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.
