On their way to opening up the first authentic burger joint in Lanzhou, China, husband and wife team Josh and Mei Mei, learned a lot about trust. Their first attempt was a hole-in-the-wall, named after Josh's father, in a dead-end alley that didn't even have a public bathroom. It was hard to find and not the kind of place that customers could just stumble upon--you had to know it was there. Still, jovial Josh and Mei Mei --a kick in the pants by anyone's standards, carved out a place by the force of their personalities where foreigners could enjoy real western food before there was even a McDonalds in the city. Along the way they invited someone into their business lives --let's just call him Feng--and they taught him everything they knew about how to carve out a western restaurant in a back alley just this side of nowhere. Feng listened and learned and watched until he was confident he could tune Josh and Mei Mei right out of the frequency. Coincidentally, around this time, Josh and Mei Mei, having to tend to other matters, decided to turn everything they had worked so hard for over to Feng, no investment required, and all he had to do was sign a contract agreeing to pay them a portion of any future profits as well as a portion of any profits from any new establishment arising out of name, business practices, and methods he was entrusted with. Feng readily agreed and signed. Contracts are a good faith agreement that depend on the goodwill of the parties involved. Let's just say here, the goodwill giveth and the good faith also taketh away. Josh and Mei Mei left China but stayed in touch with Feng, answering questions and solving business problems. Along the way the contract was transferred to a relative with the understanding that all the clauses would remain intact, the only thing that would be changed was the name on the contact. When Feng announced he was going to move the business, making it bigger and brighter and better, Josh and Mei Mei were right there with him, sending him ideas they had gathered abroad, then actually returned to China and labored side by side with Feng to make it a reality, crafting the menu and decor in a distinctively western style. After all, they had a piece of it, right? Or did they… Remember that second contract? Well it seems all the clauses were transferred intact, except for the clause entitling them to interest in a portion of any profits from a new establishment arising out of the name, business practices, and methods. They had been fleeced out of the very thing they had created. Not only that but some mystery person tried to transfer the license of the original back alley restaurant out of their name and into someone else's. They were thoroughly shaken but not stirred. Swinging into action, they secured the license and set about reestablishing the original restaurant under a new name, all the while forging a new vision of their creation, in glossy yellow and black, with the help of Kelly and their loyal staff. Employing advanced food safety methods and using quality ingredients, they worked hard day and night right up to the June 1st opening, showing grit and their usual style in offering up a true western style burger joint, MoDonalds be damned. Buddy's Diner serves burgers, steak, salads, pizza and pasta, with a full bar and is located in the BHG Mall one block up from the northeast corner of the public square in Lanzhou, China. “Someone who thinks the world is always cheating him is right. He is missing that wonderful feeling of trust in someone or something.” Eric Hoffer Best of luck to the dynamic duo.
1 Comment
Jude Lyon
9/26/2016 12:42:50 pm
Aloha, Elvis, dear... Ain't nothin' like a good hamburger to take yourself back home to the belly of your mind. Very nice to roam around in your world for awhile. Big hugz from your pal in the south pacific! jude
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