'Even if we're going to lose, we'll still try to reward ourselves!'

So, how much are restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City giving their employees as Tet bonuses this year?

Retain all employees, no salary cuts.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ban (35 years old), owner of the Thanh Dat noodle shop chain with 19 branches in Ho Chi Minh City, said that he currently manages 600 employees. Of these, 100 are seasonal workers, while the rest are full-time employees.

The owner said that business has been difficult and challenging this year.

The owner said that the past year was extremely difficult as business was not as favorable as in previous years due to the general economic difficulties. "From March 2023, the restaurant's revenue started to decrease, peaked in June, then continued to decline, and continued to fall in September," the owner said.

Currently, he said that revenue from food delivery apps has decreased by 50% compared to last year, and dine-in customers have also dropped by 10-15%. However, the owner feels fortunate compared to many other restaurants or businesses, as many others have already closed down.

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What he was most proud of throughout 2023 while "steering" his beloved noodle shop was that, in addition to providing excellent service to his customers, he also maintained his staff, without laying off any employees or reducing salaries.

The staff at my shop are all unskilled laborers, many of them from difficult family circumstances, some even having to support families and relatives back home. It would be cruel to cut salaries or lay off staff now. I'd rather run the business with less profit, or even at a loss, but ensure everyone can still earn a living. That makes me very happy!

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Ban, owner of the Thanh Dat chain of Phnom Penh noodle soup restaurants.

Mr. Bạn, the owner of the noodle shop, proudly stated that he hasn't laid off any staff or reduced employee salaries over the past year.

Businesses are struggling in the final days of the year, so how will they pay their employees for Tet bonuses?

Instead, the owner and staff sought ways to attract customers during this difficult period, such as offering various combo deals, improving the quality of the noodle soup, and organizing lucky money giveaways during Tet (Lunar New Year)...

According to Mr. Ban, last year, business was stable. Besides giving a 13th-month salary bonus to all employees, the restaurant also organized a year-end gala, a raffle with prizes such as gold, motorbikes, etc., and gave lucky money to employees. This was also a way for him to share and show gratitude to his subordinates for their hard work throughout the year and for helping to build the restaurant.

Things are tough this year, how will the Lunar New Year bonus be?

A representative from Thanh Dat noodle shop said that this year, despite the difficult general situation, Mr. Ban will try his best to give his employees a one-month salary bonus for Tet (Lunar New Year). In addition, he plans to organize a gala like last year so that employees can celebrate the New Year, participate in a raffle for special prizes, and receive lucky money envelopes…

"This year, many branches of our restaurant will be open throughout the Lunar New Year holiday. We plan to increase the salaries of our staff working during these days several times, just like every year, so they won't be at a disadvantage," the owner said.

Unlike the same period last year, the restaurant is currently experiencing a decline in revenue. Dine-in customers have decreased by 10-15%, while customers ordering through food delivery apps have dropped by as much as 50%.

Meanwhile, Mr. Doan Van Minh Nhut, co-founder of the Ma Hai bread brand, said that 2023 was a difficult year for the economy as a whole, including his bread chain.

However, with the advantages of selling a popular, everyday food item that caters to many Vietnamese people's essential daily eating needs, a representative of this 10-year-old banh mi chain said that business is still relatively stable compared to the general situation. Although, Mr. Nhut described it as incomparable to previous years.

Minh Nhựt, co-founder of Má Hải bread shop, said that this year the brand is facing many obstacles due to the general difficulties of the economy.

To date, according to Mr. Nhut, Ma Hai bread has thousands of partners nationwide and internationally, along with 4 stores in Ho Chi Minh City directly managed by the company, employing 60 full-time and 40 part-time staff.

This bakery chain stated that this year, despite the difficult economic situation, the management team is still striving to develop the brand without cutting staff or reducing employee salaries.

Throughout the years, even during the most challenging times, such as the pandemic when we were operating at a loss, we have always strived to maintain our staff and provide Lunar New Year bonuses. For us, our employees are like family and friends. The company thrives only when our employees succeed. That's why people play such an extremely important role at Má Hải Bread...

Mr. Doan Van Minh Nhut, Co-founder of Ma Hai bread shop.

Mr. Nhựt said that even though the company has suffered losses for the past 10 years, it has always set aside a sum of money to give Tet bonuses to its employees.

Mr. Nhut stated that during prosperous years, the company always sets aside a sum to mitigate risks, using it to support employee salaries and bonuses during these challenging business periods. The representative from Ma Hai Bread also revealed that this year, the company will maintain the 13th-month bonus of one month's salary for its employees. In addition, to express gratitude for the achievements and hard work of the entire team over the past year, the company also organized an intimate party to reflect on the journey so far.

Meanwhile, the owner of a well-known beef noodle soup chain in Ho Chi Minh City also said that this year, despite enduring losses for many months and facing extremely difficult business conditions with an "unimaginable" drop in revenue, she still tried her best to provide Tet bonuses for her employees.

"This year, the Lunar New Year bonus will probably not be as much as last year, but we still need to give bonuses to make our employees happy. Everyone has worked hard over the past year. We'll see how the business performs in the final months before the Lunar New Year and then decide on the bonus amount," the owner shared her plan.

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Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-an-o-tphcm-co-thuong-tet-cho-nhan-vien-gong-lo-cung-rang-thuong-185231227173056162.htm