Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Pham.
Hi Anna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My maternal grandparents started Mai’s Restaurant in 1978 after arriving to America following the fall of Saigon in April 1975. Mai’s Restaurant started off as a Bida (billiards saloon) on Bell Street but we became a full-service restaurant once there was more of a demand for our food than the pool tables. My grandparents named the restaurant after my mom, Mai, and she took over in 1991. Following a 5-alarm fire in February 2011, I became the third generation successor. Mai’s Restaurant was rebuilt on April 16, 2012. Today, my kids are the fourth generation working alongside my mom and my husband while I oversee operations from afar. During the pandemic, I answered my dream of becoming a lawyer and started law school. I graduated law school at 40 years old while raising four kids and running the restaurant all at the same time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
47 years of business operations is no overnight fete — indeed, there was blood, sweat, tears and nothing but hope and perseverance that has allowed my family to run Mai’s Restaurant through 4 generations. Turnover, inflation, competition, rising costs, and construction through the years definitely has been a challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Mai’s Restaurant ?
We are the first Vietnamese restaurant in Houston. We have also been the late night destination for decades. Today, we still operate until 3am on Fridays and. Saturdays but prior to the pandemic, these were our hours every single day!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Keeping true to traditional and classic Vietnamese recipes and presentation — no fluff, no fusion, no compromises.
Pricing:
- $8-25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maishouston.com
- Instagram: MaisRestaurantHTX
