Foodcourt and Restaurants
Restaurants are a traditional business for immigrants, no matter the country.
Cocochin Foodcourt
Cocochin was one of our efforts to create a foodcourt with a strong Vietnamese vibe. It lasted 7 years until the property owner took back the space. We borrowed the model from Singapore’s mall foodcourts but tweaked it with some Vietnamese style:
(a) Decorated it like a fine-dining restaurant, not a basic mall foodcourt, which meant investing more in dishes, tables, and chairs.
(b) Staff served the food instead of customers carrying it themselves.
(c) Customers paid after eating, not before.
After years of running it, I think the Singaporeans are truly masters at optimization when it comes to financial efficiency. Back when we started this project, a fully Singapore-style foodcourt (pay upfront, inside a mall, self-service) at Bitexco had to shut down due to no customers. So, I believe Vietnamese people might be okay with paying upfront, but they still want to be served when they’re not cooking at home. Items (a) and (c) could probably be cut in today’s context. Even now, I think I could’ve done better with Cocochin if I had the chance to try again.
Le Royal Saigon
This was a project at the Majestic Hotel, with a 450m² space, in collaboration with Saigontourist. We had to close it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I learned a lot from setting up this restaurant, which helped when I later got involved in Vietnam House project — a place recognized by the Michelin Selected in 2023 and 2024.
Overall, I still enjoy and feel I’m better suited to working on foodcourts. Running a fine-dining restaurant is really tough :)