Luxury Cafe Owner

Before the clock hit 7:30 AM a figure appeared at the door.It was Tom.

He looked at the board in the window and felt shocked.What was up with those hours?He was tempted to bang on the door, but he resisted the urge and just waited for the cafe to open.

The city was bustling as people passed by on the street.He drew some strange stares.Most people wouldn't stand around on the sidewalks in the city unless they were begging or asking people for a moment of their time to tell them about their 'cause'.To see a businessman in an expensive suit standing outside a cafe was very unusual.

Still, people didn't pay it too much mind and continued on their way.At 7:30 AM, Alan got up from the chair, put his cup on the bartop, and turned to unlock the door.He was surprised to see Tom there.

He opened the door and held it open for Tom.

"Good morning," He greeted him.

"What's the deal with opening at 7:30?"Tom asked."Most cafes in the area open way earli-" he cut off as he looked around, noticing the interior of the cafe.

The lighting was dim, not so much as to strain the eyes, but low enough that it felt more like ambient light.

The polished wood floors glistened in the sun filtering through the windows.The leather armchairs and the fireplace gave the room the ambience of a living room in the house of a well off person.

Along the wall, dark oak tables stood spaced out, with chairs at each and outlets built into the tables themselves, similarly covered in dark oak.

Tom had been in here less than a week ago, but walking in today, he barely recognized the place.

Alan smirked and said, "This isn't most cafes."

Tom was still shocked by the change, but he went ahead and ordered his coffee.

Rather than going to make it, Alan paused.

"What's the problem?" Tom asked impatiently.

"I'm happy to make you coffee, but...well you should check the prices."He pointed to a chalkboard above the back of the bar.

Listed there was the price of a cup of coffee: $20.

Tom's mouth gaped open.

Alan watched, sympathetically, understanding his reaction.

He'd had a similar reaction just a short while ago.As he had gone to sit down and enjoy his coffee, the system had prompted him to remind him he needed to pay for the coffee.

Alan had nearly forgotten about the system's quirk.Sighing he reached to pull out $3 and put it in the cash register.However, as he did so the system spoke.

"Host, as a reminder you are no longer using the low quality coffee beans from before."

"I know that system.I had to choose a luxurious coffee bean to satisfy you."He said irritatedly.

"Well, Host, due to the increase in quality of the coffee beans the cost of the coffee understandably has increased."

This gave Alan pause for a moment.However, he was happy about it.This meant he could finally charge more for his coffee.He celebrated for a moment before suddenly feeling dread shoot down his spine.

"Then, system, how much does the coffee cost?"

"Host, a cup of coffee is now $20."

Alan let out a breath of relief.It was high, but at least he hadn't broken the bank with his coffee this morning.

"However, Host, a cappuccino costs $35."

Alan felt like he was kicked in the chest.That was almost double the cost!

Suddenly he thought of another problem."System, how am I supposed to get new customers while charging so much for a cup of coffee?"

"Please endeavor to sell 100 cups of coffee and complete the mission Host."

Alan realized he'd once again been scammed by this system.

As he stood in front of Tom now, he completely related to what he was feeling.He began to explain before Tom could say anything.

"Now that I'm running my own cafe, I decided to make it in the style I wanted it to be.As the name indicates, the cafe offers a luxury experience that can't be found anywhere else.Putting aside the incredible decor," He said, gesturing around the room."I also made sure to get extremely high quality coffee beans.This particular brand of coffee is called Prosperidad.It goes for $120 per pound.There are few batches of it in existence.If you thought my coffee was good before, this one will blow your mind.I'm also now offering cappuccinos."

As Alan said this, Tom's gaze went back to the board and saw the price of the cappuccino.He nearly fainted.

However, being as successful as he was, he was willing to pay that much for coffee, especially since he had experienced first hand how good Alan's coffee was.

"I'll just take a regular cup to go please."Tom said, putting aside his reservations.

Alan coughed before saying, "About that.I'm afraid that at the moment I don't offer takeaway coffee."

The moment he had been dreading arrived.