Pho Lang Thang
Duy Nguyen, Co-Owner of Pho Lang Thang
Growing up as a child, Duy Nguyen loved helping his mother cook in the kitchen. From about the age of 5 or 6, Duy was considered the prep cook while his mom was the kitchen manager, and his brother was the sauté cook. His younger siblings were considered the servers who would set the table. For Duy, his love for cooking started with his family.
Pho Lang Thang was born when Duy felt that there was a need for an exclusively Vietnamese restaurant. “There were a lot of Chinese restaurants owned by Vietnamese people, and so I said, 'We need a 100% authentic Vietnamese restaurant,’” says Duy.
The aesthetic and decor of Pho Lang Thang are heavily influenced by the 1970s as his family immigrated to Cincinnati in 1975 after the Vietnam War. The carefully curated menu consists of items that customers may not be too familiar with. Duy tells us that the reasoning behind this is to introduce his culture and favorite foods to Cincinnati.
When Duy was first starting Pho Lang Thang, he did not envision it being at Findlay Market. “My business partner at the time insisted that we open at Findlay Market because that’s where all the foodies are, and he was right. We wanted to get our food in front of the right people.”
Pho Lang Thang’s first location at the Market helped introduce the restaurant to new people who were simply walking by and peaked their head in the door with interest. Pho Lang Thang made the move from their market location to their new location on Race St. in 2019 because of their rapid growth. They needed the space, not so much in the dining room, but more so in the kitchen. “We produce everything from scratch, so we need a lot of production space for that,” says Duy.
Right after the big move and the team was beginning to strive in their new location, COVID-19 hit. While the restaurant industry took one of the biggest hits from the pandemic, Duy had a great working team who helped everyone power through the difficult time. At the very beginning of the pandemic, Duy gave out survival packets, made his team salaried if they needed it, and focused on tasks that he had been wanting to do but didn’t have the capacity for.
Pho Lang Thang sets itself apart from other businesses because Duy is constantly trying to push the envelope and do something a little bit different–not just in the region, but in general. “We look for inspiration from restaurants in Vietnam, not New York or LA.”
Recently, Duy taught a class with the new Findlay Learn cohort as an industry expert. Duy tells us that he loves being able to teach budding food entrepreneurs because he really believes in and encourages entrepreneurship. “To me, that’s the American dream.”
Published December 2022