Lesson 6 of 8 · Getting to know The Hoa

Reading the menu from what the guest likes

Know what the guest likes, find the right cup easily

Start with an easy question

A menu with many drinks becomes easier to choose from when we know what the guest feels like drinking.

Today, would you like a clear tea taste, something with milk or a sweet and sour fruit drink?

From that answer, suggest one or two drinks and briefly explain why they fit. Below are six groups to help you picture the menu; drink names, prices and available options should follow the current menu at the store.

1. Milk tea from Vietnamese tea bases

For guests who like tea aroma together with a soft, round milk taste. Tea bases such as Nhài (Jasmine Green Tea), Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh (Roasted Rice Green Tea), Oolong Mây Sữa (Milky Cloud Oolong Tea) or Sen Hạ (Summer Lotus Oolong Tea) carry different aroma signatures.

If the guest likes a nutty, toasty aroma, you can suggest the milk tea version of Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh. If the guest likes a light floral aroma, ask a little more to suggest Nhài or Sen Hạ.

Suggested line: “If you like the aroma of roasted rice, try the milk tea version of Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh.”

2. Trà Original

This is the plain version, with no milk added, for when the guest wants to sense the tea base and its aftertaste clearly. The machine-brewed tea group on the Tân Phú menu offers both tea and milk tea for the seven tea bases listed.

Suggested line: “You can choose the no-milk version of this tea base to taste the tea more clearly.”

No milk and less sweet are two different needs. If the guest finds a drink too sweet, ask what sweetness level they want before suggesting a different way to drink it. The sugar level also needs to be confirmed when choosing Original.

3. Trà Dưỡng

Trà Dưỡng (the herbal tea line) is the hand-brewed herbal group with ten flavors: Dưỡng An Bụng (Tummy Comfort), Dưỡng Sắc (Rosy Glow), Dưỡng Khí (Vital Energy), Dưỡng Thần (Calm Spirit), Dưỡng Gan (Late-Night Recovery), Dưỡng Phế (Clear Breath), Dưỡng Thanh Hương (Gentle Cleanse), Dưỡng Tâm (Sweet Sleep), Dưỡng Tóc (Silky Hair) and Dưỡng Thận (Root Vitality).

Help the guest choose by ingredients and flavor. The drink's name is a product name, not a promise about health effects.

Suggested line: “What kind of herbal taste do you like? Let me introduce a few flavors and their ingredients so it is easier to choose.”

4. Matcha and Chocolate

This group has Matcha Latte, Matcha Cold Whisk, Coco Matcha, the mango or strawberry blends; plus Socola Latte (Iced Chocolate) and Socola Latte Dâu Tây (Iced Strawberry Chocolate).

Matcha is still tea. When a guest says “I don't drink tea”, ask further whether they want a different flavor or are avoiding a specific ingredient, then check the drink information before suggesting.

Suggested line: “Do you prefer matcha or cocoa? We have latte versions and some fruit blends.”

5. Fruit tea

Lục Trà Lựu Đỏ (Pomegranate Green Tea), Lục Trà Xoài (Mango Green Tea), Lục Trà Dâu Tây (Strawberry Green Tea), Trà Thanh Đào (Peach Tea), Trà Thanh Vải (Lychee Tea) and Nước Dừa Quế Hoa (Osmanthus Coconut Water) give more choice to guests who like fruit flavors.

Suggested line: “Would you prefer peach, lychee or the sweet and sour taste of pomegranate?”

Asking what flavor the guest likes is more helpful than introducing the whole group with just the word “refreshing”.

6. Machine-made coffee

Americano, Cà Phê Đen (Black Coffee), Cà Phê Sữa (Milk Coffee) and Bạc Xỉu (White Coffee (Bac Xiu)) are the familiar choices on the Tân Phú menu. The coffee group helps companions, or guests who want a change, find a drink that suits them.

Suggested line: “Would you like your coffee black or with milk?”

When the guest wants to try a special blend

The Tân Phú menu has three drinks in the Signature box: Lục Ngọc Đồng Xanh (Signature Roasted Rice Milk Tea), Trà Sữa Đào Hồng (Pink Peach Milk Tea) and Mây Hồng Sen Hạ (Summer Lotus Milk Tea with Sakura Cloud).

These drinks have their own blend structure. When introducing them, state clearly the tea base, the milk part or the topping according to the drink description. For example, Lục Ngọc Đồng Xanh pairs the Hạt Ngọc Đồng Xanh base with Sữa Nước (milk) and Trân Châu Trà Oolong Nhài (Oolong Tea Pearls).

On the website, “Trà Sữa Signature” is also used as the name of the brand's milk tea line. So use the full drink name when taking orders to tell it apart from the box of three Signature drinks on the menu.

Confirm the order clearly

After the guest chooses, repeat the drink name, the tea or milk tea version, the milk option if any, sugar, ice and topping according to the options currently in use.

Take this with you. The menu tells us what we have. Listening tells us which drink to offer.