered. Neither of them touched their food.
Why aren’t they eating? At this rate, the food will get cold and soggy.
She moved toward them.
Alana stopped her. “Wait, give them some space.”
Coco looked at Alana with a puzzled look. “I don’t get it. Why aren’t they eating?”
“The way they move and the look on their faces – does it remind you of a certain someone not too long ago?”
Coco gazed at the two customers. They both had haggard expressions and looked like they had no energy.
She felt a dull pain in her chest as she watched them. “I was like that when my father died.”
“Like you, they too must’ve recently suffered a significant loss. If they wanted your advice, they would’ve asked for it.”
Coco lowered her head. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Another few minutes passed, before the boy finally spoke. “I’m hungry.”
The man broke into a smile. “Eat up. Eat as much as you can.”
The boy began nibbling a chicken drumstick. Then, he took a larger bite, followed by an even larger one.
Tears flowed readily down the man’s face. “This is a miracle.”
Coco couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. “What’s a miracle?”
“My son is eating.” The man wiped tears away from his eyes. “He’s really eating.”
“Huh?”
“He hasn’t eaten a thing since his mother passed away. I’m so relieved that he’s finally eating again.” The man sniffled.
“I can understand how he feels. Like him, I had no appetite after my parents died.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. It must’ve been hard for you.”
“I’m okay now.”
“That’s good to hear.” He picked up a chicken wing. “What is this wonderful food? I’ve never seen chicken cooked like this before.”
A satisfied smile appeared on her face. “That’s our specialty. It’s called ‘fried chicken.’”
After taking a bite, more tears flowed down his face. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed food this much. This ‘fried chicken’ has the power to create miracles.”
“My master made it. He’s the best chef in the world.”
“After eating his cooking, I’m in complete agreement.”
Once the man and the boy were done eating, they paid the bill, left a large tip, and thanked Coco.
Hupo walked to her side. “One thing that connects all human beings together is the need to eat. There’s something about the primal nature of eating that encourages us to relax. It was an honor to cook for the father and son. Seeing their smiles, after the meal began, brought me a sense of accomplishment. The feeling, from knowing that I was able to make a meaningful contribution to another person’s life, is priceless.”
Coco nodded. “I felt good too.”
Alana joined them. “It’s wonderful that we were able to feed two customers, but what should we do to get more people to come in?”
“I have an idea.” The voice came from Easton, who was behind them. “We can use smell to draw them in. No one can resist the delightful aroma of the fried chicken.”
“Using smell to stimulate appetite… that sounds like a good idea.”
“I agree.” Hupo put his arm around Easton’s shoulder. “Good thinking. You ready to fry another batch of chicken with me?”
Easton smiled. “I’m always happy to help.”
The restaurant's front doors were strategically propped open the whole day. Many customers were drawn inside by the irresistible aroma that flowed out of the restaurant. After eating at Chicken Castle, they returned with their friends and family. Soon, the line of customers stretched far outside the restaurant's front doors, which attracted even more customers who wanted to see what the hype was about. Needless to say, the restaurant's opening day was a runaway success.