An idea involving helmets and another involving a conveyor belt

Conveyor belt hotpot was a restaurant idea that caught my interest on a trip to Vietnam in March 2012. In a shopping centre in Hanoi, I found a concept resembling conveyor belt sushi, but where guests cooked ingredients themselves in soup.

Conveyor belt hotpot and a little pot in front of each guest

I described choosing a soup and getting a little pot in front of you. Then you could take different ingredients from the belt, including fish, meat, mushrooms and vegetables.

There was a buffet too. I thought the experience was interesting because it used a familiar way of presenting food with different contents.

It got me thinking

I wondered whether something similar might be interesting in Denmark. My assumptions about ingredient costs and popularity were thoughts from the visit, not a detailed budget or documented demand.

Here I describe the restaurant part of the short video from the visit to Hanoi.

An idea involving helmets from the streets of Hanoi

In the first video, I’m in Hanoi around eight in the evening looking at all the mopeds. Even at that time, there are mopeds everywhere. I exaggerate and say there might be fifty times as many during the day. That also fuels a big fashion in helmets.

It gives me an idea: Could we do more with bicycle helmets in Denmark? I see helmets resembling knitted hats, caps and military helmets, and lots of other fun designs. Perhaps a trip to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City could provide inspiration for something that might be a hit back home.

I also point out copies featuring famous names and say the Gucci copies won’t do. The point is the innovative shapes and ideas, not copying other people’s brands. Among other things, I see a Manchester United version, an American military style and models resembling caps.

I have no idea whether the helmets are approved, how they’re made or what the legal situation is. I say that several times in the video. I just think the idea is fun. If anyone wants to develop it, they’ll need to investigate the requirements and the possibility of making an approved product themselves.

I finish by saying I’ve just interviewed Per, who has an IT company in Hanoi. The interview was due to appear on Amino TV soon. The original post title brings together the helmet idea and the restaurant idea. You can also watch the video with the helmets in Hanoi.

Conveyor belt hotpot in a shopping centre

In the restaurant video, we’re still in Hanoi. I describe it as a strongly communist place that I find rather peculiar. After around a week on the streets, we feel like going into a nice shopping centre to cool down and get some fresh air.

Here I find a concept that initially looks like conveyor belt sushi. But look again: It’s a kind of fondue using soup rather than oil. You choose a soup and get a little pot in front of you.

I mention a spicy Thai soup and a Japanese version with more soy sauce, among others. Then the ingredients pass on the conveyor belt, and you take what you want to cook in your pot: fish, shellfish, meat, mushrooms, eggs and vegetables.

A familiar experience with different ingredients

I think it’s fun because the Danes have embraced sushi. Perhaps the concept already exists in Denmark, I say. I haven’t been home for a while, so I don’t know.

My thought is that if everyone eats sushi, it could start to decline at some point. Sushi and fresh fish are also bloody expensive. Here you might give people some of the same experience with cheaper ingredients.

I imagine a potato or a piece of chicken to cook in the soup might cost less than salmon and tuna. It’s an idea from the restaurant table, not a finished set of accounts. I also say it seems low in fat and healthy to me. That’s my assessment of what I see.

Little pots, a buffet and lots of guests

I walk around showing how the pot stands in front of each guest. There’s also a small buffet to help yourself from. I see fish, vegetables, sweetcorn, salad, mussels, mushrooms, little eggs, noodles and squid. I think one item is dim sum, but I’m not sure what it is.

The concept certainly looks popular. An hour earlier, there were so many people I’d hardly seen anything like it. I describe it as ten times as many guests as in the other restaurants. That’s my impression from that visit.

Perhaps it’s not such a bad concept. Watch the video and consider whether there’s an idea you can use. Hope you’re well back home. I share my own experiences of developing ideas into businesses in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

Also read about another short travel greeting from Perth.

Don’t say you can’t learn a little from communists 🙂 The one with the conveyor belt: Have a fantastic weekend. Best wishes, Martin