Chapter 643: Competitors

"Shengjie and I have been waiting for you for a while." The smile on Miss Yang's face remained bright. "Are these your uncle and aunt?"

Zhou Andong introduced them: "This is my father and mother, this is my partner Jian Qiu, and I don't need to introduce this beauty, right?"

"Weiwei and I have known each other for a long time." Miss Yang nodded with a smile and looked at Zhou Xiaoxin and Yuan Liying: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

Zhou Xiaoxin didn't have much to say, but Yuan Liying was truly happy. People she could usually only see on TV had actually appeared before her eyes and even called her Aunt—how could she not be happy?

"Good, good!" Yuan Liying's mouth couldn't close from smiling. "I really like your program."

Miss Yang said with a smile: "Thank you, Aunt. If you like it, you can come to the scene to watch the program."

Yuan Liying's eyes lit up, then she shook her head: "The scene is better left alone; watching TV is the same."

Miss Yang glanced at Zhou Andong, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't say it, instead reaching out to Jian Qiu: "Miss Jian, hello!"

Jian Qiu shook hands with Miss Yang and said with a smile: "Miss Yang is even more beautiful than on TV. When I was abroad, Dongzi often mentioned you to me, saying you helped him a lot. This time when I came back, I wanted to see you and thank you properly."

Miss Yang said with a smile: "You are too polite. Interviewing and recording programs are all my work; it's not worth mentioning as help. Moreover, whether it's broadcast or not is decided by the station; I can't make that decision."

As they were talking, they arrived at Guan Shengjie's table. At this moment, the singing on the balcony stopped, and An Jing's voice came through.

"Thank you everyone, see you tomorrow night!"

"One more song!"

"One more song!"

"Cheers, friend!"

"Cheers, friend!"

"Cheers, friend!"

"..."

At this time, in front of the Dicos gate, along the street, there were people on both the left and right sides—a dense mass of heads. Even if there weren't two thousand people, there were definitely fifteen or sixteen hundred.

In the back, they couldn't see the balcony at all, but they could hear the singing. When the music stopped and the cheers erupted, they also raised their hands and shouted.

The shouting was uniform and echoed throughout Wang Fujing Street, lasting for twenty or thirty seconds before gradually weakening.

An Jing was very happy. She held the microphone and said: "Thank you all for your love. Tonight is not the end, but just the beginning. Over the next few months, you will be able to hear all the songs you like; it's not just for a moment."

An Jing bowed: "The Dicos Balcony Music Show will be just as wonderful tomorrow night. Thank you all."

Seeing that An Jing really wasn't going to sing anymore, the audience was disappointed, but their emotions remained high.

After all, the Dicos Balcony Music Show would last until mid-October. After dinner, taking a stroll, walking over here, watching the performance for free, and seeing big stars—this kind of life, even an immortal wouldn't trade it.

The crowd gradually dispersed. A fat man of medium height, with a corrupt belly and a shiny, balding forehead, watched the second-floor balcony and the banners above from afar, a faint, cold sneer appearing on his face.

This guy was Gao Zong, the general manager of the McDonald's Wang Fujing store. He was originally the deputy manager of the Dongsi Hotel, an enterprise under the District Finance Bureau.

In the United States, McDonald's as fast food meant low prices and fast service. Americans worried about the nutritional value and fat content of burgers every day, but had to choose it to save money and time.

But when Western fast food entered China, it was regarded as high-end dining and became a space for Chinese people to establish their social status.

The main consumers were "yuppies," meaning young people in the upper-middle class in the city, then young couples, and finally parents with children.

Although most people would say that going to Western fast food was to gain a dual experience of diet and culture, in the eyes of these "yuppies," it was a distinction of status.

They were all proud of their newly formed consumption habits and defined going to Western fast food as an important way for them to become the middle class.

In April last year, the McDonald's Wang Fujing store opened with 700 seats and 29 cash registers, becoming the largest fast-food restaurant in Asia, attracting more than 40,000 customers on the first day.

In order to compete with KFC, they also adopted a localization strategy. Although it was still a multinational corporation, McDonald's was a joint venture, and the Chinese side held 50% of the shares.

And they promised that 95% of the ingredients used by McDonald's in Beijing, including potatoes and beef, would be purchased locally.

As of now, among the more than 1,000 employees of McDonald's in China, only three held overseas passports, and they were all ethnic Chinese.

In order to build itself into a local enterprise, the McDonald's Wang Fujing store had been actively participating in community affairs since its opening a year ago and had established special connections with schools inside and outside the community.

When the new semester started, McDonald's gave gifts such as hats and stationery to first-grade students in nearby schools and awarded scholarships to students who performed well in the previous year.

They would also select employees to assist the police in directing traffic during peak periods, clean the streets in front of the restaurant, and insist on raising the national flag in front of the store every morning.

And these marketing strategies were all the work of this Manager Gao. He had put in a lot of effort and pulled many strings to become the general manager of McDonald's.

Those "yuppies" regarded eating at McDonald's as a status symbol, and being able to work in a joint venture was the aspiration of many Chinese people in this era.

Not to mention holding a leadership position. In order to compete for the position of McDonald's general manager, they had really fought until they were bleeding. The price Gao Zong paid to sit in this position was not small.

"Manager!" The crowd had dispersed, but Gao Zong hadn't moved. A young man beside him called out cautiously.

Gao Zong came back to his senses, put his hands behind his back, and walked toward his store with a square step, looking very much like a leader.

"Manager!" the young man said. "I've been guarding here all day today. The number of diners is only more, not less, than when we first opened."

Gao Zong stopped and looked back at Dicos. "I went in and looked tonight. The area is much larger than ours, especially the renovation. I didn't expect a restaurant could be renovated like this."

"And there's a children's play area that many children like. We also need to open up a space to set up a children's play area like that."

The young man nodded: "I'll find someone to do it tomorrow."

Gao Zong said: "You can go over tomorrow and see how they did it."

"Okay!" the young man agreed.

Gao Zong walked back with his hands behind his back: "Their Orleans chicken wings, chicken legs, and the spicy and crispy ones—have the chefs develop the ingredients as soon as possible."

The young man said: "I'll keep an eye on it."

"Hmm!" Gao Zong hummed.

The young man hesitated and said: "Manager, it's not that I'm boosting others' morale and destroying my own. Dicos is better than us in terms of store renovation, dishes, and taste."

"Especially this Balcony Music Show—in terms of promotional effect, it's much stronger than us sweeping the streets, directing traffic, and giving out prizes to students."

"Stronger?" Gao Zong said: "How many people do you think watched it today?"

The young man said: "At least over a thousand."

Gao Zong smiled slightly: "There will be more people tomorrow. With so many people gathered together, it's easy for problems to occur. Once problems occur, if someone is injured or even dies, do you think this damn music show can still be held?"

The young man's eyes flickered, and he smiled sinisterly: "Not only will the music show not be able to be held, but even the store will have to close down." ===== CHAPTER 644 =====