Yes, definitely. Training on how to make pho properly and profitably is a key in ensuring a pho restaurant’s success. Pho making training may encompass any or all of the following area:
- Pho recipe development and design to ensure you reach your cost goals, then maintaining cost throughout production cycles.
- Help hire and train owner and/or staff on techniques to make pho in large production.
- Process: Create a pho making process that maintains food quality, employee safety and operator’s profit margin.
- Equipment & layout: For new kitchen, design floor plan and select the right equipment to accommodate the production process and the service process. Or for an existing operation, design a process to maximize utilization of existing equipment and layout.
- Implement a buying program to ensure product quality, food cost, and availability are in line with business goals.
- Implement an inventory system to make sure your pho making is supported 100% of the time.
No I neither sell an inventory list (list of ingredients) nor an off-the-shelf inventory software system. However, what I do is to coach pho restaurant owners how to build their own inventory system based on their own restaurant’s needs, layout, menu/recipes, and the way they work. This would include:
- Assessing the recipes and their ingredients.
- Analyzing prep and cooking procedures.
- Designing a) an inventory system that includes locations of storage for each item, and b) a process to regularly and efficiently do inventory of all items.
- Designing inventory flow from product ordering to product delivery acceptance; through inspection, rejection and storage; through FIFO (first in, first out) guidelines, through pulling products for prep and final service.
- Using inventory information to increase the restaurant’s profitability.
Hi chuynh i crossed this site last week and I really love the site . I learnt a lot.I am planning to open a small pho restaurant in my area. Like a pho express way. I have doing the research for a couple month I still think I should get proper training from your guys.could u tell me about detail of training program?
Please just address me by my first name Cuong.
My pho restaurant consulting covers a wide range of topics with practical hands-on work so that you as an owner can learn and get up to speed quickly to design and open your new pho restaurant. With that said it all depends on an individual's availability, experience and proficiency that will determine how fast you will acquire the knowledge and apply what you learn.
There are 2 ways to approach the training:
- If you have specific questions you'd like to ask or topics/areas you'd like to learn, then just start a new topic in the Premium area of the Forum and I will answer you there.
- If you are a newbie just starting out with no experience, and would like to learn everything from A to Z on how to properly design and open a pho restaurant, then I will give you one-on-one consultation (over the phone, online, or face to face) so that you can come up to speed quickly and learn things the right way.
The first approach is the lowest cost option. The second will cost more and will depend on the complexity and duration of what you want to do.
If you're serious about doing this, then to help you get things going a bit faster, can you provide some info on what you want to do and your readiness with a few questions as follows:
- Where do you want to open, in what market?
- Do you have a partner or are you opening a restaurant on your own?
- Will you be managing and making final decisions for all day-to-day operation, or will someone else do this?
- The level of experience that you have with foodservice, if any, and/or experience in any other business? What is your current employment/business situation?
- Do you have a particular location and size in mind already?
- Do you cook Vietnamese foods yourself, at home or otherwise? If so have you made pho?
- Do you have a concept in mind, and what do you plan to have on your menu?
- What time frame are you targeting for opening?
- Why do you want to open a pho restaurant at this time, and why pho and not some other type of food?
I think you have made a reservation for free half-hour consultation before, but since your question was too generic, the appointment was canceled. So here's a chance for me to learn more about what you want to do, and if I can help then we'll arrange for a direct phone call at your convenience.
I look forward to see your answers to the above questions.
@chuynh
Hi Cuong sorry about misspell your name. My grandmother is from vietam and am just started learning ? . Here are my answers for each question you asked. thanks for your time.
- Where do you want to open, in what market?
I want to open in Michigan (wesltand city). it is a blooming city where has been developed fast in the last 5 years. White and black are most population. there are a small group of Indians and Asians.
- Do you have a partner or are you opening a restaurant on your own?
It would be a family based restaurant. We plan like 4 people for now. my wife would be the manager. one waitress for front-end. two person are in the back-end.
- Will you be managing and making final decisions for all day-to-day operation, or will someone else do this?
I am trying to learn the management and able to train my wife. so she can manage the day to day operation and I will support her.
- The level of experience that you have with foodservice, if any, and/or experience in any other business? What is your current employment/business situation?
I have some experience working in a Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant. most of time are waiter. does not have experience working in the kitchen. my current job is waiter from a Korean restaurant . really want to have my own business and working with my family.
- Do you have a particular location and size in mind already?
Want to start with small one. maybe like 800 - 1200 sq. 6 - 10 tables.
- Do you cook Vietnamese foods yourself, at home or otherwise? If so have you made pho?
Yes. my family like Vietnamese food. we always try to cook like beef and chicken pho, pork chop, spring roll and other dishes. We did make pho. however, the flavor always not like the restaurant. the flavor in pho restaurant is always really strong. I feel like every time we finished the pho, we will drink a lot of water, because we feel very thirsty. However it did taste good. We also tried the most of recipe come from the internet for beef pho. but just not like the restaurant. ? .
- Do you have a concept in mind, and what do you plan to have on your menu?
We do have a concept, there is one restaurant called Pho is for lovers. we want to do something similar to them. simply menu, like a fast food restaurant . not too many dishes. here is the link for this restaurant.
6 sections:
Pho: beef and chicken.
Sub: grill pork, grill chicken, veggie
Vermicelli: grill pork, grill chicken. grill shrimp
Rice: grill pork chop, grill chicken, grill shrimp
Side: shrimp chip, egg roll, summer roll, popcorn chicken. fried dumplings.
Drink: coffee, smoothies. soda
- What time frame are you targeting for opening?
Trying to open in next 6 month.
- Why do you want to open a pho restaurant at this time, and why pho and not some other type of food?
We love pho a lot and in our current city , the closet pho restaurant is like 40 miles away. and always packed over there. so we think there is an opportunity.
I think you have made a reservation for free half-hour consultation before, but since your question was too generic, the appointment was canceled. So here's a chance for me to learn more about what you want to do, and if I can help then we'll arrange for a direct phone call at your convenience.
Yes, I did, after that we did some research about the idea of the restaurant, I really appreciate your insight and advise. looking forward your answers.
I look forward to see your answers to the above questions.
Based on the info you provided and level of experience, I think if you want to open in 6 months then you and your team will need to get up to speed super fast; like within a few weeks or so. This is so that you'll have the right knowledge to make critically important decisions to design, build and operate the new business the rest of the time.
If you want to continue to learn everything yourself at your own speed, then you can ask specific questions in the Premium area, one topic per post, and I'll provide answers there. The more specific your questions are, the better I can give you clear and direct answers. This is what I call forum support, which is included as part of the Premium subscription.
On the other hand if you need expedited consultation to get up to speed as fast as you can with the shortest time, then I suggest we do one-on-one consultation so I can walk you through everything you need. This is the personal consultation and coaching, the cost of which will be provided once you express interest in this and after we have a chance to chat over the phone.
By the way, I highly recommend your wife (plus any family member who will be involved) to be a part of the training. This way someone can ask questions and receive direct answers while others can learn and come up to same level of proficiency, instead of learning via second hand with no opportunity to ask follow-on questions.
If you opt for forum support then please ask away in the Premium area. If you prefer the personal consultation/coaching then let me know a time convenient for you tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday this week for a quick phone chat. I'm in San Diego CA (3 hours behind you) and will accommodate any reasonable time. This will be the half hour free consultation that we didn't have.
@chuynh
HI Cuong, sorry to get back to u late. we may want to have the expedited consultation to get up to speed. so we can get most valueful information we need for small business. So could u tell me when next week is good for you? so we can do a half hour consultation. and could u tell me what should I prepare beforehand for that? thank u
No worries.
Since you’re already in the system, I'd had sent you additional instructions via email. Please check your email.
Also the more prepared you are to discuss the better. Be ready to discuss what you already know you want, and things you're not sure about; maybe have a list of 3 to 5 items/areas (or more) that you feel you need help with most. One of the most important things to discuss will be your menu (including both foods and beverages) so do give it serious thoughts.
Also it's to your benefit to include on the call anyone who'll be working with you to run this business; this is your own decision but my experience is, with more people on your side you'll have more viewpoints and ideas and can retain information better, and everyone can be up to the same level of knowledge. Beyond this everything will depend on how soon you want to start, what your budget is, etc. We'll discuss all these.
@chuynh
Good morning, I just booked for tomorrow. I think it is 7:00PM for tomorrow, so I think it is 4 at your time. is that ok for you? also, is that the phone call or video? are you going to call me? thank u
Confirmed for 4pm PST / 7pm EST. All instructions have been included in the confirmation email to you. I will call (audio) you at the number you provided.
Hi Cuong, been a lurker and learning a lot. Currently I need help with moving ahead with my business ideas. To start I'd like to get professional input for our recipes. My family has a lot of good recipes from both my grandmothers. I'd like to be able to develop them into commercial restaurant grade recipes ready for high volume use. Almost all of them are written in one form or another. Please let me know how best to proceed. I have considered signing up for Premium subscription but would rather work directly with you for quickest results. Thank you.
Happy to assist if I can. I just sent you an email so please check. Thanks.
Hi Cuong: I'm a newbie and would like to find out how I can work with a consultant like yourself to help me achieve my plans. I have several ideas and need some guidance on how I can make decision on which one is better choice, how such decision can be arrived at, and then how to carry it to grand opening. Awesome site and resource you're providing.
Thanks.
Thanks for the question. First off I want to make it clear that my service is not for everyone. Different people have different needs and work differently, so it's best to have some discussion upfront to see if I can help and whether it's a good fit.
Following are the typical steps I work with prospective pho restaurant owners.
Step 1. Book a free 1/2 hour phone consultation. This allows us to explore what your requirements are, and whether I can help you. Ballpark fees can also be discussed once I have a good understanding of the scope of the project. During this session, you can and should ask a lot of questions about how you can take advantage of the experience, guidance and coaching I provide.
Step 2. Book a 5-hour paid phone consultation. This allows us to dig to a much deeper level of detail on how you can pull this venture off. We can brainstorm about what's good about the existing ideas and requirements, and what requirements may need to be improved or changed. Going through this exercise, you'll develop a much clearer vision and sense of what you may end up doing and how you'll do it, especially if this is your first time with opening and operating as pho restaurant. I'll be sharing with you in-depth knowledge about the business, lay out a plan of action to design the brand that works for you, and a scheduled path to build, train and operate for long-term success. Financial projections and other business KPIs (key performance indicators) will be included to help you focus your business for profitability.
Step 3. Beyond the 5-hour consulting, you can choose to continue with pay-as you-go hourly consultation, or request a fixed fee project proposal. You can decide to continue the consulting sessions in blocks of 5 hours, or I can work up a fixed fee proposal laying the groundwork for complete consultation for the duration of the project. The fixed fee arrangement is the best, cheapest and most efficient option as you'll receive unlimited consultation to get your new restaurant up and running.
Many people do not have urgent need to quickly acquire knowledge to get going with their plan, or they may prefer to go at their own speed. If this is the case, then a Premium membership in these forums can be a good option, as it allows you to ask as many questions as you need to learn about the business, but without a strict timeline to follow.
Hope this answers your question. Let me know if you have further inquiries.
Hi Cuong: I've been lurking and learning a lot. I think I'm ready to take the next big step to open a pho restaurant of my own. I'd like to open by late summer at the latest. Please suggest whether I should upgrade to Premium level or should I contact you directly. Thank you.
Hi @easyborn2: Opening late summer means you only have about 6 months to get there. Time is of the essence so I'd suggest you get on a fast track to learn how to do this properly between now and then. Contact me directly to book an initial appointment to discuss in detail. You can use this link to make an appointment: /free-half-hour-pho-restaurant-consultation/
Hi Cuong: I'd like invest to open and run my own pho restaurant in the Bay Area. With your consulting, what is the time frame I can expect for me to be ready to actually open and do it right? I have some experience with both front and back of house but never in supervisor role, and I want to make sure I learn as much as I can and making as little mistake as possible. Thanks.
@sereeuspho Thanks for the question. I generally will go at the speed preferred by the owner of the restaurant, depending on how urgent he/she needs the help, and how much time he/she has to work on the problem. In your case, I will work with you to create a timeline that will be most beneficial to you and your situation taking into consideration your own requirements, the complexity of your concept, your readiness and availability, etc.
I have clients who wanted to open in 3-4 months, without previous foodservice experience, and we did it within about 3.5 months. Many other clients follow the more typical periods of from 4 to 12 months to fully develop and implement a concept. So it all depends.
One thing worthy of note is the client should be the person pushing for how fast or slow they want to open. Only they know what's best. From my perspective as a consultant, once you made a decision to open your new restaurant, the best approach is to aggressively get up to speed in all areas and prepare yourself for your new business, and go full speed doing it.
Let me know if you have further question.
