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Tommy Ngo

Professor Cole

English Composition II

19 March 2020

Discourse Communities: Growing with Pho City 

            As children begin to evolve into young adults, society enforced the idea they must begin

to work for their money. This is when many young adults, including myself, feed into the

societal signal to search for employment within a community. With that, many jobs require the

employees to work together and collaborate for a specific goal. John Swales was the first person

to define groups as discourse communities, or “a collection of people or groups that work

towards a common goal through communication”. These discourse communities could include

school groups, religious gatherings, groups with the same interests, and many more. With that in

mind, my employment as a waiter is considered a discourse community. 

            At most restaurants, waiters work together with the kitchen staff and each other to

provide excelling service to their customers. In turn, this allows all parties to benefit. As waiters

earn their tips, the kitchen staff earn their pay, and the client leaves with a full stomach in a

timely manner. With that, many people have stated that restaurants are bred to profit. That their

actions and statements are all conveniently planned to make the customer feel at home until the

business makes a significant income. I found employment as a waiter at a restaurant called Pho

City located in Williamstown, New Jersey. Pho City is a Vietnamese American restaurant that

opened in May 2017. The owner, Stephanie Lam, opened the restaurant with the initial goal of

promoting Vietnamese cuisine by having fresh food cooked to order for her clients. Overall, this

offers a healthier alternative to other restaurants. In the area of Williamstown, there are at least
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10 fast-food restaurants within a mile span of Pho City. None of which offer a Vietnamese style

soup that is made with an all-beef or vegetable broth that has no gluten, MSG, or preservatives.

Simply, none of the restaurants surrounding Pho City offer a home-style meal that is healthy and

fresh. To be successful, the restaurant decided on who to involve in their plan to succeed. Their

staff includes a manager, waiters, kitchen staff, and cleaners. 

            In this discourse community, we have members that are from all ethnic groups. Our team

includes Vietnamese, American, Korean, and Hispanic people. This is what makes this

community different compared to others in the same social standing. Other (similar) restaurants

would only hire and allow Vietnamese people to join their community. This is due to the fact that

it’s easier to communicate, which is false. The discourse community that I chose have different

forms of communications pertaining to each person. For waiters, we are all included in a group

chat over text messaging. Once a week, schedules are sent out with encouragement and to-dos

for the week. When one has any questions, we send it in this chat with an immediate answer. If

not from the manager, another employee would reply fast with a knowledgeable answer. For the

kitchen staff, communication is directly through phone calls. Some of the kitchen staff only

speak fluent Vietnamese or fluent Spanish. With that in mind, the owner cohesively talks to them

in the appropriate dialect. Whenever questions arise, they have free range to call the owner or

manager at any time of night. As for communication with clients, Pho City uses all forms. This

includes social media, messaging, and face-to-face. We have both a Facebook and Instagram

page that offers updates to clients about the business. We mainly use the Facebook page to

update our clients with closings and new menu items. We also use phone calls and text messages

to communicate with our closer customers. This includes calling to check-in, for delivery, and to

simply wish them a happy birthday. 

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            Through communication, waiters and the kitchen staff know what and when a task needs

to be completed. This allows a smoother lunch or dinner rush by just using common senses.

Being fluent in Vietnamese, I often ask my colleagues what needs to be accomplished. We have

a window that our food comes out of, and it slides back and forth to separate the kitchen from the

dining room. A common signal used is slamming the sliding window. This allows the front

waiters to hear that food is ready to be served and needs to be delivered to the correct table. For

example, while at the register, there’s a shelf blocking the window. By having the kitchen staff

slide it a little harder, the front staff can hear it better. Along with this, we have a bell in the

window as well. When the kitchen staff is in the fridge or all the way in the back, we can ring it

or yell “Có” to let them know that there’s an order. By having these little pieces of jargon, it

allows us to work together more efficiently and be prepared for a smooth day of work.

           Lam has stated that her original goal was achieved: our restaurant provides a healthy

alternative to the everyday fast food to the area. “It started as a way to make money, but we

opened our eyes. Money is not everything,” Lam stated. Teary-eyed, she added, “We are a

community. People depend on us; we depend on them. This [Pho City] is my baby, but I share.”

What originally was a way to earn money has evolved and flourished into something deeper.

Remembering the client’s names and orders simply became the way of Pho City. Striving to

provide 5-Star service has turned into caring for clients as if they are family. This was further

shown by the group’s annual giveaways. The manager, Emily Nguyen, stated, “By offering a

free drink to a customer or hosting our monthly gift card giveaways, it creates a bond that makes

the customer feel like family.” By going the extra mile to bring out a free drink or appetizer

allows the customer to feel more appreciated. It lets them know that we’ve noticed them coming

in two or three times a week. This creates an atmosphere that promotes openness and trust. 
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With every discourse community, the joining process can be somewhat tiring to become a

behind the scenes member. This includes the waiters and kitchen staff, or the people that get paid

by Pho City. To begin, one must set up the interview process to join. Sending in a resume allows

the manager to contact you and approve you for the formal interview. This results with an in-

person interview with a leading member of the community, which can include myself or my

manager, Emily. All potential hires will have the opportunity to interview and be part of a

browse period. This means that the potential employee has one day to come in and observe the

working environment before accepting the job. Once accepted, the new member will begin a

rigorous training program. This includes memorizing menu items written in English and also

Vietnamese, how to engage with customers, and how to set up their tables for meals. This

process takes approximately three days, a week, or even a month for new employees to learn.

Once a member learns the ropes, they have many benefits. Simply, they are welcomed and now

accepted by the community. 

Lisa Huynh, another member of the waiting team, has mentioned that “members of the

restaurant have offered me support through things that’s not even related to work. If I show the

slightest sign of stress during my shift, whoever I’m working with will ask. It’s hard to hide

worries from people here.” With that in mind, I know exactly what Lisa is talking about. I feel

like the members of this community offer a hand whenever needed. I know that when in need,

our boss will help in any way she can. For example, one of our former waitresses needed money

to pay off some bills she was behind on. Stephanie offered to lend her money to help with her

problems. Many communities would not offer this kind of support, but the encouragement and

familial aspect of this certain group sets it apart from the rest. 
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When individuals come together for a common purpose, they already have in mind of

what their goal is. This allows communities to form and flourish. Being in a discourse

community such as Pho City allows a great network of support and a positive environment for

learning. It enhances one’s communication and social skills by allowing direct access to clients.

One is able to talk face-to-face which enhances their skills and overall makes them more

sociable, which will highly benefit their personal life. Utilizing these communication skills will

enhance one’s success with the world. It allows an opportunity to secure future jobs and

accomplish other personal endeavors.

Overall, Pho City is an extremely diverse discourse community that offers both personal

and professional support to their team members. We communicate with members of the team and

clients in the area through means of social media, SNS messaging, and face-to-face contact to

offer services and support. We as a team have realized that we are more than just a restaurant in

the community. Through our efforts of donating and caring for Williamstown, we have become a

significant aspect of the town. Townspeople have watched us grow and blossom into a successful

business, all the while watching them grow with us too. This community has allowed me to grow

into a “social butterfly.” I was always the quiet student who never talked to anyone, waiting for

the class to end. I often went home after school instead of doing something exciting. But when

starting my job at Pho City, I’ve learned that you must give your full effort in all aspects of your

life. You must make the most of what you have and remember to still be yourself while doing it.

Being a waiter within this community has allowed me to gain a second mom, Stephanie Lam,

and made me become a better person. Now, I have improved memorization skills because of the

need to learn menu items, which heavily benefits my academic life as well. The support and

backbone that a discourse community gives a young adult are incomparable to anything else.  
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