Cafe Moc, located on Duong Van Diep Street in Bac Lieu, has garnered attention for its witty chalkboard signs, which are changed daily. Recently, the cafe's jokes have spread widely online, with favorites like, "If the customers stop loving us, the owner stops breathing," "We sell drinks at tense prices," and "Let the wind carry the clouds, but please keep your feet here."
"So cute! I'll definitely have to visit if I go to Bac Lieu," commented Bui Dung. "The content is great, but the handwriting is a bit messy," Linh Hoang added. Many social media users have expressed their amusement at the cafe's humor. Others have jokingly suggested that the owner has so much time to come up with jokes because business is slow.
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Duong and his wife next to the cafe's popular sign. Photo: NVCC |
Duong and his wife next to the cafe's popular sign. Photo: NVCC
Owner Nguyen Lam Thai Duong said the cafe opened about 6 years ago and he started writing jokes on the chalkboard in 2023. The first message was, "Customers are our bread and butter. Serve them with compassion." Duong said that when he initially posted pictures of the sign online, it received a positive response, but he stopped updating it due to laziness.
Recently, as part of a social media marketing push, he began updating the board regularly. For example, on the morning of 5/7, when he saw an employee bring out pastries, he thought about how customers often worry that day-old pastries aren't fresh. This inspired the joke, "I'm yesterday's me, but don't worry, the pastries are from today."
"I'm not good at writing and I don't know how to use AI, so I come up with everything myself," he said.
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A joke written on the cafe's chalkboard. Photo: NVCC
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A joke written on the cafe's chalkboard. Photo: NVCC
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A joke written on the cafe's chalkboard. Photo: NVCC
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A joke written on the cafe's chalkboard. Photo: NVCC
The cafe seats about 200 customers and has maintained steady business for years. Duong said that the signs alone wouldn't be enough to draw a consistent crowd. He attributes his success to the quality of the tea and pastries, the reasonable prices – ranging from 20,000 to 35,000 VND – and his own cheerful and positive demeanor, which attract customers despite the cafe's tucked-away location in an alley.
Hoai Anh