Shop owner hangs up sign "please take one eel off" to avoid raising food prices

(Dan Tri) - Although there were times when it had to make up for losses due to high raw material prices, for the past 5 years, a breakfast shop in Nghe An has "resolutely not increased prices".

The breakfast shop on Highway 46 in Hung Chinh Commune, Vinh City ( Nghe An ) at first glance does not look impressive but is always crowded with customers. The shop serves many dishes made from eel, fish, and vermicelli, but the most famous are probably the dishes made from eel, a specialty of Nghe An.

Customers come to the restaurant not only because of the delicious food, but also because of the very reasonable prices. Notably, in the past 5 years, the restaurant has never increased its selling price, even though market prices have changed many times "depending" on gasoline prices and basic wages.

Mr. Ngoc's breakfast restaurant with a sign saying "no price increase" (Photo: Hoang Lam).

On the wall, the owner of the restaurant has a sign, affirming that he “will not increase the price” by “removing one eel from the bowl”. In fact, over the past 5 years, this restaurant owner has fulfilled half of his commitment.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang (born in 1984, shop owner) said that the above sign was hung by her husband, Mr. Nguyen Ba Ngoc (born in 1984), since 2021.

Since then, the restaurant has kept the price of eel porridge and eel soup at 30,000 VND/bowl (add 5,000 VND if served with bread or rice paper). However, if customers have a request, the restaurant is willing to serve at a special price, which can be up to 70,000 VND/bowl.

According to Ms. Hang, each bowl of eel porridge or eel soup usually has 8 eels. For those who have been in the profession for a long time like her and her husband, it is not necessary to count each eel but can estimate accurately with each pickle.

“In fact, the restaurant’s customers are local residents and workers. In suburban areas, a 40,000 VND breakfast is also a concern.

The prices of raw materials, spices, fuels... are changing in an upward direction, but I cannot increase the prices because it is difficult for customers. Keeping the prices the same and clearly informing customers about the reduction of ingredients from the beginning makes everyone happy," Ms. Hang shared.

In fact, the restaurant mainly serves regular customers, so Mr. Ngoc often forgets the commitment to "remove one eel", not to mention when he is "happy", he also gives regular customers extra fish intestines.

The shop owner does not increase the selling price by asking for less ingredients, but he often only fulfills half of his commitment (Photo: Hoang Lam).

The female owner said that the principle that has been maintained for many years of the restaurant is to put quality and reputation first. Therefore, even though the profit is small, if the sales are high, it can still be managed. However, in reality, with the price of raw materials constantly fluctuating, there are many times when she has to compensate for the goods.

Worried, she repeatedly suggested to her husband to increase the price according to market price to ensure the restaurant's operations, but Mr. Ngoc dismissed it, saying "it's unsightly to pick too little."

The selling price has been committed to be maintained for the past 5 years, however, during the Lunar New Year, when the cost of labor and herbs increased, the selling price of Mr. Ngoc and his wife increased. The price increase only lasted until January 15.

According to the female owner, her husband is a very picky person, meticulous about the source and quality of ingredients. The eel that the supplier brought, Mr. Ngoc cannot guarantee that he will return it.

There was a time when eels were scarce, the dealer brought 42kg of eels but Mr. Ngoc returned 13kg, and even... scolded him because the quality was not guaranteed.

According to Ms. Hang, in 2021, the price of eel was 180,000 VND/kg, the highest was 230,000 VND, the selling price was 35,000 VND/bowl of porridge or eel soup, the restaurant still made a profit.

According to the female owner of the restaurant, at this time, the price of eel is 280,000 VND/kg, sometimes 295,000 VND/kg, the price of electricity is about to increase, the summer is forecasted to be hot and dry, drought, eel is scarce, the price may increase so it is difficult to avoid having to compensate for losses. However, Ms. Hang said that convincing her husband to increase the selling price is... impossible.

The business was clear from the beginning, so Mr. Ngoc and his wife's restaurant always maintained a stable number of customers. Currently, this establishment employs 8 workers with a salary of 4 million VND/person/month, working from 4am to about 10am every day.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/chu-cua-hang-trèo-bien-xin-bot-mot-con-luon-de-khong-tang-gia-do-an-20250623140453023.htm