Today we’d like to introduce you to Trang & Tony McGinnis.
Hi Trang & Tony, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It started 10 years ago when the food truck trend was at its highest point. I remember my husband Tony and I followed all the food truck events and got so excited seeing line of people patiently waiting in line in front of their favorite food truck. One thing we noticed there was not one single Vietnamese food truck in Central Florida. With that though in mind, I started to research, and then one night I came out from the my bedroom and told Tony, “Honey! we are getting a food truck. I already paid for it, and it will be here in 6 weeks”. I still remember the look on his face, he was so shock and didn’t know what to say. He gave me a silence stare and said “ok.”and that was it. LOL! and from that night Saigon Sizzle was born.
We had so much fun doing the food truck. We went through a lot of sweats and tears, working in the food truck while the outside temperature was above 100, sometime it broke down on the side of the road, and sometime the wheel decided go off on its own, leaving us no notice… lol. Despite all that, we still rise on top of the food truck industry. In 2014 we were 1 of the top 10 food trucks in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel and received multiple awards from the food truck competition. The thing that kept us going was when we pulling into the food truck event was to see a line the familiar faces of our customer who following us from all over already there waiting for us. That would make everything well worth it.
In October 2019, we decided to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Orange City. We got the local community, and also customers travel from a long-distance travel to our restaurant to support us. After 3 months of opening, COVID hit, but it didn’t stop us. We survive through it, and once again, it’s because of the love of our customers.
I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the support from our customers. Despite of the situation, they still make an effort to get out of their comfortable homes and come to us to give us support to make sure we are ok. We would not survived without the community’s support.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always tough times and obstacles with any venture, and our humble restaurant is no exception! However, the support of the customers and the community are some of the strongest reasons we are still here and going strong. We have a lot of loyal customers who always make an effort to visit us every week. They even take regular time out of their week to make sure that “Friday is the Saigon Sizzle’s Day.” LOL! We have always tried the best we can to provide them the best food and the best service when they walk through the door. It truly brings my heart joy to see my customers enjoying our culinary creations. It is always a good feeling when I saw an empty bowl with absolutely nothing in it. Little things like that make our team and family so happy and realize all the hard work that we do every day is well worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Saigon Sizzle is a business serving healthy, delicious Vietnamese food. The restaurant is our family business. Most of the recipes were passed down from my mother. She is a great cook; I am still learning from her. Everything she made always tastes so good, and I want my customers to have the same experience. Saigon Sizzle is dedicated to serving traditional Vietnamese food with many modern twists and surprises.
We serve delicious food that is unique, affordable, and healthy, with friendly, prompt service and a family atmosphere. The business has been an entrepreneurial labor of love for both myself and my husband, with friends and family helping us to achieve our dream.
Saigon Sizzle was voted one of the top ten food trucks by The Orlando Sentinel and also won multiple best entrees in a Food Truck competition. We brought our cultural and family cuisine expertise to the restaurant to provide our customers with outstanding food quality and services.
The signature dish that would represent Saigon Sizzle is our “Shaking Beef”, which has won multiple awards. It is a beef tenderloin meal with fresh vegetables and a special homemade sauce that many have held in high praise.
We would not be successful, without our team which is a vital element for the business. We are lucky to have a team who share the same vision as us and help us continue to bring our best meals and service to the communities that we serve. We appreciate our team’s dedication and work ethic. They do everything to the best of their abilities to contribute to everyone’s benefit. We can always count on them. We are really proud of them.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I came from Viet Nam. My favorite childhood memory is sitting right next the open fire, toasting some sweet potatoes, and listening to my grandma ghost’s story. She was a great storyteller and a great cook; with just a few simple ingredients, she can make a delicious meal that will stay in your memory for the rest of your life. LOL! Not only did I learn some fantastic recipes from my grandmother, but I also picked up her storytelling, as well. There is so much of my family that I put into these dishes.
Pricing:
- Pricing from $5 to $20
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saigonsizzle.org
- Instagram: saigonsizzle truck
- Facebook: saigonsizzle restaurant
