Fortune Cookie Cutie

   Despite the presence of a major movie studio, it may say something about the small size of Creek Bend that the biggest news of the month was that the Chinese restaurant in neighboring Ludley was opening again. The owner had closed shop and moved on when his doctor advised a dryer climate, but Mr. Lee had the foresight to keep the property in his name. It only took a couple of months for Lee to find another doctor advising him to return to the humidity he'd grown accustomed to over the decade previous. He was now back where he was happiest.

   This was a big deal. Yes, there were a couple of diners within Creek Bend and numerous eateries in Ludley which provided plenty of take out meals, but something this exotic was going to rule the local food market for the near future. The grand re-opening even found many of the C.B.I.P. stars in attendance. The annies in particular turned out. The affair had all the glitz of a Hollywood premiere, with tuxedos and ball gowns the order of the day. 

   Someone in Hollywood had caught wind of the advance interest in Lee's place and sent out a newsreel crew to document the evening, knowing it would be an assembly of C.B.I.P.'s star stable. You never saw anything like it. One would think it the Coconut Grove or Ciro's on their best night, but it was Lee's Chinese in Ludley. Truly, the signs read only "Lee's Chinese" since it was cheaper not to include the word "Restaurant" on it! 

   Ed and Misty Carter commanded much of the attention of the newsreel camera, the pair dressed to the nines as they picked at their plates of lo mein, bowls of fried rice, and stacks of eggrolls. Misty knew from her society upbringing never to actually eat when a camera was near, but only to pick at her food so as to look presentable when a picture is taken. Ed was a little less trained in this field, and was desperate for the camera to be turned away so he could actually get some substance onto his fork. This created a rather amusing situation where the couple found themselves gobbling down whenever the camera turned it's attention elsewhere, only for the lens to return to the Carters to find them daintily poking at their plates which had mysteriously diminished portions of food on them.

   Lee let the camera crew do it's job for a while, but finally shooed the newshawks out of the dining area and let the customers get on with eating their meals. For a few minutes, the masticating was fairly audible, as so many in the room had been fighting the urge to just dive in and eat.

   Misty and Ed finally had the meal they wanted, and it was terrific. They let the food settle as they enjoyed a couple of cigarettes. Lee saw they were done and came over to the table. Ed wondered if they'd be asked to hurry out so as to make room for other customers, but the conversation was actually more business oriented.

    "You see how bare the walls are," Lee pointed, "I wonder if it would be alright for me to do like the Brown Derby and line the walls with photos of the stars who've eaten here."

   "I can't imagine anyone would object," Ed looked to Misty, "I imagine the studio would even supply the stills, wouldn't it?"

   "I'm sure of it. As a matter of fact," Misty's eyes narrowed as her natural instincts as a movie producer took over, "I think the studio might make a trade with you, Lee. You can have all the photos you want, and we'll get them all signed for you, if you make a catering deal with C.B.I.P. once a week."

   "Sounds like a good deal to me," Lee nodded after mulling it over, "a very good deal." With that, Thursdays became highly popular with the studio staff. Of course, stocking the studio commissary meant cooking up twice as much food on Thursdays, and Lee eventually noticed his staff was getting over-worked trying to meet the demand. The studio employed enough people to eat twice what Lee would sell on a regular day. He'd need a relief crew to work Fridays, as well as service the restaurant Thursday evenings. Once the staff wrapped up their duties at the studio, they had to rush back to Ludley and cook up another mountain of food to feed the regular customers. It was just too much for them to handle without outside help.

   It didn't take long for Misty to notice this as well, so she invited Lee to her office to pow-wow on the best way to ease the pressure. "Everyone at the studio loves the menu," she noted, "so I think there might be a riot if we went back to the way we had if before. On the other hand, keeping the bottom line where it is has always been the priority of a reputable movie studio. We could hire some extra hands from Amsterville to help you out on Thursdays and Fridays, but in time that would tally up. Eventually, it would be unworkable. I could pay for it myself so the studio doesn't take the hit. Even that would only be a temporary solution, though. In the long term, I think the best idea is for you to expand and open up a second eatery here in Creek Bend, close to the studio."

   "That's a lot of capitol," Lee shook his head, "yeah, business has been great, but if I open two locations it means two buildings, two complete staffs, twice the supplies, and so on down the line."

   "I've been told I have a good eye for investments. What would you say to taking me on as a silent partner in helping to bankroll the second restaurant? You could use my face for publicity, and eventually you could buy me out from my initial investment and have the business to yourself."

   "If the studio staff eats at my restaurant like they do in the commissary, you'll have your investment back in a few weeks. I hadn't thought of opening another branch, at least not in a town even smaller than Ludley, but you make a very good offer, Misty. I'll do it!"

   That's how Creek Bend got a Chinese place on the main street. Aside from the studio and it's suburb area, Lee's was the only thing in town that looked out of place. Odd as it looked to anyone who might drive through town, though, it did great business. Lee eventually opened two more restaurants in Amsterville and L.A. Misty proved as quick to see a good publicity stunt as the Boss always had. It was her idea to stuff Lee's fortune cookies with advertisements for the studio's new releases. After all she'd done for him, Lee was delighted to include them.