Banh tells 8days.sg her recent TikTok fame has made her business a lot busier lately, so she recommends placing orders via WhatsApp first before heading down, or getting her food delivered via GrabFood instead.
As she prepares each order fresh on the spot, some customers who don’t place advance orders have had to wait between 40 minutes to an hour for their food. She tells us that folks who place WhatsApp orders in advance usually get their food within 10 to 15 minutes of arriving at her place.
However, on occasions when walk-in customers have to wait up to an hour for their food, Banh tells them to head home first, or to take a walk in the area before coming back to collect their orders. So it’s usually only folks waiting for short durations that hang out in her living room.
Does she or her family members ever feel awkward about having strangers in their home?
She laughs: “My son doesn’t really bother, he usually just watches TV. My daughter does get a little shy, so she usually stays in her own room, while my husband makes small talk with the customers. For me, I’m okay with it as I’m running a business after all!”
Even though her shop is open till 8pm, Banh says it doesn’t disrupt family mealtimes either. “My kids eat out quite often, otherwise they’ll just eat in the living room. It’s no issue. My husband also works till quite late, and sometimes comes home only at 10pm,” she explains.
However, Banh has no plans to open her flat for dining in. “I’m afraid neighbours will complain if there are too many customers in my house,” she shares.
Since gaining social media recognition, she says she receives around 50 to 60 orders for banh mi per day. While many of her customers are residents in the Choa Chu Kang area, she tells us a good number also come from further locations, like Bugis and Tampines.
Despite this, she shares that her business makes just a modest profit: “It’s very busy, but we don’t really make that much profit, because our food is cheaper than [at other stalls] outside. But as long as my customers get to eat nice authentic Vietnamese food, and as long as I’m earning enough to make a living, it’s enough,” she reasons.
She adds that her net profit is around S$3,000 per month, saying that she now has fewer customers compared to when she was operating at a kopitiam. “It was more convenient for customers back then as there were seats at the coffee shop. My electricity bill at home is higher too,” she explains.
