The manager on duty had some understanding of the law, but he was nothing compared to a top lawyer from Shengbang Law Firm.
As the list of potential crimes grew, his forehead was already covered in a cold sweat.
As the manager of a restaurant that cost 1,700 per person, his salary was naturally quite high.
But he had no intention of going to jail over that salary.
Just as his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to pin the blame on someone else, several people in blue work uniforms parted the beaded curtain of Yamada Residence and entered.
A middle-aged woman in her thirties, who seemed to be in charge, spoke up.
"We’re inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration.
We received a complaint about a food safety and hygiene issue here, so we’ve come to conduct an on-site inspection."
"Who’s in charge here?"
Hearing which department they were from, the manager’s vision swam.
It never rains but it pours.
He hadn’t even figured out how to handle the police and the lawyer, and now a team from the Food and Drug Administration had shown up.
A restaurant might not fear the police, but there was one department they were all terrified of.
The Food and Drug Administration.
After all, an inspection of over ninety percent of establishments would inevitably turn up at least a few issues.
It was just like how factories dread the fire marshal.
It wasn’t impossible to be perfectly compliant, but the cost was substantial.
Aside from the major chain brands, which had to be meticulous about every detail for the sake of standardized management, virtually no restaurant could face an inspection from the Food and Drug Administration without fear.
The manager on duty took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
’He knew his boss was very well-connected.’
’Chances were, the boss had already greased the right palms for this restaurant. As long as the problems weren’t too severe, these inspectors would probably turn a blind eye.’
He forced a smile.
"I’m the one in charge. What is it you need to inspect?"
"We’re still open for business. Is it possible to request a postponement of the inspection? After all, we just had our grand opening, and your Food and Drug Administration already inspected us befo—"
Before the manager could finish, the woman cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"This isn’t a routine inspection, so the usual practice of not inspecting during business hours doesn’t apply."
"We’re here because we received a tip from the public, and they’ve already provided photographic evidence. You’ll need to suspend operations for now. We’ll work quickly, and if we don’t find any issues, you can reopen immediately afterward."
"I’m Zhuang Wen, Deputy Team Leader of the Second Unit of the Baiyun District Food and Drug Administration."
"Haizhu District was responsible for your pre-opening inspection. This is a surprise inspection from us, Baiyun District. The two do not conflict."
!!!!!!
Hearing them state their jurisdiction, the manager, who had only just managed to calm down, felt his mind go completely blank with a BUZZ.
His eyes shot wide open, a million questions flooding his mind. Their restaurant, Red Bird, was located in the heart of Haizhu District.
’Even if they were going to be inspected, it should be the Haizhu District FDA coming to their door. Why on earth were people from Baiyun District here?!’
’According to his initial assumption, his boss should have already made the necessary arrangements.’
’However, even if he had, he would have only been able to grease the palms of the local district’s FDA.’
’At best, that would just get them a heads-up before an inspection, giving them time to clean up the problematic areas and ensuring a little leniency on borderline violations.’
’But now, it wasn’t the local FDA, but one from a completely different district. This was big trouble.’
’Each district’s FDA was an independent entity. His boss couldn’t have possibly predicted that a team from another district would show up, so there was no way he could have made prior arrangements.’
As the manager, he was well aware of the state of their operations.
With inspectors who had been paid off, he could hope they’d be lenient and let things slide. But now? They were completely screwed.
After introducing themselves, the three members from the Food and Drug Administration didn’t waste any time and immediately began their inspection.
Watching the inspectors get to work, Li Xiao and Zhang Li exchanged a look, a knowing smile appearing on both their faces.
Of course, he had been the one to call in the Food and Drug Administration—or, to be more precise, Zhang Li had helped arrange it.
After understanding Li Xiao’s situation, Zhang Li immediately had his client file a police report. At the same time, he knew full well the principle of going for the jugular.
As a top lawyer, he had handled countless cases and knew that restaurants like this often feared the Food and Drug Administration far more than the police.
Of course, considering Li Xiao’s point that the restaurant’s owner might have complex connections...
...he took a precaution. Instead of contacting the local FDA, he called in a favor and had an acquaintance arrange for a cross-jurisdictional inspection from a different district’s office.
Zhang Li’s eyes landed on the phone in Li Xiao’s hand, which was still livestreaming, and an idea sparked. ’You can’t get rid of weeds, they just grow back in the spring.’ To prevent future trouble, the best solution was to finish the enemy off in one decisive blow.
He leaned in and whispered in Li Xiao’s ear.
"Mr. Li, since you’re already live, why don’t you follow the FDA inspectors and see what they find? Broadcast everything you see inside the restaurant."
Li Xiao’s eyebrow shot up. The idea was tempting, but he asked with some hesitation:
"Aren’t they conducting an official inspection? Is it really okay for me to follow them and livestream it?"
Zhang Li nodded.
"Of course it is."
"Three years ago, Yangcheng enacted the ’Transparent Kitchen’ policy."
"The government encourages all restaurants to have open kitchens, giving consumers the right to see where their food is being prepared."
"Furthermore, consumers have the right to monitor kitchen hygiene."
"The FDA inspectors are going in to inspect anyway."
"As long as they don’t object, there’s absolutely no problem with you following them."
In the livestream chat:
"Streamer, go with them and inspect!"
"Yeah! Streamer, follow the inspectors!"
"I really want to see what the back of this restaurant’s kitchen looks like."
"You don’t even need to look. Just from the filth on the grill they’re using outside and the state of that chef’s apron, you know the conditions have to be terrible."
...
Hearing Zhang Li’s suggestion and seeing the flood of comments in his chat, Li Xiao thought for a moment and made his decision.
He hurried over to Zhuang Wen. After hearing Li Xiao’s request, Zhuang Wen paused. Instead of giving an immediate answer, she made a phone call to consult her superior.
A moment later, Zhuang Wen hung up, a smile on her face as she nodded.
"Having consumers participate in the oversight actually helps lighten our workload."
"You’re welcome to livestream. It’s a good way to promote our work and spread awareness about food safety."