Trademark

Sunday, 11 AM, the high school students were still enjoying their weekend break.

The business at the snail restaurant typically picked up in the afternoon and evening. At this moment, Chen Yu's parents had just woken up and were having breakfast.

"Mom, how's business lately?" Chen Yu asked.

"It's not bad, but sometimes I have to stay up late," his mother replied.

"Mom, you don't have to stay open past midnight. Didn't you hire two aunties to help?"

"I did, but I still need to be here. I am the 'Snail Beauty' of this place, and if I'm not here, how can it be called the 'Snail Beauty' snail restaurant?"

"Uh..."

Chen Yu was at a loss for words. His mother seemed to have developed a fixation on being the "Snail Beauty".

Beside them, Chen Simian added, "Xiaoyu, your mom has become a celebrity these days. Many customers not only come for the snails but also want to take pictures with her."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely."

"In that case, why not introduce a photography service? Charge 10 yuan per photo. It could be a hit."

"Charge 10 yuan for a photo? Xiaoyu, that's a terrible idea. People want to take photos with your mom because they love our snails. If you charge them 10 yuan, I'm afraid we'd lose all our business."

"I was just kidding."

Chen Yu still felt the need to advise, "But seriously, don't overwork yourself."

"Don't worry, I know," his mother reassured him.

Though she said so, Chen Yu knew that his mother wasn't taking this matter lightly.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

In the past, she worked as a laborer, and while the income was decent, she was always working for someone else. Now, she had her own small business and was the boss. Regardless of how much money they made, it was much more satisfying than before.

Moreover, the snail restaurant was doing so well these days that his parents were probably enjoying themselves.

"Xiaoyu, you don't need to worry about the restaurant. Let me tell you, your mom is even considering expanding the business and maybe opening a branch in the city once we make enough money."

"Mom, you're thinking too far ahead. With a simple snail restaurant like ours, how could we compete in the city?"

"I'm telling you, our snails are just as good as the ones in the city. People there aren't any more precious than the ones in our small county. They won't stop eating snails."

"Alright, alright, you're right. But let's not think about it now. We've only had the restaurant for a short time, and we haven't even recouped our investment. If we want to expand to the city, I think it'll take at least five years."

Chen Yu listened quietly without expressing an opinion on whether his parents should stay in the small county or expand to the city. However, as he listened, he had a monumental idea.

"Dad, I don't think we need five years."

"Oh, Xiaoyu, so you agree with your mom's idea now?"

"Mom has great vision, so of course, I agree with her."

"Look, Old Chen, our son is quite smart."

Zhang Wenxiu affectionately patted Chen Yu's head.

"Alright, alright, you and your mother are impressive. I'll stop talking," she said.

Chen Simian gave a wry smile, knowing that they couldn't compete with the mother-son duo, so she didn't say anything more.

"Dad, I'm serious," Chen Yu said. "Mom was right earlier. Our snail restaurant can actually expand to the city."

"I didn't say it's impossible, but right now, we don't have the time or the energy for it. Even if we did, we don't have the money," Chen Simian shrugged.

Even running a snail restaurant in Xinfeng, this small county, had drained their resources. There was no way they could afford to expand to the city.

"Dad, we may not have money, but other people do."

"Other people?"

"Yes."

"Other people have money, but why would they give it to us?"

"That's true."

Chen Yu nodded. "Dad, I think we should register a trademark for our Snail Beauty."

"A trademark?"

"Xiaoyu, what's a trademark?"

"A trademark is a symbol that represents our product to the public. For example, Dad, your phone has a China Mobile logo on it. That's the trademark."

"I see. So that's a trademark. But our Snail Beauty doesn't have a logo like that."

"That's okay. We can use our restaurant's name as the trademark."

"What's the point of registering a trademark?"

"It's incredibly useful. Once we register a trademark, no one else can use the same trademark. For example, if our restaurant is called Snail Beauty, others can't use that name anymore. If they do, we can take legal action against them."

"That doesn't seem all that useful," Chen Simian shrugged. "While our restaurant's name is decent, nobody would want to use the same name."

"Father, our current situation doesn't mean there won't be a problem in the future. What if our restaurant becomes really popular, and someone else decides to copy us?"

"Xiaoyu is right. If someone else starts using the name Snail Beauty, we'll be at a loss."

Zhang Wenxiu chimed in hastily.

Of course, while Zhang Wenxiu agreed verbally, Chen Yu knew that his parents still didn't fully grasp his idea.

"Dad, Mom, what I mean is that registering a trademark isn't just for protection. We can also use it to make money."

"We can make money from a trademark?"

"Of course."

"How?"

"Franchising."

Chen Yu got to the point.

"Franchising."

Although Zhang Wenxiu and Chen Simian didn't have much knowledge about trademarks, they understood the concept of franchising to some extent.

"I understand," Chen Simian said after some thought. "Xiaoyu, are you suggesting that we let others pay to franchise our brand?"

"Yes, registering a trademark is all about branding. If someone wants to franchise our Snail Beauty, we won't need five years. We can open dozens or even hundreds of storefronts in one year."

Chen Yu's idea wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. In fact, established brands like Chinese cuisine had matured in the future world. Chains like Real Kungfu, Da Niang Dumpling, and Yonghe Soy Milk were well-known trademarks in the world of Chinese cuisine. At the same time, their franchises were spread all over the country.

For Snail Beauty to open storefronts nationwide, it would take decades, if not a century, if they did it on their own. However, franchising made the process much easier.

Still, the idea of franchising was excellent, but the actual implementation was far from easy—it was nearly impossible.

Chen Simian shook her head and said, "Xiaoyu, I think we should forget about it. Who would want to franchise our small restaurant?"

"Yeah, all the franchise businesses we see are from well-known national companies. We're not even known nationally, let alone in Xinfeng. There are some towns where people haven't even heard of us."

"It's almost time; your father and I need to go to the restaurant."

"Xiaoyu, focus on your studies. Don't think too much about the restaurant."

Considering the practicality, Chen Yu's parents began to prepare to head to the restaurant.

Chen Yu didn't mind. Although it seemed unrealistic now, he was a reincarnated person who could turn the impossible into reality.