Secrets revealed for the first time after 1 year

In just a few days, the Michelin Guide 2024 announcement ceremony for Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will officially take place in Ho Chi Minh City. We visited the restaurants that were listed in the Michelin Guide categories a year ago and were surprised to hear the restaurant owners' stories.

“Being on the Michelin list, what do you get?”

That was the question of Mr. Nguyen Thai Chau (35 years old), 1 of 2 owners of Bun Bo 14B restaurant in District 4 (HCMC) when we met him on the official day of being honored by Michelin in the Bib Gourmand category (restaurant with delicious food at affordable prices) this year.

Michelin's honor has made Ms. Loan's business more favorable.

The first time being on the Michelin list, the owner was a bit bewildered, surprised and did not understand why his restaurant was on this list. Because, according to him, the restaurant's cooking was "normal" like any other restaurant. However, for him, this was also a great joy and happiness.

With Chau's question in mind, we went to the restaurants that were listed in the Michelin Guide last year to find out what they had gained after 1 year of being honored. Remembering that the first time, many restaurant owners had similar feelings as Chau.

Among them is Ms. Nghiem Thi Kim Loan (55 years old), owner of Hoang Van grilled pork noodle restaurant in Tan Binh District. This is one of 70 restaurants that were included in the Michelin Selected list (restaurants recommended by Michelin Guide) last year.

The owner said that after being honored on the above list, the restaurant's business became more favorable, the restaurant was crowded with customers, especially foreign customers. To meet the needs of customers as well as the work at the restaurant, the owner had to hire additional staff.

Grilled pork noodle soup of Hoang Van restaurant makes many customers "fall in love" because of its delicious taste and affordable price.

“My restaurant is the only one in Tan Binh District to have this honor, so the local government pays attention and creates favorable conditions for business and trade. We also improve the quality of our dishes, use clean, organically grown vegetables… to maintain our reputation,” the owner said.

Last year, each portion of noodles was sold for 35,000 VND. This year, the price has increased to 40,000 VND due to rising prices, not because of Michelin recognition, according to the owner.

She laughed and said that there were customers who came to the restaurant to buy grilled pork noodles, and they bought two portions to save for the next day because they were at home. That was also the reason why she was thinking about opening another branch of the restaurant in the near future if conditions allowed.

“I received an invitation from Michelin for this year’s event. I am honestly very nervous about whether I will be included in the list again. Hopefully the results will be as expected,” she said.

Normally, my restaurant is only crowded on weekends, but for the past year, customers have been coming to my restaurant almost every day of the week. Thanks to Michelin, not only new customers but also many old customers have come back to support my restaurant. Michelin has revived my family's pho restaurant!

Ms. Phuc Thinh, owner of Pho Huong Binh restaurant

Many foreign guests, rent more space

Meanwhile, Ms. Tran Thi Kim Lieng (72 years old), owner of a beef leaf restaurant with nearly 30 years of experience in District 3 (HCMC), was on the Michelin Selected list last year. She happily said that the honor has helped her attract new customers and make her restaurant more crowded.

Accordingly, foreign guests account for 50%. To accommodate the increased number of diners, the owner had to rent additional space next door. Despite the rising cost of living, Ms. Lieng said she did not increase the price of her dishes.

“I accept selling at a slightly lower profit to keep a large number of customers, and make up for it with quantity, rather than raising prices and losing many regular customers. My restaurant always tries to maintain the quality of the food, not disappointing the expectations of customers,” the owner confided.

Ms. Lieng's restaurant expanded its space because of the large number of customers.

The famous beef wrapped in betel leaves dish at the restaurant is recommended by Michelin.

Ms. Lieng is also anxiously awaiting the restaurant's results on the upcoming official announcement day of Michelin, hoping that the restaurant will continue to receive the trust of experts and diners.

Previously, sharing with Thanh Nien , Ms. Phuc Thinh, owner of Pho Huong Binh restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, also said that 1 year after being honored by Michelin in the category of "delicious restaurant, affordable price", her restaurant has surprisingly revived. That is also what makes her very happy.

Or Ms. Bui Thi Dung, owner of Pho Chao restaurant (Binh Thanh District) also said that thanks to Michelin, she has more customers, especially foreign customers who account for 70%. The owner has to rent another space next to the restaurant to sell and serve customers better.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-an-o-tphcm-duoc-michelin-vinh-danh-nhung-bi-mat-lan-dau-tiet-lo-sau-1-nam-18524062509323906.htm