By admin 
Banh tells 8days.sg that her recent TikTok fame has made her business a lot busier lately, so she recommends placing orders via WhatsApp before heading down, or getting her food delivered via GrabFood.
While she prepares each order fresh on the spot, some customers who did not place orders in advance had to wait between 40 minutes and an hour for their food. She tells us that people who place WhatsApp orders in advance usually get their food at her home within 10 to 15 minutes of arriving.
However, when customers have to wait up to an hour for their food, Banh says they should go home or take a walk around the area before coming back to pick up their orders. So it’s usually just people who wait briefly in her living room.
Does she or her family members ever feel uncomfortable having strangers in the house?
She laughs: “It doesn’t bother my son that much, he usually just watches TV. My daughter is a bit shy, so she usually stays in her own room while my husband chats with the customers. For me, it’s fine, because after all I’m running a business!”
Although her store is open until 8 p.m., Banh says this also does not disrupt family meals. “My children often go out to eat, otherwise they just eat in the living room. It’s no problem. My husband also works quite late and sometimes doesn’t get home until 10 p.m.,” she explains.
However, Banh has no plans to open her apartment for dining. “I’m afraid the neighbors will complain if there are too many customers in my house,” she says.
Since gaining recognition on social media, she says she receives about 50 to 60 orders for banh mi per day. Although many of her customers live in the Choa Chu Kang area, she tells us that a large number also come from other locations such as Bugis and Tampines.
Nevertheless, she shares that her business only makes a modest profit: “It is very busy, but we don’t really make much profit, because our food is cheaper than (at other stalls) outside. But as long as my customers get tasty authentic Vietnamese food, and as long as I earn enough to make a living, it’s enough,” she reasons.
She adds that her net profit is about S$3,000 a month, and says she has fewer customers now compared to when she worked at a kopitiam. “It was more convenient for customers then because there were seats in the coffee shop. My electricity bill at home is also higher,” she explains.