When a tiny Vietnamese restaurant
serving only noodle soup opened in San Jose, California, in 1983, its
customer base was as focused as its menu. Company leaders had little
advertising budget and were uncertain of success. But word traveled
quickly in the Vietnamese community of the tasty noodle soup-a traditional
Vietnamese dish called pho (pronounced fuh). The soup is considered
soothing; a dish that brings harmony to the body. Hoa (pronounced huh-ah´)
means "harmony" in Vietnamese, and thus the owners named their
restaurant Pho Hoa.
Just over 20 years later, Pho Hoa is the largest
Vietnamese restaurant chain in North America with a customer base that
extends well beyond Vietnamese diners. "The first restaurant was just
a mom and pop store," says Trang Huynh, marketing and franchise
manager. "The chain really started to grow in 1990 as other Asian
groups-Koreans, Philippinos, and Chinese-were introduced to pho. Then came
the Hispanics and Caucasians. We see huge potential in those
segments."
FOODOFVIETNAM.COM