Hiccups opens a new Barista

Hiccups opens a new Barista

By David Alpern 

May 31, 2022

In 2012 Sky Hoang launched his entrepreneurial journey when he decided to import the popular Orange Country-style Asian dining to this community by opening Hiccups Restaurant and Teahouse.

Located in the Ralphs Center on the Outer Traffic Circle in Long Beach’s Fourth District, the unique concept was a big hit with the nearby CSULB students and residents. The Hiccups chain now has franchise locations across California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

With a decade of accumulated experience and passion for food and drinks, Hoang decided to return to his Fourth District business roots and launch -Hiccups Barista a new concept hub for Asian coffee, tea, and boba drinks at 4172 E Willow Street at Lakewood Blvd.

Sky Hoang at Hiccups Barrista

 Hoang is driven by a passion for coffee, customer service, and creating new products and market testing them to actual customers. He understands that to most coffee consumers it is more than just a beverage, it is a daily emotional support, a jump start for the day, and an afternoon pick-me-up. This insight ignited the concept for the new  Hiccups Barista. Every coffee recipe is created via trials and errors in order to develop recipes designed for coffee enthusiasts who crave to indulge.

The new Hiccups Barista’s interesting pricing strategy helps customers indulge. Customers pay just a 40-cent incremental up-charge to get a significantly larger size drink.  This small price differential for a drink that is nearly 50% larger is a subtle yet strategic way to nudge customers into getting a larger apportioning of happiness in a cup.

With Hiccups Barista Hoang has returned to a start-up and away from the model where franchise management meant that each store is not fully in sync with his vision. The recent pandemic afforded him the time to workshop his coffee formula to excellence and rationalize a switch in focus to coffee, which is an easier operation to manage and eventually scale.

Hoang has been rejuvenating by recreating the thrill of starting an endeavor from scratch but with more expertise this time. Yet, even with another successful restaurant launch accomplished, new challenges are presenting themselves.  

The new location is tucked into a corner, away from easy street visibility and with hard-to-spot signage. Moreover, competitive pressure kicked up within weeks of debuting, as Starbucks opened a high-profile location directly across the street on the land that used to house a Spires restaurant.

In addition, there are employment challenges. Hoang is particular about the learning curve, training time, and coffee experience in any new hires so as to not compromise the experience he is looking to create. He is not seeking to hire new staff and simply schedule them immediately.

The current labor shortage sees Hoang spending even more hours than planned in the store. Hoang jokes about his transition a decade ago from the finance industry into the restaurant industry so he could enjoy working seven days a week, rather than just a mere five days a week. All that time working has actually helped him form connections more quickly with the community.

Most recently Hoang has observed how consumer spending behavior is being impacted by the rapid rise in gas prices.  As fuel costs have been rising he has noted a concurrent drop in customers' average per check spending.

After years of experimenting with taste notes in brewed coffee, Hoang enjoys offering patrons a house coffee formulation he is eager for them to sample. He is inviting local nonprofits to coordinate community fundraisers with 20% of receipts given back to the organization.

It’s rare for an entrepreneur to step away from something they have successfully cultivated into a growth vehicle and return back to their start-up roots. The new Hiccups Barista affords Sky and his wife, Khiem, the ability to return to their passion for developing diverse and authentic Asian beverage and culinary experiences.