LSF Publications: spanking fiction ebooks

Undercover Boss
I wasn't born rich. I worked my way up from nothing, starting out as a rag boy, wiping down tables and learning everything I could about business. I cleaned the bathrooms, slaved in the hot kitchens washing dishes and chopping and peeling endless vegetables. Eventually, I became a bartender. There's good money in that and I did well, but I wanted more. I wanted to own the restaurant. I got promoted to manager, saved my pennies and quarters, and when the economy took a turn for the worse in the 1970s and the owner hinted he was interested in selling, I gave him a lowball offer which he accepted.

That first restaurant in Brooklyn was little more than a bar that served food. I made a few modifications and turned it into a hot nightclub. Within a few years, I'd opened two more, and then a high-end place in downtown Manhattan serving tiny portions of French cuisine at obscene prices. The money was rolling in, but so were my expenditures. I always worried. I was never secure. I opened a hotel, and then invested in a casino in Atlantic City. My share was miniscule, but it got my foot in the door. Within five years I used the profits to buy a failing casino. I revamped it, brought in some sexy dancing girls, and it became a hit joint. I worked ninety hours a week and loved every minute.

That, of course, was a long time ago. I'm fifty now and I've got an empire of over a hundred ventures from Manhattan to Miami. I work from an air-conditioned office on the top floor of a skyscraper, and I rarely get to see the actual places I own. That's why, every now and then, I like to visit undercover. It's a great way to see how the place is really running, to get the typical customer experience. If I don't like what I see, changes get made.

A few weeks ago, I stopped by one of my restaurants. It's a small place in Soho, modest and unassuming, yet with delicious food, high prices, and luxurious service. The trick to a place like that is to make it seem like a hole-in-the-wall so that when people discover it, they think they're the first and that it's special and unique. That way they not only spread the word to their friends, but they never complain about the bill. Customers are treated like royalty, and I only hire genuinely gorgeous waitresses who know how to flirt without being obvious. I bring in top chefs and give them carte blanche in the kitchen, so they are loyal and motivated. Attention to detail matters, so my managers have to be perfectionists.

Unfortunately, I'd heard some disturbing stories about this particular restaurant. Revenues were still good, but one of the key indicators I track is repeat business, and it was down 27% from the previous year.