Chapter 25 — Burgers, Bills, and Bigger Dreams
The grand opening of Patriot Burger was not a quiet affair.
Li Ming made sure of that.
An Opening to Remember
The first store sat on a bustling corner near the city's train station — a property Li Ming had bought outright for nearly twice its market value.
A giant inflatable burger loomed over the entrance, flanked by banners reading:
"Buy One Get Three Free — For a Whole Week!"
A local TV crew showed up out of curiosity.
By noon, the sidewalk was jammed with students, workers, and curious families, all waving their coupons like treasure maps.
Every burger was wrapped in custom-printed foil, the paper boxes embossed with gold ink, and the drink cups had a special edition "Patriot Burger Founding Year" logo.
Li Ming knew the branding alone had cost enough to make a reasonable businessman faint.
He felt oddly proud.
The Marketing Blitz
"Billboards in every city?" his marketing director asked cautiously.
"All of them," Li Ming said. "And don't stop at billboards — bus stops, taxis, ferry terminals, even the elevator posters in residential buildings."
"And the budget?"
"Unlimited."
The ads were everywhere within two weeks. People joked that if you closed your eyes, you could still see a burger floating in your mind.
The Supply Chain 'Upgrade'
The cold storage warehouses, meat processing plant, and bread factory — all of which were already fully functional — were "upgraded" again.
Li Ming insisted on:
Imported European meat grinders "for a smoother texture."
A climate-controlled bread proofing room with imported humidity sensors.
An "experimental" cheese flavor lab — which mostly served as a money pit for new equipment.
On paper, the burger chain was bleeding cash.
In reality, the Italian chain's margins quietly absorbed much of the cost, keeping the overall group stable.
An Unexpected Warning
One evening, Li Ming's old friend and accountant, Zhao Wei, sat across from him, stirring his tea.
"You know… if you connect both chains' supply lines any further, they'll be able to feed off each other's success. That could make expansion easier. Too easy."
Li Ming smirked.
"That's fine. We're just staying in the province for now. What's the worst that could happen?"
The First Signs of a Bigger Game
A month later, real estate agents from two neighboring provinces began calling.
They had heard whispers about Patriot Burger's "buy without bargaining" policy.
Would the company be interested in stores there too?
Li Ming hesitated.
It was far too early for national expansion…
But the idea lingered in his mind like the smell of grilled beef.