Chopsticks or fork for your pho? Result as of 11-14-2017.
I have this pho poll running for only a couple of weeks. While there are only 20 votes so far (as of this post's published date), I can't resist analyze it. Please chime in in the comments below, and don't forget to cast your vote if you haven't already done so.
Loading ...
The result is obviously not based on extensive data sample and they're pretty much all voluntary. But check out my takeaways:
- 65% have always used chopsticks. This probably includes mostly Asians and non-Asians who are either brave enough to get the full pho experience by learning chopsticks from the beginning, or were already chopsticks fans before pho's arrival.
- 15% started with forks but eventually converted to chopsticks. These brave soul had to try pho even though they couldn't use chopsticks, but with love (and time) they became chopsticks converts.
- 5% started with a fork and still use a fork. It's a small number but still I'm surprised there are still people eating pho with a fork. I can't fathom the experience one goes through eating pho this way.
- 15% are switching between fork and chopsticks. This is even more puzzling! Again I can't understand what's in a person's mind.
- 20% are still using forks. So when adding the last 2 results, we have 20% or 1/5 of people who are using a fork to eat pho in the year 2017!
I thought by now, 42 years after the fall of Saigon and arrival of Vietnamese refugees to Western countries, people would all be using chopsticks to enjoy their pho. Unlike Chinese food where the dishes have been "Americanized" or "Westernized" to accommodate fork and spoon usage, pho has not gone through the same transformation. Pho stays true to what it is in its look, preparation, presentation, taste and how it's eaten. Except for a very few crazy things which I won't mention here, there has been no attempt to change pho for a "Western" taste or dining preference.
I think my data is either tainted by jokesters, or there are actually people demanding a fork with their pho. If the latter is true, it means pho restaurants have to be ready to provide forks to 20% of their customers. No big deal, but still a big deal for businesses who only serve pho with no other Viet dishes on the menu.
So what am I missing? What's your take on why 1/5 of pho eaters still use fork?
SaveSave
Pho Restaurant Business articles:
For more tips and information, read the complete series on how to open and operate your own pho restaurant.
- How to Open a Pho Restaurant.
- What Makes a Great Pho Restaurant?
- What You Need to Open a Pho Restaurant-The Starting Point.
- Tips For Your New Pho Restaurant’s Front and Back of the House.
- Designing Your Pho Restaurant: Hidden Secret of a Good Pho Restaurant Floor Plan.
- Controlling Food Costs of Your New Pho Restaurant.
- Hiring a Pho Chef For Your Pho Restaurant.
- Beef Pho, Chicken Pho, Men, Women: A Complex Relationship.
- Up-Sell Specialist – Would This Work in a Pho Restaurant?
- Secrets To Making And Serving Great Pho In Your Restaurant.
- How Much Does It Cost To Build And Open A Pho Restaurant?
- Pho Restaurant Customer Satisfaction and Complaints.
- Half Off Pho – Why 50% Off Are Not Such Good Pho Deals.
- What Is Real, Authentic Pho?
- Secret Ingredients For Pho: Revealed
- Pho Restaurant Business Plan, Part 1: What Is It Anyway?
- Pho Restaurant Business Plan, Part 2: What’s Sexy About It?
- Pho Restaurant Business Plan, Part 3: The Nuts and Bolts
- Customer to Pho Restaurant: These 5 Things Can Hurt Your Business
- Signs That a Pho Restaurant Is in the Process of Failing
- Hey, What’s the Cost of That Bowl of Pho?
- How Long To Cook Pho Spices In Pho Broth
- 5 Ways A Pho Restaurant Can Beat The Competition
- What’s Your Pho Type, Beef Pho, Chicken Pho or Vegan Pho?
- Online Coupons and Offers – What’s In It For Pho Restaurants?
- What Pho Restaurateurs Can Learn From This Poll
- 3 Reasons Why You Need An Architect For A New Pho Restaurant
- On Pho Restaurant Quality And Service, And Pho 79 Revisited
- What Pho Restaurant Experience Causes You To Never Come Back?
- Selling Pho Secrets – With A Catch
- A Conversation With Pho Restaurant Architect Quynh Tran
- Anatomy Of A Solid Pho Restaurant Business Plan – Part 4
- How To Design, Build and Operate Vietnamese Pho Restaurants
- Pho Eater Behaviors – What Pho Restaurants Can Learn From These Polls
- Importance Of A Well Developed Pho Restaurant Concept
- Will You Eat Pho With MSG? A Pho Poll Result
- 5 Important Lessons For Pho Restaurant Startups
- Best Practice Inventory System For Pho Restaurant Profit, Part 1
- Inventory System For Pho Restaurant, Part 2: Key Characteristics
- Tips To Lower Startup Cost To Open A Pho Restaurant
- Design, Build and Open Vietnamese Pho Restaurant
- Wall Mural: Saigon Pho Restaurant
- Four Signs That A New Pho Restaurant May Not Make It
- Location, Location, Location: Myths and Facts For Pho Restaurants
- Prime Cost And Why Keeping It Under Control Is Critical To A Pho Restaurant’s Survival
- I’m 1 Month Out From Opening My First Small Restaurant
- Inventory System Part 3: What Would You Categorize These Items as?
- Pho Restaurant Kitchen Efficiency: What It Means And How To Achieve It
- Ways To Store Large Quantity Of Pho Broth When You Made Too Much Of It
- Quick Cook Banh Pho Noodle
- Designing Pho Service And Final Plating/Expediting Floor Plan
- Improving the Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal