Shops "make a killing" thanks to lavish Tet decorations

This year's Tet holiday, Pho Ma Coffee & Tea (District 3), U Ca Phe KoKeShi (District 7), Thang 7 Cafe (Tan Phu District)... are always crowded, customers have to wait in line to order, and the check-in area is packed with people.

April Tea Shop (District 1 and Phu Nhuan District) with its unique concept of "Miniature Incense Village", offers many photo angles with traditional Tet colors.

Entering the shop, customers will be overwhelmed by the brilliant space with red and yellow incense sticks arranged in unique shapes, creating an extremely impressive Tet scene. The shop also has an area displaying traditional handicrafts such as Dong Ho paintings, ceramic statues,...

Cong Ca Phe is a famous chain of stores with a nostalgic style, recreating images of the subsidy period. On the occasion of Lunar New Year 2024, Cong Ca Phe continues to bring cozy and spring-filled photo angles.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to increase revenue, coffee shops also provide a photo-taking ao dai rental service for 50,000 VND/set for 30 minutes, with an average of 15 rentals per day. Some shops also provide statue painting services, sell phone cases with printed photos after taking photos...

Mr. Truong Nguyen Cong Ly, manager of April Tea Shop (Phu Nhuan District), said that the number of visitors checking in at the Tet space this year decreased by about 5% compared to last year, but compared to other holidays of the year, it was almost double.

TP HCM: Hàng quán — A corner of Tet decoration at April Tea Shop

This manager said the cost of decorating the restaurant for Tet is quite large, around 100 million VND, including incense garden (bought from Hue), peach blossoms, lucky leaves...

"This Tet, my shop still charges extra like every year because the staff costs have to be doubled or tripled. We sell until about 1-2 pm on the 30th of Tet and then close, and start selling again at noon on the 1st of Tet. Now, everything is ready to serve customers in the best way possible," said Mr. Ly.

Tet atmosphere of a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Pham Thi Truc Nu, owner of Suoi Da Coffee Shop (District 3), said that Tet decoration is almost an "unwritten rule" that must be done every year, otherwise other shops will lose all their customers. It can be said that the number of customers taking photos and checking in during Tet contributes greatly to the shop's revenue.

Talking about Tet decorations, Ms. Nu said that every corner is decorated with apricot and peach blossoms and Tet greetings on the pillars of the house... Due to economic difficulties, she reused the decorations from last year to save money, only buying the dragon mascot and some miscellaneous items to add, totaling about 15-20 million VND.

"This Tet, I have created many new dishes to serve customers. I especially focus on the dishes so that customers have a memorable experience and come back to the restaurant more often. I will sell until the 29th of Tet and then close, after the 1st of Tet I will return to serve customers" - Ms. Nu happily said.

Ms. Nguyen Le Hoang Yen, manager of Vuon Xuan Coffee Shop (Phu Nhuan District), shared that thanks to the regular Tet decorations every year as well as festivals, she has a large number of regular customers. Now with the addition of the social network Tiktok, many new customers come to take photos.

According to other shop owners in Ho Chi Minh City, Tet is always the best time of the year for shops to attract and retain customers, so they always find ways to create eye-catching and novel decorative spaces.

To do business following trends and check-in, shop owners must always change and decorate according to each festival, not just Tet.