That is the reason why customers often joke that the porridge shop of Mrs. Sau (57 years old, real name Huynh Thi Tiep) is the "fastest selling porridge shop in Ho Chi Minh City". Is the rumor true?
"Cheap"... 20,000 VND/bowl
Early in the morning, I crossed the traffic jam to find Mrs. Sau's porridge shop nestled on Doan Van Bo Street (Ward 16, District 4). Along both sides of the street, there were dense rows of shops selling breakfast food, the atmosphere of business and eating was bustling, the smell of food was fragrant, because this is a famous culinary area in Ho Chi Minh City.
Mrs. Sau's porridge shop opens at 7:00 am, at 7:30 the pot of porridge is almost empty.
Knowing that Mrs. Sau's shop only opens for one hour, from 7 to 8 am, I tried to get there early. When I arrived at 7:30, I was surprised to see that the pot of porridge was almost empty. Customers came in droves to eat on the spot as well as to buy takeaway, making it impossible for Mrs. Sau and her husband and their cousin to help with the sale.
At first glance, Mrs. Sau's porridge shop looked as normal as the others I had eaten at. It was called a shop, but in reality it was just a small porridge shop with a few plastic chairs for customers to sit and slurp their breakfast bowls, mostly for takeaway. I was curious how delicious the porridge was here, that there were so many customers coming to eat.
After asking a few regular customers, I gradually got some answers. Mr. Ly Thanh Khon (48 years old, living in District 4) said he has been a regular customer at the restaurant for more than ten years. Almost every morning, Mr. Khon comes here to eat before starting his delivery job.
A bowl of porridge here costs at least 20,000 VND.
“The porridge here, first of all, is cheap, only 20,000 VND/bowl. Where else can you find a bowl of porridge at this price with such good quality? Second, the owner cooks delicious food, it tastes good, especially the offal is clean and doesn’t smell bad.
I eat porridge in the morning to fill my stomach. It's not too full but enough energy to work. The shop is near my house so I come here every day of the week. I eat it all the time and get addicted. But I still eat quickly so I can go to work and give up my seat for others," he commented with a smile.
Selling porridge to raise children to go to college
Seeing that the pot of porridge was almost empty, I immediately ordered a full bowl of porridge because I was afraid that it would run out and there would be nothing left to eat. Indeed, the bowl of porridge the owner made for me was also one of the last porridge portions of the day at this restaurant. At exactly 7:55, the restaurant was completely sold out. Customers who came to ask to buy porridge only received the answer: “The porridge is gone, customers! Please understand!”
Apparently, people were used to this situation when they arrived late, so no one was upset. Many people even smiled at the hostess before leaving, making me feel the closeness between the hostess and her guests.
Customers love Mrs. Sau's porridge because of its rich flavor.
[CLIP]: 30-year-old porridge shop 'sells fastest in Ho Chi Minh City': Less than 1 hour... 'sold out'.
“The shop here is like that, it sells out in 1 hour. The slow days are a bit later, but it's slow, Mrs. Sau's shop has a slow day in a year, you can count it on your fingers," a customer added, everyone laughed.
With few customers, the new owner had time to confide in me that she had opened this porridge shop more than 30 years ago, also on this street. Before that, she had also helped her mother-in-law sell porridge and cheap rice.
“My mother just told me to go out and sell to make a living. I listened to her and opened a shop selling bean porridge and pork porridge. The customers are increasing day by day. The reason I only sell for 1 hour is because I sold everything so I have to go home. I make 4 pots, enough to sell for the morning,” the owner said with a smile.
For the past 8 years, she has stopped selling bean porridge and focused on selling pork porridge because she “no longer has the strength”. Her husband and cousin have also helped her sell for many years. The owner is proud that thanks to this pork porridge shop, she was able to raise her son to go to university and become successful. Her son is also the owner’s greatest pride, besides the pork porridge shop that she spent her whole life building.
The restaurant is located at 635 Doan Van Bo Street (Ward 16, District 4).
When asked about the secret to having many customers, the owner said "there is no special secret" because she cooks like everyone else. But she said that cooking with heart, as well as with the experience learned over 3 decades of business, is what has kept her customers coming back for so many years.
While many other shops and restaurants nearby were still operating, the owner and her husband began to clean up and go home to rest after an hour of working so hard that she could not catch her breath. The owner said that her happiness every day was to be so tired, because the more tired she was, the more the customers loved and respected her, and the food she had put her heart into.
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