From sidewalk carts to coffee chains covering the South and North
The world knows the founder of KFC, Mr. Harland Sanders, with his inspiring entrepreneurial journey at the age of 60. In Vietnam, there is a similar story. That is the story of Mr. Duong Thanh Long, often affectionately called "Uncle Long", the founder of the Uncle Long Salt Coffee chain.
Born in 1966 in Quang Ngai , Mr. Long went to Ho Chi Minh City at the age of 15 to make a living. His life was associated with many manual labor jobs, from selling coffee, doing hair, carrying goods, making signs, to serving in restaurants.
In 2019, he borrowed 200 million VND to open a garden cafe. Before he could recover the capital, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, he had to close the shop, pay off the debt, and return to his hometown.
Not only developing the salt coffee chain, Mr. Long also founded
Uncle Long's zero-dong kitchen has been operating since November 2023. Mr. Long said that long before that, he wanted to help people in difficult circumstances, but did not have enough ability, and only occasionally could he raise enough money to buy food to give to people.
Currently, Uncle Long's Zero-Dong Kitchen serves vegetarian dishes, with ingredients imported and processed daily to ensure freshness. Other necessities such as rice, spices, etc., are partly taken from Mr. Long's profits, and partly sponsored by benefactors. The kitchen does not accept financial donations. Many people have come to support the kitchen with money, but Mr. Long has refused, but still appreciates their kindness.
“I just hope to have enough health to continue working, contributing and helping more people in difficult circumstances,” said Mr. Long.
Despite his failure, he did not give up his passion for entrepreneurship. By chance, during a visit to Hue , he was introduced to the ancient capital’s traditional salt coffee. This drink gave him a new idea. “The salt coffee in Hue is quite delicious, but I think I can make it in my own way to make it stronger and more stimulating to the taste buds,” he shared.
Returning to Ho Chi Minh City after Covid-19, Mr. Long decided to restart his business, with a small coffee cart on Cong Hoa Street. Instead of letting the coffee flow through a hot filter, then dripping onto the layer of milk cream below like in the salt coffee version in Hue, Mr. Long's salt coffee is pre-mixed, helping the coffee retain its richness and smoothness. The recipe has also been tested countless times to find its unique flavor.
At that time, salt coffee was not yet popular in Saigon, only large shops sold it. The cheapest cup of salt coffee was 35,000 VND, many shops sold it for 65,000 - 70,000 VND. After careful calculation, Mr. Long decided to develop the model of "salt coffee 15,000 VND" (later adjusted to 18,000 VND/cup) so that everyone, from freelancers, to students, office workers... could enjoy it.
By chance, Mr. Long's daughter and grandchild, while visiting their father in Ho Chi Minh City, filmed a video of Uncle Long's Salt Coffee cart and posted it on TikTok. Mr. Long's story became known to many people. The brand "Uncle Long's Salt Coffee" quickly attracted a large number of customers. There were days when Mr. Long sold more than 500 cups.
In just 6 months, Mr. Long paid off all the debt from his previous startup. He also registered the trademark “Uncle Long” and expanded his coffee shops across the country. To date, the Uncle Long Salt Coffee chain has over 50 stores, not to mention new stores that are opening regularly every month.
Say “no” to franchising
In the early years of his business, Mr. Long shared his salt coffee recipe with some young people. They bought his ingredients, mixed them according to his instructions, and sold the salt coffee, with the request that they not use his brand name. However, Mr. Long later realized that not all stores mixed the coffee according to his recipe, causing customers to complain about the quality.
From that reality, Mr. Long decided not to franchise the Uncle Long Salt Coffee brand. He prioritized training young local staff, bringing them to Ho Chi Minh City for training, then redeploying them at the base, creating a "hard" staff flow, meeting consistent quality at each store.
“I feel like I can open up as far as I can. I think that at this age, I can’t turn back. If I fail, I’ve lost. I decided not to franchise, but to personally walk my own path,” Mr. Long shared.
Because he considers each store as his “brainchild”, Mr. Long has a very special way of managing. On social networks like Facebook or TikTok, followers can see that he always directly responds to customer comments, listens to feedback to make appropriate adjustments.
For example, when receiving feedback from young people about the problem of buying too little salted ice cream, "just swiping for the sake of it", Mr. Long did his own research and decided to develop a separate cup model to hold salted ice cream for customers. This way, the situation of employees packaging salted ice cream incorrectly and in the wrong quantity is controlled more effectively.
In recent years, when the coffee shop chain has grown rapidly, Mr. Long no longer directly stands at the counter and makes drinks. Instead, he personally inspects each branch, instructs employees if they do not follow the correct procedures, and personally asks customers about their experience when buying coffee at Mr. Long's shop.
“I admit that I still have many shortcomings in terms of service, especially in training and staff management. But I am very lucky because I always receive sincere comments from dynamic young people,” Mr. Long confided.
Looking back on his entrepreneurial journey, Mr. Long said he had experienced many hardships, but he never considered them failures. It was those valuable experiences, along with the love of his customers, that brought him to where he is today.
“Success does not mean not failing and failure does not mean not being able to succeed. The most important thing is how we observe and accept things. Hopefully, no matter what situation you are in now, always keep an optimistic spirit and a positive attitude,” Mr. Long advised young people.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/duong-thanh-long-nha-sang-lap-ca-phe-muoi-chu-long-u60-khoi-nghiep-chuoi-ca-phe-d301651.html
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