GoodTime Vietnam: The Homegrown Fast Food Brand That Refuses To Burger Off Turns 4

In retrospect, many years from now, we might consider 2024 the true beginning for GoodTime Vietnam. It’s the moment the nascent burger brand’s block parties evolved into a series of events called ‘Believe,’ and it’s the year they finally birthed a second location. This is the moment when an abstract idea truly became a brand.

But this milestone for GoodTime Vietnam didn’t come easy. Before opening their first shop in October 2023, founders Tommy, Duc, and Long invested three years in meticulous pre-production, carefully crafting their concept and preparing to enter the competitive burger market. They’re that kind of deliberate over-thinkers. Ones who leave nothing to chance.

“So, no,” Tommy corrects us, having lived almost every moment of worry, joy, heartache, and celebration. “It’s definitely year four. Which makes this our four-year anniversary!” he adds, cheering up quickly.

“I never even liked burgers.”

It’s a cathartic coming-out ceremony celebrating their journey. “I never even liked burgers,” Tommy shakes his head defiantly. “They can be so greasy. The portions are too large. Even the ingredients can be so unappealing. I guess we’ve created a burger for the burger hater,” he smiles. He’s even become a convert himself.

“Honestly, I could eat our Vietkieu Sensation every day for eternity,” he nods. “Along with my personal remix beverage – a combination of 7UP and Coke Zero.” The Vietkieu Sensation was another milestone leading up to now. Tommy describes it as the first truly creative burger on the menu – the item that helped set GoodTime apart from its competitors. “And for the drink, I just like sodas,” he laughs.

Like that quirky mix of 7UP and Coke Zero, the growth of GoodTime has extended well beyond making burgers. After opening their first location, they faced the crucial question: what sets GoodTime apart from other burger brands, including the big guys like Burger King or McDonald’s?

What Sets GoodTime Burgers Apart?

You can picture Tommy, Duc, and Long – beer in hand in the office beyond the mirrorball – ruminating on that question, even though the answer, to everyone else at least, was obvious: community. “Our vision,” Duc muses, “has become to go beyond burgers and double-down on our people.”

The community had always been on their mind. Whether building the brand as a delivery offering – connecting to consumers through an app – or by inviting neighbors and local artists to their now-famous Block Parties, GoodTime has been about more than just burgers.

Their block parties have been pivotal in building positive perceptions of the brand, making meaningful connections to local underground music collectives like Thêm, HUM, Studio Adventure, METRØ, Savage, Unmute, and The Observatory. There have been fantastic drag performances too from Dập Dìu Drag Haus and Peach.

Lots Of Believing Along The Way

Which brings us to the latest series of events, called ‘Believe,’ timed to coincide with the opening of their second store. They’ve had to do a lot of believing along the way, they all agree.

“In the early days, there was zero revenue, sometimes zero orders and often zero sense of momentum,” Duc remembers. But there was lots of self-doubt. As Tommy reflects, the first year in their tiny kitchen was about getting to know each other and developing their first products. There was a moment he almost gave up, just before opening their first location – no profit, no clear vision, complete discouragement.

Duc had returned to Vietnam from South Korea, still wiping the burger relish from his mouth. Back in Hanoi he spent five isolated months developing his concept, feeling alone but not discouraged. Tommy and Long joined, and suddenly that small spark started to catch fire.

“It’s a bit like a marriage isn’t it?” Long wonders. “The first year of marriage is always the hardest, because that is when a couple really decides whether they want to be together or not. The fifth year is when you know if you can grow and learn together. I guess there’s no turning back.”

Good Things Take Time

“Good things take time,” Tommy smiles beatifically, repeating the mantra he’s been whispering to himself since he joined.

This, their first home – an old French villa in Truc Bach – perfectly embodied their brand philosophy. They didn’t see an old building; they saw potential. Just like their burgers blend Vietnamese and Western cultures, this space became a canvas of creativity, respect, and connection.

The details told a story: high ceilings, thick walls, large windows, and quirky touches like a disco ball and a feelings board in the bathroom. It wasn’t just a restaurant; it was a living entity that invited people to etch their own good time in their memories (and on the board).

Like the two halves of their break-apart burgers, GoodTime connects the expat side of Hanoi, international, expat Tay Ho, with downtown, historic Hoan Khiem. This is western comfort food filled with local flavor.

The GoodTime Burger Chain

“Did anyone ever have a bad time at GoodTime?” Tommy wonders. “A memorable ‘bad time’ complaint was actually from a good friend of ours, back when we were delivery-only,” Duc reminds him. “The order was delivered two hours late. Of course, we tried to apologize and gave them a refund, but it was a bad experience for both our friend and ourselves. Apologies can’t fix a bad experience. We just had to learn from our mistakes and from that day on, we promised never to deliver a bad time to anyone!”

And now bad times are defiantly off-menu at location number two, on Bat Dan, right in the middle of Hanoi’s historic old quarter. Naturally, all things considered, it’s more than a burger shop – it’s the expansion of their vision. “Through the simple joy of a burger, we aim to inspire a culture that transcends the ordinary, shaping Good Time into more than just a burger shop – into a shared movement… into a Good Burger Chain!”