S$19.90 buffet at Vietnamese restaurant in Geylang allows 1 order only, sparks consumer dissatisfaction

A popular Vietnamese restaurant chain has hit back at the backlash it received online regarding the conditions of its S$19.90 off-peak buffet promotion, which is from 2pm to 4pm, but only allows customers to place their orders once.

S$19.90 buffet but only 1 order allowed

The promotion, launched by An La Ghien-Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine in April, allows customers to enjoy a spread of over 300 dishes at three of its outlets for S$19.90 per person.

The promotion is only available from 2pm to 4pm, with a minimum of three diners required.

Additionally, customers are only allowed to order once and leftover food will incur a charge.

These conditions for the buffet promotion have caused some dissatisfaction among customers, with a number of one-star reviews appearing on the Geylang outlet's page recently.

One such review complained in Vietnamese that it is difficult for customers to gauge how much to order if they can only order once.

If customers initially ordered too little and not full from the meal, they would have to pay to order more dishes a la carte.

But if they ordered too much, they might be fined for food wastage, making eating there a "stressful experience", the review said.

The outlet, located at Lorong 27 Geylang, has an overall 4.5 star rating on Google across more than 1,900 reviews.

Restaurant defends promo conditions, slams 'sabotage'

Addressing the matter on its Facebook page, the restaurant said that a "wave" of one-star reviews it received recently were from a group of four users who asked about the buffet promotion at one of its outlets on Apr. 10, but subsequently left without dining there.

The restaurant explained that the promotion conditions — the 2pm to 4pm window and restriction to a single order — are to ensure food is served hot, promptly and with consistent quality to customers.

It added that these were explained clearly to the group by their staff.

However, the group left 10 minutes later without ordering anything as they were unhappy with the promotional criteria, said the restaurant.

The restaurant criticised the group for leaving "coordinated reviews" as a form of "sabotage".

"In F&B, we know we can’t please everyone, but at the very least, there must be mutual respect and fairness between business and customers," the chain wrote.

300 items on menu, chef needs time to cook: Owner

The restaurant owner, surnamed Chen (transliteration), also explained the rationale behind the promotional conditions to Shin Min Daily News.

Chen shared that by only allowing customers to order once, it makes it easier for chefs to prepare the food.

"There are more than 300 items on the promotion menu and the chef needs time to cook. By restricting customers to one order, the kitchen will only need to prepare ingredients once, and can serve customers more quickly," Chen said.

Chen added that the restaurant has set a low S$19.90 promotional price for its buffet, and does not make much profit from it.

The minimum requirement of three diners, Chen noted, is so that "at least [they] won't incur a loss".

Additionally, Chen explained that the off-peak promotion from 2pm to 4pm is intended to spur business and give back to their customers.

She said they hope to attract students and working adults to patronise their outlets, and enjoy Vietnamese food at an affordable price.

Top image from Shin Min Daily News