Would you like some fries with that?

Insert keycard, open door, get inside, empty saddlebag, sort freshly bought ingredients. A standard routine when opening a restaurant, or a "fast food joint" as most ponies called it. For Hot Pot, though, it was her future, although it still looked a little shabby. Guess this place is gonna need a makeover soon... she thought, giving the Prancin'Pepper a sheepish look. It didn't matter, it was her place. A place where she could cook to her hearts content, see ponies walk inside hungry and walk out again with full stomachs. Double check menu, turn on stoves, set door sign to "Open". Now all the aspiring cook had to do was wait.

(Anyone is free to join)

There was always a charm for visiting these kind of places for Merlot. Not because he liked these places, but that he wasn't banned by the owner yet for doing some stupid action. The stallion trotted in, still elated that he is in an establishment such as this.

"Hello?!" called Merlot, sitting himself down somewhere.

Hearing the door open, Hot Pot's ears instantly perked up. The first customer was the most important one, as Sloppy Joe had told her once. "Yes, welcome to the Prancin'Pepper!" she greeted the pony as she trotted over to greet him at the counter. Once she got a good look at him, he seemed...less than sober. She didn't mind too much, though. There weren't any other guests, and he didn't seem too bad. Also, drunken guests were expected from time to time. "Ahem, may I take your order, sir?" she asked him in her most professional voice.

Merlot smirked at Hot Pot, pondering to himself on if he should already act bothersome, or just wait it out.

"Yes, I'd like to see your menu, before I make a decision." Replied Merlot, speaking in a more eloquent voice than necessary. "This establishment, does indeed look like one, that I, most certainly would wish to frequent."

"Certainly." Hot Pot replied, fetching a nearby menu from beneath the counter. She wasn't too sure if she was doing well or not, so to be on the safe side, she decided to step up the professionalism. "Here you go, sir. I'm delighted to hear that you think of my humble place like that, especially as I still have a ways to go." she added, handing the menu over. Truth be told, she was not too certain if he meant it, or if it was the alcohol talking. " Anyway, might I recommend the Carrot Tandoori Wrap? It scored very high on the taste test."

"Carrots?" Asked Merlot quietly, as he analyzed the menu. "I don't believe in good taste, lady." Replied the stallion sourly.

Merlot slammed a small bag filled with 20 bits on the table, and put down his menu. "Alright, since I'm no good at reading this here menu, I'll just have you pick something out for me. Here's a quantity of bits, don't knock yourself out."