"Civilized Restaurants" in Cua Lo Town: Improving the Quality of Service for Tourists

(Baonghean) - With the goal of building a civilized, modern, friendly, and hospitable coastal town, Cua Lo town has implemented many solutions in recent years to better serve tourists. In 2013, for the first time, the town recognized six restaurants as "Civilized Restaurants" that met three standards. This serves as a brand affirmation aimed at improving the service attitude of restaurants towards tourists.

Huong Son Restaurant - Thu Thuy Ward, Cua Lo Town.

As one of the six restaurants recognized as "Civilized Restaurants" in 2013, Huong Son Restaurant in Thu Thuy Ward is upgrading, expanding, renovating its roof, and installing air conditioning in the dining area... in preparation for the tourist season. Happily stopping to supervise the workers, Mr. Duong Cong Son, the owner of Huong Son Restaurant, said: When deciding to venture into the restaurant business, he and his wife determined that to compete with other restaurants, there was no other way than to build a brand, and the restaurant's brand could only be based on its service attitude, fresh and delicious food, and reasonable prices.

Thanks to this, many tourists who had enjoyed the dishes at Huong Son restaurant recommended it to their friends. As the number of customers increased, the couple decided to expand the scale, hiring trained staff to provide professional service, even though the salary was one and a half times higher than that of untrained workers (on average, trained workers earn 5 million VND/month, untrained workers earn 3 million VND/month, and the head chef earns 10 million VND/month). During peak season, the restaurant provides employment for more than 30 workers, mainly students from Cua Lo College of Commerce and Tourism.

In 2013, Huong Son Restaurant was recognized as a "Civilized Restaurant". Mr. Son said: "The most important thing for a business owner is building a brand and creating trust with tourists. No advertising or promotion is as effective as the tourists themselves. In fact, visitors to Cua Lo are not only from Nghe An, but also from many other places such as Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Lang Son, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang… and even foreign tourists. And since they are all guests, the attitude of service must be the same. Even if we are upset, when we go out to serve guests, we must be cheerful and welcoming. And the secret to Huong Son Restaurant attracting so many tourists is its diverse menu: besides dishes like steamed shrimp, sticky rice with squid, steamed crab, grilled shrimp, clam porridge, the restaurant can also prepare seven different dishes from sea snake such as crispy fried skin, stuffed skin, crispy fried bones, stir-fried mixed offal… with unique flavors that tourists are very satisfied with."

To prepare for the 2014 tourist season, Huong Son Restaurant is undertaking upgrades and renovations worth over 500 million VND, aiming for a revenue of 2 billion VND during this season. Mr. Duong Cong Son's aspiration is to be able to serve tourists year-round, not just during the current one season.

Sharing the same philosophy of "Welcoming guests with pleasure, sending them off with satisfaction," Thang Beo Restaurant in Nghi Thu is a popular choice for many tourists. The restaurant boasts a professional service staff, well-maintained facilities, and a kitchen built to standard specifications. The restaurant consistently adheres to the town's "5 No's" policy, especially regarding price gouging and the clear and transparent display of prices. These criteria not only attract more customers but also led to the town's recognition of Thang Beo Restaurant as a "Civilized Restaurant" in 2013. Ms. Thai Thi Hai, the owner, stated: "Being recognized as a 'Civilized Restaurant' is difficult, but maintaining the brand is even harder. To preserve the brand, the restaurant prioritizes food quality above all else, staff above second, and reasonable prices above third. Therefore, in business, we always put credibility first. We also adapt the menu to suit the needs of our customers."

To become a "Civilized Restaurant," businesses must meet 3 standards and 11 criteria, focusing on aspects such as: Healthy business practices (operating in accordance with state regulations, paying taxes and fees in full; displaying price lists; not violating the "5 No's" policy; fair competition). Effective, stable, and developing business practices (restaurants with a good reputation among tourists; creating jobs for 5 or more employees; 80% of employees holding relevant professional certificates; modern and well-maintained facilities). Maintaining a cultured lifestyle and civilized environment (employees wearing uniforms, displaying name tags while serving, friendly and hospitable attitude; clean and beautiful restaurant grounds; ensuring food safety and hygiene; no employees involved in social vices; full participation in local campaigns). In 2013, the town awarded the "Civilized Restaurant" certificate to 6 restaurants: Huong Son, Tuan Nhat, Thang Beo, Quang Yen, Binh Cuc, and Lam Giang. In 2014, it is expected that 20-25 restaurants throughout the town will be recognized as "Civilized Restaurants".

In order to improve the service attitude towards tourists, most wards and communes in the area have organized training on cultural etiquette in communicating with tourists for all accommodation establishments and restaurants in the area. Ms. Kim Anh, a cultural officer in Thu Thuy ward – one of the key wards with the highest number of restaurants, hotels, and guesthouses in Cua Lo town – stated: “Currently, there are 400 restaurants, guesthouses, and hotels in the ward. In 2013, Thu Thuy had two restaurants recognized as “Civilized Restaurants”. On average, during each tourist season, businesses in the area provide employment for approximately 4,000 local workers, not including those from other areas. To effectively implement the town's policy of building “Civilized Restaurants”, Thu Thuy ward has organized training sessions, disseminated information via the ward's loudspeakers, and widely publicized the three standards and eleven criteria of a “Civilized Restaurant” to all businesses. In 2014 alone, Thu Thuy aims to have four restaurants recognized as “Civilized Restaurants”.

The town's initiative to build "civilized restaurants" is a correct and necessary policy for Cua Lo's sustainable development. Because no matter how beautiful the scenery is, or how fresh the seafood is, if the people working in the service industry are not friendly in communication and polite in behavior, it will certainly be difficult to satisfy tourists.

Thanh Thuy