Chapter 17: Counter-Reviews and Calculated Revenge - Part 4

Henry grinned. "Sounds awesome, boss!" Olivia nodded enthusiastically. Seeing their genuine appreciation, Theo felt another flicker of that unfamiliar warmth. Maybe building a team wasn't purely transactional after all.

Week 23 - Thursday

Thursday. Jenny arrived for her first official shift in the late afternoon, looking nervous but determined. Theo introduced her properly to Henry and Olivia, who both welcomed her warmly. Theo reiterated his instructions: "Learn the basics tonight, ask questions, don't worry about speed yet. Focus on getting it right."

Around lunchtime, Theo put his reconnaissance plan into action. "Henry, Olivia," he said, taking off his apron. "Need to step out for an hour or two, some business errands. You guys good holding down the fort?"

"No problem, boss!" Henry assured him. "We got this."

Theo nodded, grabbed his keys, and headed out. He drove the few blocks over to where 'Something Fishy', the rival fish and chip shop, was located. It looked… adequate. Less rundown than Maria's had been under Jono, but nothing special. Standard chippy décor, smell of frying fish hanging heavy in the air. He pushed the door open.

A portly man with thinning hair and shifty eyes looked up from behind the counter, where he was reading a newspaper. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly for a fraction of a second when he saw Theo, then his expression smoothed into one of bland customer service inquiry. Bingo. He recognized me, Theo thought, even though they'd never met. He must have scouted Maria's during its resurgence.

"What can I get for ya?" the owner asked, folding his paper with deliberate slowness.

"Yeah, let me get the standard fish and chips," Theo said, scanning the menu board. "Extra chicken salt on the chips. And uh… add a dim sim and two potato cakes." Classic takeaway order.

As the owner turned to drop the fish and frozen potato cakes into the fryer, Theo leaned casually on the counter. "Man, busy time to be in the food game around here, huh?"

The owner grunted noncommittally. "S'alright. Steady."

"Yeah?" Theo continued, adopting his 'woe is me' act. "Wish I could say the same. Just took over that old chicken place down the street, Maria's? Thought it had potential, you know?" He sighed dramatically. "Been a nightmare. Had an employee rob me blind last week, then got slammed with a ton of fake one-star reviews over the weekend. Talking about bad food, bad service, you name it. Business completely tanked overnight. Might have to shut down already if things don't pick up." He watched the owner's face closely.

He saw it. A tiny, almost invisible smirk playing at the corners of the man's lips as he turned back from the fryer, quickly masked by a look of faux sympathy. "Oof. Yeah, that's rough, mate," the owner said, shaking his head. "Small business is tough. Ups and downs." He started scooping chips. "Heard things were lookin' up for Maria's there for a bit, real busy?"

"Yeah, for like, two days," Theo lied easily. "Then bam. Sabotaged."

"Ah, reviews are killer," the owner said, shaking his head again as he liberally applied chicken salt. "Especially the really nasty ones. Tell ya," he leaned closer conspiratorially, his voice dropping slightly, "any reviews mentioning rat droppings or rancid oil? Forget about it. Kills ya dead. Customers see that stuff, they don't come back, ever. Just gotta hope people realize it's fake, keep putting out good food, show 'em it's not true."

Gotcha, you smug bastard, Theo thought, his internal fury barely contained behind a mask of weary resignation. He hadn't mentioned the specific fake claims about rats or rancid oil. The owner had volunteered them. Either he'd been meticulously studying every fake review targeting his competitor, or… he knew exactly what was in them because he, or someone he knew, had written them. Theo was betting heavily on the latter.

Theo paid for his order ($17.50), took the greasy parcel. "Yeah, well. Guess I'll keep trying. Thanks for the advice." He tried the food back in his car. Greasy, slightly undercooked fish. Generic frozen chips. Salty potato cakes. Entirely mediocre. The five-star reviews were definitely staged. Okay, Fish Man, Theo thought grimly. Game on. You wanted my business? You're about to find out what happens when you piss off the wrong guy. Sweet revenge was definitely on the menu.

He returned to the shop to find Jenny carefully learning how to pack orders under Olivia's patient guidance. She looked up nervously as Theo entered, but he gave her an encouraging nod. She was trying hard, clearly determined not to waste the opportunity, reminding him again of his desire to help her family situation. He spent the rest of the afternoon overseeing operations, his mind buzzing with various plans for retribution against 'Something Fishy'.

They ended Thursday with 138 chicken sales and a surprising 92 dessert sales. Henry's idea was proving to be a significant secondary income stream already.