Vietnamese cuisine is on its way back to Rochester's North Broadway.
Doug Nguyenand his sister, Chau Nguyen,plan to open Pho Chauin mid-April.
They are bringing Vietnamese food back to 1014 N. Broadway Ave. That's the building where Tony's Cafécooked until it closed last fall.
This is not the brother and sister duo's first Rochester restaurant. The Nguyens also own and operate Hunan Wok Expressat 1203 Seventh St. N.W., which will remain open.
Given that they already have a successful Chinese eatery, why did the Nguyens decided to open a second place and serve Vietnamese food?
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Because people asked for it, says Doug Nguyen.
"We also do catering at Hunan Wok and we have been catering Vietnamese food for weddings and parties," he says."A lot of people have come to us after to ask why don't we open a Vietnamese restaurant."
And because the North Broadway restaurant building is already known for Vietnamese food, it seemed like a logical place to open this new project.
Pho is a Vietnam noodle usually served in a soup. Chau is the first name of co-owner Chau Nguyen.
"She is well known here. She is very good with customers," he says.
They expect to have about five people on staff when they open.
Biz buzz
While I don't have many details, two franchises recently closed their doors in Rochester.
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Sunplace Tanninglocked up its location in the Crossroads Shopping Centerwith a sign in the window that said it was closed and all accounts have been deleted.
It appears Sunplace's other Rochester locations, in a commercial center on U.S. 52 North frontage road and one by the northeast Andy's Liquor, have also closed.
Then Fantastic Sam'shair salon in Suite 500 of the Apache Shoppes shopping center at 1190 16th St. S.W. closed abruptly. The other Fantastic Sam's in the Shoppes On Maine commercial center in south Rochester seems to have followed suit.
I have not been able to reach the owners Sunplace or Fantastic Sam's, so I don't know if these closings are temporary or permanent.
