Chapter 187 All Bluff
There was also a small portion of passersby who, attracted by the lively crowd and the aroma, came in spontaneously.
The former group was okay, since the menu and prices of the Universe Infinite Canteen had already spread in group chats.
Once the explosive prices were released, they flooded WeChat groups instantly, so the old customers who still dared to enter the restaurant had some idea of what to expect.
But the new customers lured in by the aroma didn\'t know what was coming. They saw the simple decor of this small eatery and assumed it was a cheap roadside diner, only to rub their eyes in disbelief when they saw the figures on the blackboard.
Some murmured, "They must be crazy, this is daylight robbery," and walked out without looking back.
A young couple discovered that many people were already eating inside, and so the man confidently told his girlfriend,
"These are all shills, it\'s obvious at a glance! Many new restaurants do this kind of thing nowadays, paying people to create a false sense of popularity, basically just scamming idiots."
"But it really does smell delicious," his girlfriend said, her eyes lighting up at the sight of a newly served plate of Spinach Cheese Chicken Breast Roll brought out by He Xiaoqian.
"And it looks so pretty, shouldn\'t we try it too? They have some cheaper dishes at 21 and 108, right?"
The boy replied somewhat unwillingly, "Ah, well... okay, then."
However, when he turned his head to look, he found that there were no seats left in the restaurant, and couldn\'t help but complain, "Come on, isn\'t this a bit too much? Do they know they can\'t really sell these, always resorting to such tricks."
In fact, at this time He Xiaoqian also realized the issue of insufficient seating in the restaurant and started to get a bit nervous. She could only apologize to the people coming in behind them and ask them to wait with some extra stools brought out.
Yet as time passed, many people began to grow impatient.
The boy from the couple asked He Xiaoqian, "How long will it be before it\'s our turn?"
"I\'m so sorry, there are about seven tables ahead of you, and as for the time, um, I can\'t really estimate..."
He Xiaoqian, inexperienced in her role as a waitress, hesitated, and the boy thought about leaving again, persuading his girlfriend,Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn
"Don\'t you still want to go shopping this afternoon? Let\'s just go eat in the mall. We\'ll come back here when there are fewer people, by then there won\'t be so many shills and it should be quieter."
Upon hearing this, the girl also wavered.
At that moment, Ma Lu pushed out another cart of Fragrant Yearning Konjac Noodles from the kitchen, immediately drawing attention with the crocodile head on top, and a chorus of astonishment rose in the restaurant.
Crocodiles are common enough, but usually people see them in zoos, seeing one in a restaurant in the north is quite rare, so many customers gathered around the crocodile to take pictures and remember the moment.
The female half of the young couple was also captivated by the crocodile, forgetting about her shopping plans as she excitedly took out her phone and joined the crowd.
After taking a few pictures, she returned to her boyfriend\'s side and whispered with a hint of intrigue, "I think I know why this restaurant is so busy."
"I already told you, they\'re all shills hired for the opening." The boy remained skeptical.
"No, that\'s not it, I just realized that the owner of this restaurant is the same guy who was really popular on TikTok before. I didn\'t expect him to open a restaurant so soon," the girl explained, "No wonder there are so many people."
"Hmm? A snack stall."
"Right, it was originally called The Universe\'s Number One Snack Stall and now it\'s the Universe Infinite Canteen. It seems the owner really likes the universe, maybe he\'s a sci-fi fan."
"I don\'t know if he\'s a sci-fi fan, but the prices on his menu are certainly out of this world," the boy smirked, then seemed to recall something, stroking his chin.
"The Universe\'s Number One Snack Stall? I think I\'ve also seen a column in the Foodie Community, saying their snacks are indeed good for street food, but they can\'t compare with the proper hotels. Guess it\'s all just hype that made them popular."
Hebei Big Brother didn\'t take kindly to this remark, "I just don\'t understand why some people would rather trust rating apps than their own taste buds."
The boy didn\'t want to lose face in front of his girlfriend, and immediately retorted, "Uncle, you might not know because of your age, but Foodie Community is the most impartial rating site there is.
"Unlike those garbage sites where ratings can be manipulated, Foodie Community has famous chefs and renowned food critics doing the reviews, which ensures objectivity and fairness."
Hebei Big Brother shook his head, "If they were truly that objective and fair, they wouldn\'t write something like The Universe\'s Number One Snack Stall can\'t compare to other hotels. I\'ve eaten at plenty of hotels, and I can say with responsibility that I haven\'t tasted anything of the quality I had today."
"Agreed." Han Feifei\'s answer was simple and clear.
The other customers dining there also nodded their agreement, leaving the boy\'s face unable to bear the collective pressure, and he suddenly declared.
"Fine, I want to see for myself what\'s so great about this lousy little restaurant. Boss, give me two bowls of your signature noodles!"
As he spoke, he had already scanned the QR code and paid 536 yuan.
He Xiaoqian hurriedly reminded him, "Wait a minute, we haven\'t gotten to your table yet."
"I don\'t need a table, just give me the noodles. I\'ll squat and eat!" the boy said indignantly.
"What?"
By now, his anger had completely erupted, and he just wanted to eat those Konjac Noodles, which were all hype, as soon as possible. Then he planned to fling his chopsticks down and loudly mock the chef and customers here.
Ma Lu flipped through the orders in his hand and then said, "Hmm, if you order now, we can fit it into the next batch."
"When will I get to eat it?"
"Probably... in about seven minutes," Ma Lu checked the time on his wrist again.
"Fine!" The boy didn\'t want to talk to anyone else and walked straight out of the store, folding his arms and waiting there.
His girlfriend saw this and hurried out after him.
Seven minutes later, another 12 Conical Hat Bowls were pushed out of the kitchen by Ma Lu.
He Xiaoqian was responsible for serving the dishes and brought the last two bowls to the entrance of the store.
And indeed, the boy was squatting on the ground, picking up the noodles with his chopsticks, a sneer on his face.
However, after just one bite, he fell silent.
He appeared as if he had been turned to stone.
About half a minute later, he took a second bite with his chopsticks, and from then on, he couldn\'t stop himself.
In less than 5 minutes, he finished the entire bowl of Konjac Noodles and then tipped the bowl up to drink the soup too.
After that, he stood up and returned to the store, expressionlessly handing the empty bowl to He Xiaoqian.
"How? How was it, were you satisfied?" He Xiaoqian asked timidly.
The boy didn\'t answer, simply pulling out his phone and, in front of everyone, uninstalled the Foodie Community app with one click.
Then he cursed, "Trash app, not objective at all! Full of shills!!!"