Viva International Joint Stock Company opens a fifth coffee kiosk with free public toilets. — Photo tint.vn

HÀ NỘI — With social distancing measures eased, some F&B businesses have gradually restarted operations, with some even opening new branches.

Cà phê Ông Bầu, a coffee shop chain owned by Đoàn Nguyên Đức, chairman of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Group; Võ Quốc Thắng, chairman of Đồng Tâm Joint Stock Company; and Trần Thanh Hải, president of Nutifood Company; opened its first branch in the capital city on May 8.

The chain has opened some 40 shops across Việt Nam since the beginning of the pandemic.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, the firm plans to have 1,000 cafes nationwide by the end of the year. 

Similarly, Lê Thị Ngọc Thuỷ, chairman of Viva International Joint Stock Company, has just opened a fifth coffee kiosk with free public toilets.

Thuỷ also expects to launch a take-away service soon. 

Thuỷ’s kiosks are located in the downtown areas of HCM City. Thuỷ is now surveying new locations to expand her services and plans to replicate this model, including through franchising.

Famed for his bánh mì thanh long (dragon fruit bread), the ‘King of Bread’ Kao Siêu Lực, founder of ABC Bakery said he will expand to Nhà Bè District and District 7 in HCM City.

Lực sees COVID-19 as “an opportunity to spend time researching new products and training personnel”.

After the pandemic, Lực says: “We are now more than ready to meet the needs of the market.”

Lực thinks: “The impact on the F&B industry is no longer too great, because the Government has relaxed social distancing. By June and July, we will recover."

Other F&B businesses have partially opened and are watching the market. 

To date, Golden Gate Group has reopened 95 per cent of its restaurants.

A representative of the group with nearly 400 restaurants of more than 20 brands across the country said they planned to reopen each restaurant based on customer demand.

For the Cheese Coffee chain, founder and CEO John Trung Nguyen said: "We are not yet in a hurry to develop a new branch.”

The CEO planned to expand the chain before the pandemic, however now he just wants to concentrate on improving the quality of the current 10 stores while waiting for a reasonable time to expand.

Owner of seven Ngon restaurants, which serve local cuisine in Hà Nội, Phạm Thị Bích Hạnh will reopen her chain on May 15.

She told Việt Nam News: “I waited for a month with no new COVID-19 community transmision to reopen as I want my diners to feel safe when enjoying their food.”

Before the pandemic, Ngon restaurants were busy serving in-house customers so did not take online orders.

Now things have changed. Hạnh, who loves the experience of being served in a restaurant, now says: “There are new demands after the pandemic, and I won’t miss them.”

"As a business, I am always ready for change, and I am sure that online services will be a good channel after the pandemic," Hạnh said. — VNS