I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away
Chapter 461: Humility

The guest's attitude was very harsh, scaring the waitress to tears. The waitress was a young girl, new to the job, with a thin skin. She kept her head down, crying and apologizing.

Meredith heard the guest's complaints, and something flashed through her mind. The guest mentioned that many foods should not be eaten together. Food incompatibility could harm organs and damage health. This situation reminded her of her mother, who experienced organ failure in a short time.

Meredith quickly handed her child to Reese and walked in to address the guest. "I apologize sincerely. I am the owner of this restaurant. I heard you say our dishes are not fresh and poorly paired. I apologize for our failure. I will have the dishes removed and replaced immediately. To express our apology, today's meal is on the house."

She poured herself a glass of wine from the table and said, "I will drink this as a penalty to apologize to you all."

There were three guests in the private room, two men and one woman. The troublemaker was a man in his thirties or forties. Despite his anger, he maintained some decorum.

Seeing Meredith drink, Reese quickly said, "Meredith, you just had a baby; you shouldn't drink."

Hearing this and seeing Meredith's sincere attitude, the man's anger subsided a bit. He said, "We can afford a meal. As the owner, you should be responsible for your customers. I heard your food is good, and as a chef myself, I came to try it. But this is disappointing. Your head chef doesn't even understand basic food pairing, and the ingredients aren't fresh. Serving frozen farmed fish as wild fish is deceitful."

Meredith glanced at the fish on the table; it was the new dish Reese had recommended. The price difference between frozen farmed fish and wild fish was fivefold. She looked at Reese.

Reese urgently explained, "This is definitely wild fish. I checked when it was delivered yesterday afternoon. We've always received this fish from our supplier."

The man, seeing they didn't admit fault, grew angrier. "With recent weather changes, wild fish are almost unavailable this year. I've been a chef for nearly twenty years, starting as an apprentice at fifteen. I can tell if an ingredient is fresh or wild at a glance."

Reese couldn't explain further and said to Meredith, "Meredith, I would never compromise on quality. You know me; I wouldn't do such a thing."

Meredith trusted Reese's integrity but realized he might not distinguish between farmed and wild fish either. The issue likely lay with the supplier. This needed addressing later; calming the guest was the priority. Meredith needed to ask the guest some questions and said sincerely, "I'm truly sorry for our oversight. May I know your name? Could we speak privately? I have some questions regarding food incompatibility."

The man replied, "My name is Hugo Hart. Frankly, if your restaurant continues like this, it will fail. Running a restaurant relies on quality ingredients. Having women perform flashy dances is just for show; what truly retains customers is the taste."

Meredith humbly accepted his advice. "Thank you for your guidance. I will take your suggestions to heart, Mr. Hart. Could we speak privately about food incompatibility? Also, I'll replace your dish immediately. I'm very sorry." Seeing Meredith's humble apology made Reese feel bad; as the manager, she should handle these matters.

Hugo Hart noticed Meredith's good attitude and glanced at the child in Reese's arms. The child was endearing, which softened his anger.

"Alright, admitting mistakes and accepting advice is commendable," Hugo Hart said. "Ask your questions."

A woman managing a restaurant while caring for a child moved him to compassion, so he didn't say more.