Plan early for the April 30th – May 1st holiday, Mr. Minh Tai (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) contacted many restaurants to book a table so that he could gather with his relatives. He called four restaurants, but Tai could not find a place which he liked because all of the restaurants said that there were no empty tables.
” The holiday is long, but because of many reasons, I have not travelled far. My wife and I planned to bring our children to enjoy the cuisine in Hanoi because it is not every day that we have such time. However, every restaurant I called has turned me down because they were fully booked for the whole holiday. They asked me to call back on that day in case someone cancels a table. But since I could not wait, I had to shift to the restaurants near my house. However, these restaurants are not as famous as “, said Tai.
Contacting many restaurants, reporters from VTC News were also told that they had closed the bookings and were not accepting any more bookings for the April 30 – May 1 holiday. The tables have been fully booked very early.
” Many customers had booked a few weeks, or even a month in advance, so before the holiday, we were fully booked at all meal times. If any customer wants a place now, they have to wait and see if there is any cancellation or if the previous guests have left early, then they might have a table. So now, we are not accepting any more bookings and have asked our customers to call back on the day itself. Hopefully, there will be a table available “, replied the manager of a well-known buffet restaurant.
Many eateries in Hanoi are fully booked right before the April 30 – May 1 holiday. (Photo for illustration)
The staff at MiamThai on Luong Khanh Thien Street (Hoang Mai district) said that although the holiday was still a week away, the number of customers has doubled in comparison to normal days, and 60% of the tables were already booked. Knowing that the number of customers will increase rapidly, the restaurant had to prepare food and staff in advance and get ready to operate full capacity during the upcoming holiday.
” We had to import additional ingredients in advance and hire more people. Otherwise, there is a risk of not being able to cope “, said Ms. Hoa, the restaurant owner.
The Haidilao restaurant chain at Lotte Mall Tay Ho and Times City was also packed in the evening on April 30 and May 1, and they currently did not dare to accept any more orders from customers.
” With regard to customers who have already booked a table, if the restaurant is overloaded, the customers still have to wait. Although, we know this is an inconvenience, this is out of our control. So, we hope customers understand and cooperate. Of course, we have reminded our staff to do their utmost to serve the customers in the best possible way “, said a staff member.
Moreover, a staff member at a Japanese restaurant in Ba Dinh district said that many customers had booked a table at the beginning of April because they had anticipated that there would be no tables available during the holiday.
According to a survey carried out by VTC News, many restaurants in commercial centers such as Aeon Mall Ha Dong and Lotte Mart Tay Ho were also experiencing the same situation and were fully booked with early reservations.
Not only high-end restaurants but many eateries in the low-end segment are also experiencing an influx of customers during this holiday. The staff at a hotpot restaurant on Pho Duc Chinh Street (Tay Ho district) said that last year, during the April 30 holiday, the restaurant welcomed hundreds of customers each evening, and at many times, they were overloaded and had to refuse to serve any more customers because there were no more seats.
This year, since there are 5 days of holiday, the restaurant expects the number of customers to be even higher, possibly 30% higher than last year. ” Since earlier, the restaurant has had to import additional ingredients and recruit part-time staff. They have even increased the salaries of the staff so that they will make every effort to serve the customers “, said the manager of the restaurant.
Mr. Nguyen, a staff member at Thong Dong Coffee Shop (Hoang Mai district) said that the shop had to recruit additional part-time staff, prepare extra ingredients for drinks, and extend the opening hours of the shop to 12 midnight.
