Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Chen.
Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Viet-Nomz started as an idea by my partner, Philip Nguyen, and I. We met for dinner one night and expressed our desire to open up our own businesses one day–he wanted to open a dine-in service Vietnamese restaurant; I wanted to do a coffee shop. We decided to combine our ideas to create the first fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant in Orlando.
After several of months of planning and menu testing, we finally decided to leave our jobs and sign a lease to a very small 1000 sq ft space. We also added our third partner and college friend Mike Cho who had experience opening his own apparel company in the past.
Finally, after 6 grueling months of construction, inspections and final menu tastings, we opened our doors in June 2016 at our Winter Park location. Since then, we’ve hit the ground running.
Our concept was extremely new to Orlando and we were met with open arms. Within 1.5 years, we were able to expand to our second location near UCF. That location was an even bigger success and allowed us to build a strong foundation in Central Florida.
Today, we operate three locations in Central Florida, with the newest one in Lake Mary, Florida. We cannot thank the foodie community enough for all their support these last 6 years, especially during the pandemic.
Our mission is simple: serving happiness.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. No “road” in the restaurant industry is easy. Our early challenges were mostly construction issues, like the AC unit not properly cooling our building or plumbing issues. After we opened two locations, we had to figure out how to manage both locations and make sure both were consistent and uniform.
And of course, in March 2020, we were hit with a global pandemic which turned the industry upside down. Luckily, we were already doing a lot of takeouts prior to COVID, so the transition was an easy step for us. We were already ahead of the game with delivery services and online ordering, so we were able to adapt.
This year, it’s been labor issues and food/goods shortages. We’ve been short-staffed for almost a year, with very little applications in the pipeline. It’s also very hard to get products outside the US at a reasonable price.
But overall, we can’t complain because we’ve been blessed with three strong stores with an amazing team. We’re grateful.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As the co-founder and operator, my job is to make sure the entire company is running smoothly. I am responsible for several aspects, including the operations, finance, marketing, everything. I believe what sets us apart is our focus on customer service. We want every bowl and food to bring a smile to the customer’s face. When they walk in, they know they’re getting a delicious product at a fair price.
Our brand is extremely important to me. When customers see or hear Viet-Nomz, we want them to get excited from just that word. We don’t have a tag line, but if there was, it should be: Serving Happiness.
I’m most proud of what our team has accomplished: expanding to three stores within 5 years; earning “Best Vietnamese” through multiple social outlets; our involvement and presence in our community and social platforms; employing over 60 people.
We never had to lay off a single person during the pandemic and that was really important to me. We have over 60 households that depend on this company, so I have a responsibility to these families to make sure our brand is performing at its highest level 24/7.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love how much our city is growing! Since we’ve started, there have been several other foodie concepts that opened as well. It’s great to see the city booming with new ideas and buildings.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@vietnomzfl.com
- Website: www.vietnomz.com
- Instagram: @vietnomzfl
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/vietnomzfl
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/vietnomzfl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo9fz1oNdSqSIZeF5kUK9nQ
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/viet-nomz-winter-park-winter-park
