Customers are often thought of as  "Kings” but are treated in a very impolite way by staff members at a number of famous and popular shops and restaurants in Hanoi.

Customers queuing to buy Bao Phuong moon cakes

These shops are often well-known in the capital city for the high quality of their products or some specialties, therefore, they attract a lot of customers. However, when the customers actually get to these places, “the King” has to hustle to be served and is even greeted by the staff's sour expressions and sometimes even outright insults.

The famous Bao Phuong Moon Cake Shop on Thuy Khue Street drew lots of people of different ages who had to queue to buy the cakes during the Autumn Festival last month. Many even had to wait there from the early morning until noon to get served.

Nonetheless, each customer was limited to three boxes of cakes in line with the shop’s regulations. Some of them even faced rude behaviour from the staff.

Some customers who asked to buy more than the regulated amount were insulted by one of the salespeople and driven away.

At another facility of this brand of cake, only a small space was open at the gate where the cakes were passed to customers, meanwhile, the sellers continuously shouted at customers, urging them to stay in the queue.

Lots of customers strongly opposed this behaviour, but agreed to wait their turn because they'd already been in the queue for quite a long time.

A noodle shop on Bat Dan Street is always crowded because it's famous for its special noodles, but, the way clients are served is not special at all.

Customers queuing at Bat Dan Noodle shop. Photo by Tienphong

Waiting your turn requires patience, while, finding a seat is even harder. Therefore, many try to eat their noodles very quickly in order to give their seat to another customer.

 The owner of a noodle shop at 57 Ngo Sy Lien Street is also famous for her good dishes but bad behaviour. Photo by Tienphong.

A video recently posted online about staff members’ impolite behaviour to customers at a buffet restaurant in Hanoi has caused public outrage.

Customers need to protect themselves

Dr. Nguyen Minh Phong, said some people consider this bad serving behaviour as a way for the establishment to get noticed, but he himself said that it is too rude and unacceptable, not to mention very bad publicity.

According to him, the patience of customers may have partially originated from the days of the  Vietnamese subsidised-economy  when people faced difficult times and, thus, getting any food was a joy. Probably because of this, many people think that they have to push and shove and  behave badly just to be served.

“But now  things are different and our lives are much improved. Customers should not act in the same way as in the past. They don’t need to act in such a desperate way just to get served. And if they don't want to be excessively patient unnecessarily, in order to buy something, they should go somewhere else. I think that it's time for people to enjoy a civilised eating and drinking environment, particularly in Hanoi.”

He also called on customers to affirm their rights by refusing this impolite behaviour of sellers. Do not patronise these places, he continued.

National Assembly member, Bui Thi An shared the same opinion, saying that this manner of service has worsened Hanoi’s culture.

According to An, herd mentality is among the causes that explain why one restaurant or shop, which is unfriendly to customers, is still always crowded. She went on to say that one person tells another that the food in this or that restaurant is very good, and then that person also goes to this place. When people see a restaurant is always crowded, they are immediately attracted to it.

Many people think, erroneously, that if a shop or restaurant lures many customers, it means that their service must be good. Besides, many shop owners do not consider their serving technique as an important factor in creating their prestige.