Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Pham.
Paul, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hughie’s came about by desperation and as a last life line. We neither imagined being in the hospitality industry nor have any experience in it.
The saying, “everything happens for a reason” is very much true.
Hughie’s is family owned and operated, and has remained the same. Aunt Irene, the youngest of her siblings, and a brilliant woman. She was entrusted with retirement money to invest in a property, where the original Hughie’s is located. In order to purchase the property, she had to purchase the previous business with it, a knock off Dairy Queen, called Queen Burger. It was a hemorrhaging business. With any business that is slowly dying, it needs to be revived from with within or it must be given a last life line. At the same time, Aunt Kim, who was a janitor at the local ISD, is one of our “James Beard Award” chef. Well, one among the many aunts who masterminds the menu. Uncle T, who was a full-time manager and cashier at Valero, knowing family needed help, he juggled both and helped give birth to Hughie’s. Paul, a nephew and an engineer, was transitioning companies, also seeing family in need, came to assist. Phillip, an ex-seminarian.
Aunt Irene proposed a radical plan to use the remaining retirement fund to give the property a last life line. The original plan was to run Queen Burger for several years, break even, and then demolish the building to build a shopping strip for a steady income for the retirement. However, God had other plans. We sat down and began to conceptualize Hughie’s within a few months.
The name Hughie’s reflects us as second generation Vietnamese-Americans. Irene’s youngest son is named Hugh. Growing up, we called him Hughie. She wanted to incorporate our origin into the logo. “Binh Minh”, which means aurora or sunrise, was incorporated, hence the lower case red “i”. Our younger sister hand drew the logo and we had to figure out the font as we were getting it digitized.
Clearly, the aunts know Vietnamese food and we grew up eating their cooking. At the same time, born and raised in Houston, we grew up eating American food. Hughie’s embodies the melting pot of Houston. Phillip knew a little bit about craft beer. The menu was put together from family recipes, we added beer, prayed and winged it. After 12 years, with that leap of faith, we have met many friends who have become like family to us. We cannot count all the blessings because they’re still pouring in.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve always described us as being very ignorant of running a restaurant but we’re also very observant. Everyone is a teacher, whether they want to teach you or not. We’ve been blessed to have met many people along the road who have helped shape Hughie’s to what it is today. The Hughie’s journey has had its many challenges but always fulfilling, but isn’t that life?
We’ve had our fair share of failures but also successes. We believe that honesty, genuineness and “treat people like people” have been the keys to growth.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Hughie’s Tavern and Viet Grill?
Hughie’s is a Vietnamese-American Gastropub.
Each family member still plays a critical role in the operation and evolution of Hughie’s.
Aunt Irene is our bean counter (accountant), Aunt Kim still preps and develops all the dishes. Uncle T is no longer with us but our cousin, Khanh, handles inventory and logistics. Paul, the CEO, directs the ship. Phillip manages the beverage program.
What sets us apart from other Vietnamese restaurant is that we have a marriage or fusion of two cultures. Our best selling dish is the shaking beef specialty which consists of filet cublets sauteed in a wok, served with rice and a side kale salad. The banh mi sandwiches comes in close second and then the country fried steak. For drinks, we are known for our 24 craft beers on draft that constantly rotates. We are also well known for our vietnamese iced coffee and thai tea for non-alcoholic but caffeine fueled options.
What matters most to you?
At Hughie’s, we believe that the people who walks through the door are more than just a number and statistics; rather, they are guests in our house. We strive to be the best host and to translate it through the Hughie’s culture.
Each and every person has an inherently dignity and value that must be respected. As managing partners, we are still day to day working along side the Hughie’s “family”. From the staff to guests, we try to “treat others as you want to be treated.” We believe this is the key to our success: geniuineness, generosity, kindness, strong work ethic, spirit of sacrifice, humility and lots of prayers.
We are open 6 days a week. For us Sunday is our day of rest. For as long as we remember, almost every Sunday we go to Church and then gather around the lunch table together and enjoy the same food we offer as Hughie’s. Since our staff comes from different colors and creeds, we call it “family day”.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hughiesgrille.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hughieshouston/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hughiesHTX/
Image Credits
https://www.facebook.com/hughiesHTX/photos
