Banh tells 8days.sg her recent TikTok fame has made her business a lot busier lately, so she recommends placing orders via WhatsApp first before going down or having her food delivered via GrabFood.

As she prepares each order fresh on the spot, some customers who don’t place orders in advance have had to wait 40 minutes to an hour for their food. She tells us that people who place WhatsApp orders in advance usually receive their food within 10 to 15 minutes of its arrival.

However, in situations where customers who have to wait up to an hour for their food, Banh tells them to head home first or take a walk around the area before returning to pick up their orders. So usually only people waiting for short periods stay in her living room.

Does she or her family members ever feel embarrassed about having strangers in their home?

She laughs, “My son doesn’t really bother, he usually just watches TV. My daughter gets a little shy so she usually stays in her room while my husband talks to the customers for a bit. For me, I’m okay with that because I’m running a business after all!”

Even though her shop is open until 8 p.m., Banh says it doesn’t disrupt family mealtimes either. “My kids eat out quite often, otherwise they’ll just eat in the living room. There is no problem. Also, my husband works quite late and sometimes doesn’t come home until 10pm,” she explains.

However, Banh has no plans to open his apartment for dining. “I’m afraid the neighbors will complain if there are too many customers in my house,” she says.

Since gaining social media recognition, she says she gets around 50 to 60 banh mi orders a day. While many of her customers are residents of the Choa Chu Kang area, she tells us that a good number also come from other locations such as Bugis and Tampines.

Despite this, she shares that her business only makes a modest profit: “It’s very busy, but we don’t make that much profit because our food is cheaper than (at other stalls) outside. But as long as my customers get to eat authentic and nice Vietnamese food and as long as I make enough to make a living, that’s enough,” she reasons.

She adds that her net profit is about $3,000 a month, saying that she now has fewer customers compared to when she was operating at a kopitiam. “Back then it was more convenient for customers because there were seats in the cafe. My electricity bill at home is even higher,” she explains.