The $3.3 banh mi: An American chef’s supersized twist draws lines in Ho Chi Minh City

At around 8:30 am, the charcoal grill at Banh Mi Chad shop on Street 25 in An Phu Hung Residential Area, Tan Hung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, was fired.

Customers patiently wait for each skewer of meat to be cooked over the glowing charcoal.

"You have to eat the banh mi while the meat is still hot for it to taste good," chef Chad Kubanoff said about his banh mi.

An 'American-sized' Vietnamese banh mi

Priced at VND88,000 ($3.30) apiece, the banh mi served by the American chef is packed with meat.

The sandwich also comes with pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, coriander and sauce.

"Honestly, I can't finish this whole thing," a Vietnamese customer said while eating the banh mi at the shop.

Chad Kubanoff's banh mi is closer to an "American-style" portion than a typical Vietnamese banh mi.

Many of his customers are foreigners and overseas Vietnamese.

Chau, an overseas Vietnamese from the UK, said he visits the shop twice a week.

Because the venue is often crowded, he has learned to place his order in advance through the shop’s social media channel.

"It's very tasty, high quality and hygienic," he said.

The price is relatively high compared with the market average. Yet customers still line up at Banh Mi Chad, saying the sandwich is worth the price.

"The outside is crispy while the inside is soft,” a visitor from New York who has been eating Vietnamese banh mi for years said.

“The pork has slightly charred edges but is still sweet, and it goes really well with the sauce, pickled carrot and daikon, and a little spiciness.”

Foreign customers still make up a large portion of the clientele, but after more than six weeks in business, chef Chad Kubanoff is excited to see an increasing number of Vietnamese customers.

Some have returned several times, with some coming as often as four times a week.

"I've started seeing delivery drivers and workers in the neighborhood buying and enjoying my banh mi,” he said.

“I'm really hopeful that I can give them a meal that's good and worth what they pay for.”

The growing number of customers has also affected nearby businesses.

Kubanoff said local drink vendors have supported his shop and gained additional customers buying drinks.

A new coffee vendor has also set up across the street.

Vietnamese banh mi can command different prices

Before opening his shop in Ho Chi Minh City, Kubanoff had spent years working as a chef and running a Vietnamese restaurant in Philadelphia, the U.S.

Banh mi was the restaurant's best-selling item, which was also why Kubanoff decided to open a banh mi shop in Vietnam.

After returning to Ho Chi Minh City to sell the same food, Kubanoff realized he faced a challenge: banh mi is familiar to Vietnamese consumers, who already have a certain price range in mind for the dish.

"If I sell a burger for VND200,000 ($7.70), maybe nobody would say anything. But if a banh mi is expensive, people will think twice," he said.

According to the chef, a regular banh mi typically costs around VND20,000-25,000 ($0.77-0.96), but with different ingredients, banh mi can come at a wide range of prices.

"We shouldn't assume that banh mi only falls within this price range,” he said.

“Banh mi can come in many varieties and at many price points.

“You can find a banh mi costing up to VND200,000 ($7.70) in Ho Chi Minh City, and it can still make sense.”

Some people have suggested that he raise his prices as the number of customers grows, Chad Kubanoff said he wants to keep the current price so customers feel they are getting value for their money.

Kubanoff also plans to open more locations. For now, he wants to fine-tune the equipment layout, workflow and procedures at the current location so they can be replicated at the next one.

"The goal right now is to make the sandwich consistently for as many people who want to eat it as possible. If more people want to eat it, we'll try to make more," he said.