Why Many Restaurants Haven’t Reopened on the First Day of Work after Tet?

Recognizing February 15 (the 6th day of Tet), many restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City have not reopened for business.

Mr. Tran Hoang, who works in a high-rise building in the city center, planned to meet a friend at a coffee shop on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street (District 3) for a New Year’s coffee, but when he arrived, he saw a notice that the shop would not reopen until the 10th day of Tet.

Some restaurants have attracted a considerable number of customers when they opened early, but there are also many restaurants with few customers.

Ms. Truong Thuy Minh (from District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) said that on the morning of the 5th day of Tet, she went to her favorite restaurants on Le Thi Rieng Street (District 1) and Nguyen Thien Thuat Street (District 3), but they were all closed. Today (the 6th day of Tet), she went to her familiar noodle restaurant on Nguyen Canh Chan Street (District 1), but it still hasn’t reopened.

According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Hung (from Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), on the morning of the 6th day of Tet, he took his family out to find something to eat, but many restaurants in the city were still closed, so he couldn’t find his favorite restaurant and had to eat at a “strange” restaurant.

The owner of a beef noodle soup shop on Luong Dinh Cua Street, Thu Duc City, said that his shop opened throughout Tet and the prices remained the same as usual, so there were quite a few customers. In fact, customers had to wait more than 5-7 minutes to place their orders.

Similarly, Pho Binh restaurant on Cao Thang Street, District 3 also opened throughout Tet. According to tradition, the price per bowl of noodles would increase by 2,000 dong, but this year, due to the overall situation and the difficulties faced by people in business, the restaurant decided not to raise the price.

According to Ms. Yen, the owner of a pho restaurant in Thu Duc City, the restaurant will be closed until next week because many people are still in their hometowns and many people have not returned to work, so opening at this time would not attract customers.

Mr. Dang Minh Tri, the owner of Anh Ut mixed noodles shop in the alley of Cach Mang Thang Tam Street (District 10), said that the majority of his customers are office workers, so the shop reopened on the morning of the 6th day of Tet. During the first lunch hour after Tet, the shop’s sales reached about 50% of the average on regular days. This was expected because on the first day of the Lunar New Year, many companies held parties, so their employees did not eat outside, and some companies’ employees did not start working until the 10th day of Tet.

“This year, more restaurants opened throughout Tet because many people are facing difficulties, so they did not take a break during Tet. The restaurants that closed for Tet will remain closed for a long time because at the beginning of the year, employees have not returned to work, and some even quit their jobs,” Mr. Tri commented.

According to Ms. Cam Van, the owner of a pho restaurant on Huynh Van Banh Street (Phu Nhuan District), the restaurant held a grand opening on the 1st day of Tet but did not reopen until the 10th day because they were waiting for employees.

In a Facebook forum for coffee shop owners, a member shared a schedule to reopen on the 6th day of Tet, but when the day came, no employees were willing to work! Therefore, the owners only had the option to either sell by themselves or continue to close. In F&B (Food and Beverage) groups, many restaurant owners shared messages from employees quitting their jobs on the first day of the year, which affected the opening plans for the new year. According to F&B expert Do Duy Thanh, the founder and director of Viet Franchise and FnB Director Consultancy Company, many restaurants have not reopened on the 6th day of Tet because the owners tried to find an auspicious day for the grand opening.