Việt Citron, a popular Burlington eatery known for its modern Vietnamese fare, has been serving since the beginning of the pandemic and is now ready to expand for the first time with a site in Bow Market at 1 Bow Mkt Wy.
What Now Media Group recently caught up with Tran Lee to learn more about her journey and how things have been since the new location was announced last month.
Q: How did you get into the industry? Did you always know you wanted to own a business?
A: I’ve always loved cooking in my mom’s kitchen since I was six. However, I wanted to be an architect growing up because I love the arts and engineering. As I went through my undergrad at Tufts, I realized that I spent more time cooking in my dorm kitchen and walking to Star Market in Porter Square at midnight, buying ingredients rather than partying with my classmates. I almost went to culinary school right after but ended up getting my Masters of Architecture at The University of Virginia and worked as an architect for ten years. During those years, I still dreamed of opening a restaurant one day.
P.S. I had never worked in a restaurant kitchen and was only a waitress for two months; I did not have much restaurant experience prior.
Q: Where did the idea for the business come from?
A: The chance to travel the world for school & work and my time as an architect working at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson really helped shape the Viet CITRON concept. I wanted to bring elevated street foods and creative and authentic flavors of Vietnam in an open kitchen noodle house concept. I want people to smell the food and see how we prepare their food the moment they step into our door. That’s how I grew up, and I love eating in Vietnam, so I want to engage that full sensory connection with our customers here as well.
Q: How have things been going since you opened your first location? When do you expect the 2nd location to be open?
A: Our 1st location survived our opening three weeks prior to the COVID shutdown. My husband and business partner, Howard Lee, did a lot of steering behind the scenes to keep us afloat during COVID-19. Since then, we have been thriving and honing a robust system, and it seems like we are outgrowing our current Burlington space. We have been looking for a suitable second location for over a year, and through fate, an opportunity at Bow Market came knocking on our door. We hope to open in late Fall.
Q: What’s the most challenging part about opening a business?
A: Definitely finding the right people to work with us and inspire a team to grow with us. We finally have the best Team we have ever had, so it’s time to grow!
Q: What do you think is the most rewarding part about opening a business?
A: Bringing joy and connecting with people by sharing our foods and culture. I also love being a mentor to many young adults and kids who worked for us. They have learned so many soft skills that help them grow into other careers. Many of them still come back to visit or work for us 1 day a week just to be part of our family again.
Q: Anything else you’d like people to know?
A: We want to change people’s perception of Vietnamese foods and understand how much crafting and fresh ingredients are being used to create those complex flavors. I think there’s still so much stigma that Vietnamese foods (and other ethnic foods) are cheap/unelevated, and if it doesn’t look like a hole in a wall, it’s not authentic. As part of a new generation of Vietnamese restauranteurs, we want to tell our story, our struggles, our success, and our value. We are not cooking Vietnamese foods that have been stuck since – 1975; Vietnamese foods have evolved so much in the past 50 years. We want to introduce new authentic Vietnamese flavors and run a sustainable business that our Team and the whole community can be proud of, with a hip vibe that continues to bring Vietnamese culture into the modern spotlight. As a small family business, we want to foster a creative environment for our staff, provide good benefits, and emphasize work-life balance in our restaurant model (sorry, no late night shift hours for our Team; family time is important). Does work-life balance exist in restaurants? Yes, it can! We believe the happier the Team, the better the foods and services, and the more customers will come back frequently.
Follow on Instagram @vietcitron.
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