New World, New Life: I Became A Bigshot In The Ancient World
Chapter 108: HERE COMES THE MONEY

Chapter 108: HERE COMES THE MONEY

"May I ask the people of the aristocracy to follow me?" The young man asked.

The aristocrats became silent, curious about the young man’s invitation to another floor. Did that mean they weren’t going to dine with the peasants?

They followed as the young man led them upstairs while explaining. "The ground floor is meant for the commoners."

As they entered the first floor, the young man spread his hands,"

"This floor..." he said, gesturing around the luxurious space. "...is meant for you esteemed aristocrats."

Not many noticed the sarcasm when he said ’esteemed’, but Aristia was one of those who did.

She rolled her eyes, barely succeeding in hiding her amusement.

"This is even more sophisticated than the ground floor downstairs."

"Truly befitting of aristocracy."

"I could tell we wouldn’t be dining with peasants even though they were allowed entrance."

The aristocrats were satisfied on finding out about the arrangement. They all sat down just as the young man had asked.

The Grand Duke and his family walked to the farthest table in the large room.

Aristia locked eyes with Liam and his family a few tables away. She passed him a wave and he reciprocated, a small smile resting on his face.

Their attention returned to the cloaked man when he began speaking.

"The book on your table is called a menu. Please, open it." The young man said to the aristocrat men and women gathered.

A menu was placed on each table. They picked up the light book with the red cover with golden text of the restaurant’s name written on the cover that the young man called a menu and opened it.

"The menu has information about the dish written on it. That is, the name of the dish and the price so that you may be aware of it and decide which one you want." He explained.

"Is that so?"

"That is splendid. Each table has it."

The guests looked around, noticing that there was a menu in each table.

"Feel free to order any dish that is to your liking. I do hope that you find satisfaction with the services provided."

The young man clapped twice and several people came into the hall in a single file under confused gazes from the aristocrats. They were all dressed similarly.

The women were dressed in knee-length gowns with the upper part red in color, and the lower part, which was the skirt, black in color. The top was designed like a shirt, but the buttons were actually sewn on them. They wore black knee-length stockings and shiny black shoes.

The men wore similar clothes. They wore red shirts, black trousers and black shoes.

Aristia was aware of what timeline she was in, where women did not expose their legs. However, that wouldn’t stop her from implementing the dress styles she wanted for her restaurant.

The dresses were extremely stylish and beautiful as she had designed it herself.

"They are called waiters, and the females, waitresses. They will take the information of the food you have chosen to the cook and also serve you for the duration you have your meal."

That was the difference between the servers on the second floor and the ones on the first floor.

The servers on the first floor were required to stand by as the aristocrats had their meals and serve them just as the servants in their homes did, while the servers in the ground floor were like normal servers who would take down the orders of the food, and serve the food only. They weren’t required to wait at the tables.

The waiters and waitresses who came in were each walked to a table and bowed, then asked the nobles what food they would like to order, each with a pen and a small empty book in hand to write down the orders. They had been taught to write the names of the food served in the restaurant. It was all new to them.

They waited as the aristocrats skimmed through their menus, taking their time to choose dishes, which the servers wrote down.

"Please, wait a few minutes for the food to arrive." The young man said curtly.

This could be considered the first time the nobles would be dining outside of their homes or tea parties. This was because they didn’t consider any other food to par with their standards.

The only time they dined outside was when they were away on trips and had to stay in an inn, and even then, most preferred to have their chefs travel with them and prepare the meals.

Therefore, many of them watched in anticipation to see whether the food prepared by this restaurant would meet their tastes.

The aristocrats watched as the servers went through a metal door.

Through the open door, a delicious aroma permeated the air. The door soon closed as the last waiter passed through.

"I have to admit, I am actually anticipating the food."

"Could it really be as good as they say it is? Even better than the cooks?"

"We have to wait and see."

"If the aroma is any indication, I’d say we’re in for a treat tonight."

The nobles always wanted the best and that included those who made their meals.

"How much longer do we have to wait until the food arrives? I could lose my desire for the food just waiting." Someone complained.

It hadn’t even been three minutes since the food was ordered and they were already complaining impatiently.

At that moment, the door leading to the kitchen opened and some waiters came in, carrying trays of something.

The aristocrats were confused. The food looked appetizing but it wasn’t the food they ordered. Just as they were about to raise questions, the young man spoke first.

"Allow me to introduce to you something to eat while you wait for the main course. They are called appetizers."

"Appetizers? They indeed look appetizing." Laughter sounded out at the words.

Aristia laughed along.

Yes, the aristocrats should enjoy all they wanted. After all, they would pay for every single thing.

The aristocrats were subconsciously becoming more satisfied with the restaurant, the food, and the service.

"Excuse me," The young man bowed lightly and went downstairs.

He found Dahlia explaining the menus to the commoners seated at the tables.

The menus had a drawing of each of the food so that the commoners, who didn’t know how to read, would be able to identify the food.

The commoners felt gratified. They were able to eat in such a fine establishment. Even if they were separated from the aristocrats, they were still in the same building and the place was also very beautiful. Since it was like that, what did it matter if it were upstairs or downstairs?

They were also grateful for the consideration shown to them, as most of them lacked knowledge on how to read and most of the food were unfamiliar to them.

That single act of consideration alone boosted AE’s reputation among the common folk.

The commoners had the price of the food set at a reasonable and affordable price, not cheap but not expensive either. But the aristocrats... the aristocrats were not shown such consideration.

Aristia did not and would not expose the fact that although the food served to the aristocrats and commoners had prices that varied vastly, they were the same and were made with the same ingredients and quality.

While the ground floor had the price of food set at a minimum of copper coins and a maximum of bronze coins, depending on the dish, the first floor had food set at a minimum of bronze coins and a maximum of silver coins. They even had ’special’ meals priced at gold coins.

Aristia chuckled amidst her meal. Didn’t the aristocrats and nobles especially like paying high prices for things to prove that they could afford it and were above all others and so didn’t mind paying it? They could afford it and wouldn’t care about the price. It was their way of showing off.

Aristia herself didn’t care about their pride. It was, after all, that factor that would bring her money and enrich her pockets. They could put that pride to good use now.

She enjoyed her meal which the waiters had served after the appetizers, as she listened to the praises of all the aristocrats dining around her.

The young man soon came upstairs. "After you are done with your meal, esteemed guests, you can pay for it at the counter. Please, enjoy your meal and I wish you all a pleasant experience."

With those parting words, the young man left the first floor, leaving the Aristocrats alone.

After they were done with their meal, the aristocrats headed to the counter as instructed by the masked young man. Each of them left words of praise behind.

The Grand Duke’s family dallied until there only a handful of people remaining.

Finally, they headed to the counter which was beside the exit.

Aristia watched as Wilson handed Dorothy, who was acting as the cashier, a bag of stones and managed to hold back her laughter.

They were among the last to exit the restaurant. Everyone headed downstairs and boarded their carriages.

However, instead of heading downstairs like everyone, they turned around and headed to the third floor.