A pub in Hai Duong struggles to keep customers

Change

Having been in operation for 6 years, Hong Ha Restaurant - Van Don Seafood has long been one of the most popular places on Truong Chinh Street (Hai Duong City). On average, the restaurant serves 100-200 guests per day, and on weekends and holidays, the number of guests can increase to 300-400 guests per day. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the regulation on increasing fines for violators of alcohol concentration, the number of customers coming to the restaurant has decreased by 15-20%. While previously the number of customers coming to the restaurant at noon and in the evening was always crowded, in recent years the number of customers coming at noon has decreased significantly. Most customers book large parties or eat out in the evening. Customers tend to buy more to take away.

Every time he goes out drinking, Nguyen Van Hiep on Pham Hong Thai Street (Hai Duong City) often takes a taxi because his point of view is "if you drink alcohol, don't drive". Hiep shared that he can take the initiative in this matter, but when inviting friends and partners, he also has to consider how to move after drinking so that everyone is comfortable. Therefore, every time he books a table at a restaurant, he often asks in advance if the restaurant supports driving drunk guests home or has overnight parking for guests. "Once I went out drinking, my group had 6 people with 1 car and 3 motorbikes. I told the restaurant owner to arrange a driver. When my group left, there were 4 people waiting in the lobby to support us", Hiep said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing, the business operations of the King of Beer Restaurant in Hai Duong City faced many difficulties. Then, when Decree No. 100/2019/ND-CP regulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of road and rail traffic took effect, the restaurant's business became even more gloomy. The number of customers dining at the restaurant was only 50% compared to before. Therefore, the restaurant moved to a new business location on An Duong Vuong Street (Hai Duong City), which is only 1/3 the size of the old location.

Flexible adaptation

To retain customers, many restaurants and eateries have launched many programs and strategies to support customers. Ms. Do Thuy Chi, manager of Hong Ha restaurant - Van Don seafood, said that the restaurant has arranged a team of staff to support driving for customers after drinking alcohol. Arrange overnight parking for customers, support taxi contact for customers to go home. At the same time, introduce 0-degree beer, vegetarian wine so that customers can drink alcohol and still be safe when participating in traffic. The restaurant cares about and controls all stages to ensure quality and fresh food sources; at the same time, develops a few new dishes to change the taste for customers such as sea urchin, sea cucumber, baked dishes, fruit sauce, or matcha dishes with many new variations... This restaurant also applies many preferential programs to attract customers such as giving away dishes, free or supporting home delivery fees.

In addition to supporting customers who drink alcohol at the restaurant, the King of Beer Restaurant also promotes take-away sales. The owner of the King of Beer Restaurant said that even if a customer only orders one tray or a few dishes, the restaurant will provide maximum support. For customers who order 5-10 trays, the restaurant will arrange for a chef to come to the customer's house to cook for them, and even lend them bowls and plates. The restaurant also increases the variety of new dishes, from popular to high-end. With many solutions implemented, the number of customers at the restaurant has increased and stabilized again, of which the number of customers ordering take-away now accounts for a large number.

According to a report from Vietnam-Briefing, Vietnam's beer consumption by 2022 accounted for 2.2% of the global market, at 3.8 million liters of beer annually. 2023 saw a "plummet" in sales of companies producing and distributing alcoholic beverages, with the revenue of beer companies in 2023 falling by 11%.

In Hai Duong, the financial report for the fourth quarter of 2023 of Hanoi - Hai Duong Beer Joint Stock Company shows that this enterprise has experienced an unfavorable business period. Although the company's profit after tax in 2023 was 6 billion VND, this figure decreased by nearly 43% compared to 2022. According to the financial report for the first quarter of 2024, this company lost 1 billion VND.

These numbers show that it is inevitable that restaurants and bars must change direction and the way they do business.