Controversy over 'base' coffee shop in Ha Long stopping mass service

The coffee shop once caused a stir on social networks because of its full cups of drinks - Photo: BAN XU

This coffee shop is a famous address for tourists in Ha Long City not only because of its quality drinks but also because of its "hard to drink" quality.

Many customers come many times but have not enjoyed the food for many reasons: the restaurant refuses because it is too crowded, the restaurant is closed, or the wait is too long.

Many strange things but still attract customers

This coffee shop is famous among the online community for its full cups of drinks and unique business methods.

On May 16, the online community was again buzzing about a strange announcement on the restaurant's fanpage.

In addition to thanking customers for their support over the past time, the restaurant announced that it would "reduce business operations and stop providing mass services."

Previously, the service of this coffee shop also caused controversy on social networks with many "unique" regulations.

The shop is only open during business hours, closed on Saturdays and Sundays, no take-out, only sells a certain number of drinks per day.

In particular, the shop is known as "must have a place" to drink because the waiting time for drinks is long, on average 40-60 minutes. Or a group of 6 people went but only served 5 people, 1 person had to go home.

Coffee shop causes controversy by announcing it will stop providing mass services - Photo: BAN XU

The restaurant's announcement received thousands of comments right under the post, with many regular customers expressing regret.

A customer shared that he traveled from Mong Cai to Ha Long 3 times to try the drinks of the shop. The first time it was too crowded to accept customers, the second time it was past its opening hours, and the third time it was closed for a holiday. "In the end, there was still no place to go to the local area," the customer regretted.

Having traveled from Hai Phong to Ha Long City to experience coffee at the shop, Ms. Thuy Nga commented that the shop owner has a unique personality, which is clearly shown through the meticulously and beautifully presented drinks.

Facebook account named Cabbage commented that this announcement is very normal, the restaurant is not able to do enough when there are too many customers, so they reduce the number of customers to serve more attentively.

"If you can't meet your needs, you attack others. When you do something sloppy or careless, you're disappointed that it's not what you thought. I think you know your limits and are humble. I wish you to be confident and go further on the path of creating drinks," this person commented.

Besides, there are also many opinions that if this restaurant does not exist, there will be another one, sometimes the way to go is too "unique, strange" is the wrong move in the business equation. Customers have many other options when the restaurant stops serving.

Is not serving the masses discrimination?

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Hoang Tung - Chairman of F&B Investment - said that when building a brand in the F&B industry, identifying customer files is very important and it is impossible to serve all customer files.

Especially with highly experiential cafes like Ban Xu, focusing on a certain group of customers to serve well is completely normal.

In fact, many other F&B models in the world have operated in the hidden bar style, they only serve regular customers or are introduced by regular customers.

"Some customers may not like it or the message the owner sends out may be a bit discriminatory, but each model will have its own customer base," Mr. Tung shared.

According to Mr. Tung, limiting the number of customers to serve is not a poison, but rather shows the mindset of the restaurant owner. Knowing the operating capacity, understanding who the customers are to bring the best experience to customers. The restaurant owner knows how to refuse customers who are not in his core customer base.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tranh-cai-quan-ca-phe-co-can-tai-ha-long-ngung-dich-vu-dai-tra-20250517133755286.htm