Luxury Cafe Owner Read online

  "Host, as the future owner of the world's most luxurious cafe, you should endeavor to be generous in all things."

  Alan ignored the system's advice.

  He walked into the cafe.

  As he did so, a bell on the door rang.

  "Welcome customer," A cute girl appeared out of nowhere and greeted him.

  "Uh, yeah hello." He responded, taken aback by the sudden appearance of this girl.

  "What would you like today?" The girl asked as she led him towards a table.

  "Um, there seems to be some sort of mistake...I'm here about a job? Alexander Willington told me to come?"

  The girl's face instantly changed. "Cheh. So, you weren't a customer. Whatever. The boss is back that way." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder towards the back of the cafe where a door to a small office stood open.

  The sudden change in behavior startled Alan. Walking towards the back office he marveled at it. What a two-faced girl.

  He knocked on the office door and peeked his head in. "Hello?"

  A tired looking man looked up at him. "Yes, hello. How may I help you?"

  "I was told to come here today by Alexander Willington. Apparently, you need a barista? He said he would meet me here."

  The man sighed. "Did he really? How strange he's not here. Well, I suppose we do need a barista at that. Yes, come in. My name is John, I am the manager here. Let me take down your information. Do you have any prior experience as a barista?"

  Alan explained he'd never worked as a barista before and gave the man his information. John sighed. "Unfortunately, we don't have anyone around to train you."

  The system suddenly spoke. "Host, the reward you received included the techniques necessary to operate the machines in this cafe."

  Alan felt surprised, but quickly hid it as he explained to John that he already knew how to use the machines.

  John looked at him skeptically. "You know how to use the machines even though you've never worked as a barista? You do know these are different from your home coffee makers yes?"

  Alan reassured him that he did. John finally accepted that Alan understood the difference, though he still seemed doubtful. "Well, I suppose we'll see soon enough. It's currently 6:30 AM. We open at 7:00 AM. We stay open until 9:00 PM. Your pay will be $10.00 per hour, and you keep any tips you receive. Go fetch an apron from Wendy and get ready."

  Alan realized Wendy must be the two-faced girl. He nodded and went back out into the cafe.

  He went to Wendy and asked where the aprons were. She barely glanced at him and just jerked her chin in the direction of some pegs on the wall. An apron hung on one. He went over to the wall, grabbed the apron off the peg, put it on, and then walked back behind the counter to wait for the cafe to open.

  As Alan stood by, he looked around the area behind the counter. He saw a set-up that, while he had never seen one before, somehow felt familiar. It was that information from his reward from his first mission.

  He decided to make himself a cup of coffee to test himself. He went up to the manual drip coffee maker. He grabbed a filter and placed it into the cone of the coffee maker. Then he turned and checked the temperature on the machine to make sure the water was properly heated. It was at a nice 200 degrees Fahrenheit. He poured water through the filter into the dripper to preheat it. Then he dumped the water he had poured in down the sink. Next, he turned to look for the coffee beans.

  To his horror he found the coffee had been pre-ground. "What the heck is this?" He asked in shock. Wendy walked over and looked.

  "It's coffee...don't you even know that much?" She said, eying him disdainfully.

  "Why is it already ground?" He persisted.

  She shrugged. "That's how we do it."

  Alan's newfound coffee knowledge told him that coffee beans had to be freshly ground to make the ideal cup of coffee.

  "System, is it going to be alright?" He asked in his head.

  "It is fine, Host. When Host owns his own cafe, he can use the proper method then. In the meantime, the system's brewing method remains peerless, and if Host follows the method the benefit will remain." The system assured Alan that it was fine.

  Wendy walked away and leaned against a wall, staring at her phone.

  Alan shook his head and grabbed the pre-ground coffee. He placed the coffee in the filter and took a knife to even out the top of it. Then he began pouring fresh hot water over it. He poured 30 mL of water, no more, no less. He made sure to pour it evenly, so that all the coffee was infused.

  After he finished pouring, he left it for 30 seconds, waiting patiently for the ground coffee to bloom with flavor.

  A wonderful nutty, earthy aroma began to permeate the air. Wendy even looked up from her phone out of curiosity.

  After thirty seconds passed, he began pouring another 100 mL of water over it for 30 seconds. He stopped at the minute mark and waited another thirty seconds, letting the flavor bloom further.

  The wonderful scent grew stronger and stronger in the cafe as he continued. Finally, after thirty seconds passed, he continued pouring the remaining 100 mL of water over the coffee. He had decided to make a light brew, since the coffee was pre-ground. Thus, he didn't try to increase the length of the drip process.

  He took the pot of coffee he had made and poured himself a steaming hot cup of coffee. He personally liked his coffee with a bit of sugar, so he added a small sugar packet to it.

  He took a sip and sighed in contentment.

  "That will be $3.00, Host." The system said aloud.

  Alan nearly spit out his coffee and started choking. As he recovered, he thought, "System, what do you mean? Why do I need to pay for the coffee?"

  "Is Host asking why people pay for things? I believe it is an advent of human society. Humans must pay for things they do not have, but desire. Host did not have the ingredients for the coffee. Thus, Host must pay for the coffee."

  "But the price of the coffee also includes my own effort? Shouldn't there be a price reduction since I don't need to charge myself for my own efforts?" Alan tried to argue.

  "If Host does not value his own effort, then how can Host expect anyone else to?"

  Alan gave a thumbs up. "Wow. As expected of the system, I can't argue at all." Cursing his luck, he pulled out his wallet and looked at the last remaining $5.00 bill in it. Muttering to himself, he took it out and gave it to Wendy. "Get me $2.00 in change please."

  Wendy eyed him. "You do know we can have coffee for free here? John doesn't really care."

  "$2.00," He said firmly, while his heart bled. This cursed stingy system. Wendy got him his change while giving him a strange look. He ignored her and returned to drinking his coffee. As expected of the ultimate cup of joe, as he drank more of it and it entered his body, he felt his taste buds celebrating more and more.

  "The effect of the system on the taste is surprisingly good." He thought.

  "Of course," The system replied. "Everything provided by the system is high quality Host."

  Alan ignored the system's voice and continued sipping his coffee.

  As he stood, enjoying his coffee, a man walked down the street. The man was dressed in a dark suit. He had graying hair and lines on his face, indicating either that he was middle aged, or that he worked too hard. Possibly both. He carried a leather briefcase in one hand and walked with a purpose.

  He approached the cafe as if he was familiar with it. The door opened and the bell rang, announcing the customer had entered. Wendy went to greet the man. Alan observed him from behind the counter.

  The man looked at his watch impatiently before approaching the counter.

  "Hey! You!" He called to Alan. "Are you the new barista?"

  Alan went to the man. "Good morning, sir. I am indeed the new barista. How can I help you today?"

  "Yes, fine, just get me a cup of coffee to go please." The man said impatiently, looking at his phone as he spoke.

  "Do you have any preferences on the type of coffee or manner of brewin
g? Would you like cream or sugar?" Alan asked politely.

  The man scoffed. "I come here because it's cheap and on the way to the office. Coffee is coffee, I just need the caffeine. I'll take it black, no cream, no sugar."

  Alan stared at him before shaking his head. Clearly this man had no appreciation for coffee. He probably expected Alan to serve him instant coffee or something like that.

  Alan just told him, "Your coffee will be ready in a couple of minutes. Can I get a name for the order?"

  "The name is Tom." He said impatiently. Alan grabbed a to-go cup and used a pen to write Tom on the side of it. Then he went back to the brewing machine. He repeated the same process he had before, substituting the to-go cup for the mug he had used before.

  The man stood by the counter impatiently, not bothering to take a seat. Wendy had gone off somewhere after collecting the money from the man.

  Alan finished pouring the coffee into a to-go cup, put a coffee sleeve on it to keep the man from burning his hand, and put a lid on the coffee.

  He walked to the counter with the cup of coffee and said, "One cup of coffee, black, for Tom."

  Tom walked over and grabbed the cup. Noticing that Alan had put a coffee sleeve on it he grunted in appreciation and dropped a dollar in the tip jar.

  He walked out, sipping his coffee absently as he checked emails on his phone.

  "System, is it really alright? He didn't seem to notice anything special about the coffee." Alan asked the system doubtfully.

  "Host will see. That customer will be back tomorrow. More importantly Host, you poured half a milliliter extra into that cup of coffee. You must endeavor to improve your accuracy. The system can't do everything for you. Work hard Host." The system said mechanically.

  "System was that supposed to be encouragement?" Alan wondered.

  "Host can take it as such if it's easier."

  Alan shook his head in exasperation. “Who designed such a rude system?”

  The day continued in much the same way as Alan continued to make coffee for people, doing his best to pay attention to the small details. There weren't too many customers, maybe fifty throughout the entire day.

  As the day progressed, the system criticized him less and less as he honed his coffee making skills. However, despite this, Alan was not pleased. He had just finished serving coffee to a pretty woman dressed in a power suit. He watched expectantly as she took the coffee, but she just turned and walked out of the shop.

  Alan sighed.

  "Host, you correctly made coffee for the 20th consecutive time. Congratulations. You now have met the most basic requirement for being a cafe owner. Continue to work hard."

  Alan ignored the system. He stared at the tip jar. That's right, his melancholy had nothing to do with the system's condescension. What had Alan feeling so down was the fact that, aside from Tom, no one bothered leaving him a tip.

  "What's with people these days? No appreciation for the work of others! How rude!" Alan cursed his customers for being stingy.

  "Host, an owner must not be so petty. You should appreciate the patronage of each and every customer and focus on perfecting your own work."

  That caught Alan's attention. "System, how can you say that? By not tipping me, they are saying they do not value the coffee making method you provided. Are you really okay with that.”?

  The system remained silent for a minute. Alan thought it was not going to respond, but then it suddenly said. "Host, it is more likely that the people just find you unattractive. After all, people tip attractive waiters and waitresses better. Host, please endeavor to make yourself more attractive."

  Alan scoffed. "Nonsense. Look at this face. These chiseled features. Not only that, but I can make such an excellent cup of coffee. How could I possibly be unattractive?"

  "Host, please endeavor--" The system began again, but Alan cut it off.

  "I think the problem," Alan said. "Is that the coffee you have me make isn't that incredible. You kept saying how it would give benefits, but I didn't notice them."

  The system responded. "Host, you cannot experience the benefits of the ultimate cup of joe. You must succeed through your own efforts. Please endeavor to become the owner of the world's most luxurious cafe."

  "You're as stingy as the customers." Alan accused the system. The system didn't reply.

  Alan sighed again, staring at the tip jar forlornly.

  The day ended without Alan receiving any more tips. He cursed in his head as he walked home, with only a dollar in his pocket. If he counted the cost of the coffee he had payed for, he actually lost money today. Of course, his paycheck at the end of the week would fix that, but still, it bothered him.

  That night he dreamed that all of his customers were pretty, young women who tipped him huge amounts of money and asked for his phone number.

  He woke up smiling.

  As he went downstairs, he found his parents in the kitchen.

  "Good morning," His mom greeted him.

  His dad continued reading the paper, not looking up at him.

  "Good morning." Alan replied, sitting down at the table and digging into the plate of food waiting for him.

  "I'm just so happy to see you working," His mom smiled, chatting happily as she cooked eggs on the stove. "Isn't it just great, darling?"

  His dad grunted, lowering the paper briefly to eye him and give him a nod.

  His dad was a man of few words.

  Alan finished eating his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and thanked his parents for the food before heading out.

  His parents were lovely people, really. However, he couldn't wait to get his own place.

  As he walked, he thought, "It's so nice that my house is close to the cafe."

  The system chimed in. "Host, it is nice to see you so enthusiastic about being close to work. Please continue to work hard."

  "Oh." Alan stopped mid-step, before continuing his stride. "Right, I was enthusiastic about shortening my commute time. That's what it was."

  "Host, taking a cab would shorten your commute time even fur--"

  "Yes, oh yes, so nice to have this short walk to work." Alan interrupted the system before it could finish.

  Who was he trying to fool? What Alan was really excited about was that he didn't have to spend money on cab rides.

  The system was silent for a minute. "Thank you Host."

  "For what?" Alan asked.

  "The system did not understand what Host meant by humans being cheap; thank you for clarifying for the system."

  Alan was speechless. Finally, he just said, "System, this can't be called being cheap. This is being cost conscious. Cost conscious, understand?"

  The system remained silent. Alan grumbled to himself as he finally arrived at the cafe.

  He walked inside. Wendy hadn't arrived yet, but John was sitting at his desk. It was almost as though he hadn't moved from yesterday.

  Alan grabbed his apron and went behind the counter.

  He stood there for a second, before moving back around the counter and putting the tip jar in a more prominent position. He nodded to himself before going back behind the counter and waiting for customers to come. As he stood there Wendy walked in, staring at her phone before going and standing by the side. She didn't bother greeting him or John, wrapped up in her own little world.

  "Kids these days." Alan shook his head, conveniently ignoring the fact that he didn't greet John either.

  As he did, the bell on the door rang and a man walked in.

  Alan recognized him as Tom, his first ever customer.

  "Good morni--" He began but cut off as Tom slammed his hands down on the counter and stared at Alan with bloodshot eyes.

  "What did you slip me yesterday?" Tom demanded.

  Alan looked confused. "What do you mean?"

  "Don't play coy, what did you put in my coffee?" Tom leaned across the counter getting in Alan's face.

  Alan remained calm. "I didn't put anything in your coffee. I just made it like
normal."

  Tom took a breath to calm down and leaned back. "You really didn't add anything to it?" He said doubtfully.

  Alan replied, "Why would I spike a customer's drink? What does that do for me? Think about this logically."

  Tom thought about it and realized what Alan said made sense. "I'm sorry," He apologized.

  Alan just nodded before saying, "It's fine. But, more importantly, what made you think I put something in your coffee? Did it make you sick?"

  Tom shook his head. "No, if anything it was the opposite. I felt more focused than I have in years. I got an entire week's worth of work done in one day."

  Understanding dawned on Alan and he struggled to keep his face straight. "System," he thought. "Could it be that this was the effect of the ultimate cup of joe?"

  "Confirmed, Host." The system replied. "As the description states the ultimate cup of joe increases concentration and productivity."

  Alan was dumbfounded. "That's great system, but what am I supposed to tell my customers?"

  "Host is the future owner of the world's most luxurious cafe. If Host can't handle such a small problem wouldn't that be too pathetic?"

  Alan sighed. "Right, right, I don't know what I expected."

  Focusing on Tom, he thought fast and spoke. "I really didn't slip you anything. That being said, I guarantee that my brewing process is perfect. Even using inferior coffee beans like they have in this shop, the quality of the coffee is much higher. As a result, it's possible the amount of caffeine absorbed by your body was greater than normal."

  Tom seemed kind of doubtful at first, but his expression grew more thoughtful as Alan finished speaking. It's not that what Alan said made sense. It's more that Tom couldn't think of another explanation. Human beings have a tendency to accept farfetched explanations for things they can't understand.

  Tom nodded. "That might just be it. I'm used to crappy coffee from chain stores. High quality coffee naturally has a better effect. Alright, could I get another coffee…" He paused here, looking at Alan's chest for a nametag.

  "Alan Pender," Alan told him.

  "Alright Alan. Sorry for coming in here all agitated before. Could I get a coffee please?"