VietPOS Software helps restaurant chains expand from 5 to 25 branches in 18 months

In June 2024, the restaurant chain “Lá Me” — a Western Vietnamese cuisine brand operating in Da Nang and Quang Nam — began its expansion journey from 5 branches. By the end of 2025, the chain had reached 25 branches covering three regions. Behind this expansion speed was the early decision to adopt VietPOS Software to standardize operations from the small stage, instead of waiting until it was big enough to make the switch.

Background: 5 branches, 5 different ways of working

When starting the partnership with VietPOS Software, “Lá Me” had 5 branches in Da Nang — each branch operated in its own way as determined by each store’s manager. Menu prices differed slightly between branches, revenue was recorded in handwritten books, and cash reconciliation was done weekly. The CEO had to call each branch manager every morning to find out the previous day’s revenue, top-selling items, and the amount of ingredients received.

The biggest pain point: when wanting to open the 6th branch in Hoi An, the approach of “opening another similar to the old store” could not be scaled because quality and cost control were lost. A standardized operational infrastructure had to be in place before expansion.

Phase 1: Standardizing the menu and cashier procedures

In the first 6 weeks, the VietPOS Software team worked with “Lá Me” to complete three tasks: standardize the chain-wide menu (item names, prices, modifiers, recipes), establish a unified cashier process, and train staff at all 5 branches to use the Android POS app.

The hardest part was not technical but psychological: branch managers were used to deciding their own pricing and promotions — they feared “losing power.” VietPOS Software proposed a flexible solution: the chain owner still allowed each manager to adjust prices within a range of ±10% based on local context, with the system recording it automatically — maintaining flexibility while ensuring data transparency.

Phase 2: Chain-level dashboard and kitchen KDS

From the 6th branch onwards, “Lá Me” fully adopted the chain-level dashboard features and smart kitchen KDS of VietPOS Software. The CEO could monitor real-time revenue for all branches on a single screen, without needing to call to ask. The kitchen KDS displayed orders by preparation station, ensuring consistent service speed across branches — crucial when Vietnamese dishes involve multiple parallel preparation stations.

The speed of opening new branches was significantly reduced: from the 10th branch onwards, each new branch only needed 5 days of staff training + 2 days of operational testing before opening — compared to 3 weeks for the first 6th branch. The reason: the familiar POS app, standardized menu, and clear procedures for new staff.

Phase 3: Optimizing costs based on data

When reaching 15 branches, “Lá Me” began to deeply exploit the automatic BI reports from VietPOS Software. The management team discovered that some branches had an abnormally high order cancellation rate — after investigation, it turned out to be due to the kitchen process at those branches not yet being familiar with the new KDS. Additional training was provided, and the order cancellation rate dropped to an acceptable level within two weeks.

Similarly, data on top-selling SKUs by hour helped optimize the weekly ingredient procurement menu — reducing food waste to around 4–5% compared to the previous chain level of 8–10%.

Common Lessons for Scaling F&B Chains

Two lessons drawn from this case study, applicable to any F&B chain preparing to scale:

First, invest in operations software early — at the 5–8 branch stage — to save the cost of “tearing down and rebuilding” later when the chain has grown too large. The software cost is only a small fraction compared to the operational disruption cost of transitioning from manual to system-based processes when already at 30+ branches.

Second, choose software with strong Vietnamese support and a local technical team. Imported POS software often has good features but relies on English email support with time zone differences — unsuitable for the speed of Vietnamese F&B operations, which require responses within hours.

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