Body Shot (Last Shot)(77)
“Fuck that,” Cade said.
“I know. Okay, I don’t think they’d shut us down immediately. A few months ago, a restaurant did get closed down because they decided to not sell food at all, since they weren’t making much money from it. But we do need to do something to increase food sales.”
“That’s a stupid law.” Beck leaned back in his chair.
“I tend to agree,” Danny said. “But it’s still the law. I personally don’t think it’s necessary.”
“It implies that we can’t responsibly serve alcohol,” Marco said. “And we’re very responsible about that.”
“Yeah,” Beck agreed. “I mean, I get the intent. But it’s a problem for us because our drinks aren’t cheap. It makes the ratio of food to alcohol difficult.”
“That’s true,” Danny agreed. “Rather than base it upon food sales versus liquor sales in dollars, it should be based upon the amount of alcohol we’re selling. We can lobby for change, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
“Right.” Beck sighed. “Okay, so we need to sell more food. I had dinner at the Sandbar a while back with Hayden. She was raving about the fresh chips and salsas. They were really good. Not stuff out of a jug.” He looked at Sid. “You up for trying some new things?”
“Sure.” Sid looked wary. “But the chef at that restaurant has won all kinds of awards. I’m not that kind of chef.”
“Yeah, we know.” Beck had his doubts about Sid’s abilities too, but he, Cade, and Marco had talked and agreed they should give him a shot.
“I can come up with some ideas,” Sid said.
“We need to think about what our customers expect,” Danny said. “The food needs to fit with our concept. The same quality, selection, and service that we put into serving drinks should be put into serving bar food.”
“Not Buffalo-style chicken wings,” Cade said dryly.
“But maybe some kind of wings. A little more Mexican.”
Sid made a face. “Chipotle wings?”
“Hey, that’s not bad.” Marco nodded. “Put a little twist on the usual bar food.”
“We can charge more for the food too,” Danny said. “Our clientele knows this isn’t a cheap watering hole. They expect quality tequila and other drinks. So they expect that in the food too.”
“Will we need to add equipment to the kitchen?” Beck asked. He had the money to do whatever they needed to, but he didn’t want to say that. The guys were a little touchy about how much he contributed, since they couldn’t match it.
“I don’t think so,” Sid said. He looked a little terrified. Great. Well, they had to give this a shot.
They spent more time talking about budgets and some different marketing ideas. When they finished up, Beck glanced at his watch.
“Got a date?” Marco asked him.
“It’s not a date. I’m picking up dinner and meeting Hayden at her place.”
Cade smirked. “Yeah, you’ve gone past dating and have settled into domesticity.”
“Fuck that, we have not. We’re just having fun.”
“Uh-huh. You’ve been seeing a lot of her. You can’t deny this is different for you.”
No, he couldn’t. He shrugged. “Yeah. So what? Hayden’s different.”
“You mean that in a good way, right?” Marco frowned.
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Okay, good, ’cause I was gonna have to punch you if you insulted her.”
Beck eyed his buddy. “You’re defending her?”
“I like her.”
Beck narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”
Marco laughed and slapped his shoulder. “You’re fucking jealous! This is hilarious.”
“It really is.” Cade grinned. “Don’t get your dick in a knot.”
“I really don’t like you thinking about my dick.”
“I think about it all the time.”
Marco choked on a laugh.
“Because you wish yours was as big as mine.” Beck smiled knowingly.
“Enough talking about your dicks,” Marco said. “Back to Hayden.”
“Hayden likes my dick too.”
“Jesus. I thought you said ‘Hayden licks my dick.’”
Beck grinned. “Yeah, I’m not gonna share intimate details with you assholes. I’m outta here. See you tomorrow.”
He drove to Kimchi to pick up food, then headed over to Hayden’s place, arriving at the same time she did. Christ. It was seven o’clock and she was just getting home from work.
He waited on the sidewalk for her to meet up with him, the bag of food under one arm. He smiled watching her walk toward him. She’d actually changed up how she dressed, although she’d mentioned she had a big meeting that morning with a foundation that might enter into a funding partnership with Vanguard Corp. She looked professional but sexy, her suit a fitted one with a snug pencil skirt and small jacket with three-quarter sleeves. “Hey, gorgeous.” He slid a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a long, sweet kiss. “How was your day?”