Chapter 128 The Cost Cutter

"It's a good idea, feasible. I didn't expect you to be so resourceful and insightful," Carter praised after clinking his beer bottle with Trifali.

With the two burger giants battling it out, it wasn't a good idea to get involved. Making some corn tortillas, rolling up some chicken, pork, beef... Corn tortillas? Beef?

Carter paused, beef sliced ​​into filet mignon, then wrapped up... Wasn't this the "What's His Name" tender beef wrap?

Following this line of thought, incorporating the approach of the hand-held pancakes from the past life into making corn tortillas was also possible. For example, frying eggs, cucumber shreds, and all sorts of miscellaneous ingredients could be added. Multiple sauces could be prepared, and customers could mix and match as they pleased.

The customization of Burger King seems easy to achieve! And, regarding tortillas, customization seems even easier than burgers!

"Hey, with the tough times, you know what people need when they don't have money. At times like this, as long as you sell cheaply, the taste is just a little better, you won't worry about selling!" Trifali said, as he poured beans over a plate of grilled meat, grabbed two corn tortillas, and handed them to Carter.

"You thought of this point, why don't you sell it yourself?" Carter asked.

Looking at the corn tortillas in his hand, Carter's thoughts gradually solidified. This was it!

With corn tortillas, why sell burgers?

"It's not that easy. Selling corn tortillas like this can only take the route of thin profits but high turnover. If the sales volume doesn't pick up, it's just pure loss. Unlike you, I'm not rich. I can't bear the initial losses, nor can I buy in bulk to lower costs," Carter explained.

"I understand. In that case, I have a favor to ask. In the next few days, find some people and help me make these corn tortillas. Then, take them to the streets for some market research. See how to design the thickness, size of the tortilla, what meats to add, and what ingredients are popular," Carter said, looking at Trifali.

"I'll have the ingredients sent to you. Once we determine which type of corn tortilla is popular, you'll be in charge of developing the dishes for my restaurant, how about it? I'll pay you $800 a month. If the results are good, I'll invest in helping you open a branch, just like with the repair shop," Carter proposed.

"Really?!" Trifali was somewhat incredulous. He wasn't a chef, how could he work in a restaurant?

"Really! Will you do it?" Carter nodded, affirming.

It didn't matter if he wasn't a chef. Tortillas, this kind of street snack, weren't necessarily born in the hands of so-called chefs. Based on Carter's observations, he found that Trifali had researched how to make cheap ingredients taste good to support his brothers.

Letting him handle the development of dishes, Carter saw Trifali's potential in this aspect. Just like what Trifali had just said, in this depressed era, you could only think about eating well after you were full.

And how to achieve this while keeping costs low, Trifali seemed to be good at it! What with using corn tortillas instead of bread, using Thousand Island dressing instead of pickles, all were things that combined carbs with meat. For hamburgers, simply replace the bun with a tortilla.

This guy always seemed to find cheaper alternatives for relatively expensive ingredients. It was about using something cheaper to create the taste of something more expensive!

This trait wouldn't work for a formal restaurant. It might even be condemned, and then easily reported. But for a fast-food restaurant, this was the chosen one!

Since fast food was already dubbed junk food, being more junky wouldn't hurt!

"Darn it! Of course I'll do it! I'd be an idiot not to!" Trifali slapped his thigh, looking like a 160-pound child. At least with an extra $800 in income per month, their lives would be much better off.

"Thank you, Carter. I won't say much in gratitude. If you ever need me, just call. Come on, cheers!" Trifali said, raising his glass.

...

...

With Trifali's somewhat familiar words echoing in his ears, Carter went home after eating and drinking his fill. Lying in bed, Carter recalled everything that had happened that day.

From asking for a position from the mayor to discovering the problems with the restaurant, and then solving them. It seemed like there were many worries, but gradually, it seemed to form a closed loop.

Making meat patties, handling ingredients, etc., would all require manpower. Originally, he was still worried about how to set up the thirty positions to minimize labor waste. But now it had become a situation where thirty people might not be enough.

Especially with the corn tortilla business needing volume. With the reduction in consumption tax and the lure of low-priced oil, Carter wasn't worried about the traffic in the commercial area.

With high traffic in the commercial area, the corn tortilla business would thrive. With a thriving corn tortilla business, the demand for employees would increase. Increasing employees would also help the city government greatly, and who knew, he might even get some benefits from "Radish" later. Then, maybe he could help Trifali open a branch, just like with the repair shop.

"Is this development a good thing or a bad thing?"

With a hint of melancholy, Carter fell asleep. The next day, as usual, he went to school, went to the bank, arranged for the delivery of a wider range of ingredients to Trifali, and continued to stamp.

Life continued smoothly until February. After reaching a peak of $850, the price of gold didn't last long. Just as people were somewhat apprehensive about the federal funds rate rising to 16%, they still believed that Volcker was just making some noise to assert his presence and wouldn't actually do much.

So, initially, the price of gold didn't show any obvious decline. But as time passed, the federal funds rate seemed to settle on a high-rate basis and showed no signs of going down. This made people uneasy.

This unease lasted until February. From February onwards, the price of gold finally began to fall. The corresponding silver, however, was still struggling, but with the decrease in trading volume and the elongation of trading intervals, people also realized that the Hunt family was at the end of their rope.

What added fuel to the fire was that the New York Mercantile Exchange seemed to have learned from the Treasury's handling of gold. They hastily issued a new rule, prohibiting the establishment of new silver futures contracts and only allowing the closing of existing old contracts.

This rule meant that the Hunt family couldn't obtain new silver in the market. Their monopoly on silver was completely shattered! The silver price could still barely hold up now, almost entirely relying on the Hunt family borrowing money everywhere to hold on.

And this year was about to get exciting! The Hunt family had borrowed over $20 million in just over ten days. But this was just a dying struggle; he was betting that he wouldn't die, betting that they wouldn't let him die!