Around 300 people enjoyed hot meals at the Nguyen Xi street eatery on June 30.
Vinh, the 28-year-old restaurant owner, said he started offering the all-you-can-eat meal to the poor once a month two months ago.
“I considered distributing free meals or giving out free items, but that’s already been done,” he said. “Inviting people over for a buffet ] will help more people have a more delicious and special meal.”
Over 30 dishes were served. It took around 20 staff at the eatery roughly two hours to prepare the food.
Vinh said the cost to host an all-you-can-eat meal like this is around VND30 million, which came from the eatery’s profits and staff contributions.
Vinh (wearing black T-shirt) speaking to a diner about his experience at the eatery.
“I want those coming here to feel like they are real customers, who use their money to buy the meal instead of being given it for free,” he said.
Pham Thi Quy, 65, of Binh Thanh district, and her grandson make their living selling lottery tickets. They were passing by the restaurant when staff invited them in.
“I didn’t believe it at first when they said I could eat everything I wanted for such a small price,” she said. “We were able to eat many delicious dishes today, I’m very grateful to the restaurant’s owner.”
At this table is a group of three people, including Nguyen Thi Meo, 62. She said this was the first time she and her companions had enjoyed buffet. All three work as scrap dealers, and they normally don’t have money for big meals, said Meo.
Nguyen Hong Minh, a costumed performer, was able to have lunch before his shift started. The 25-year-old man said he took up the job over a year ago and earns about VND350,000 per day on average.
The dining room got crowded as lunchtime approached, but everyone waited their turn in line in an orderly fashion. They also took only what they could eat and didn’t let any food go to waste.
Vinh said he was planning to serve even more food next time and hold similar events at other branches of his restaurant.
