On the soft opening of Quán Bụi Group Complex on Võ Trường Toản Street, Thủ Đức City, founder Danh Trần sits down with Saigoneer to reflect on his journey from a single Vietnamese eatery to a multi-concept restaurant group. With nine Quán Bụi restaurants, two Laang Saigon venues, two Sticky Rice Thai eateries, and five Café’In coffee shops, he shares what it takes to stay authentic while evolving with Saigon’s ever-changing culinary landscape.
The newly launched Quán Bụi Complex in Võ Trường Toản Street, Thủ Đức City.
Saigoneer: Over the years, Quán Bụi has grown into something larger than a restaurant, a reflection of Saigon’s cultural soul. Did you envision it that way from the very beginning?
Danh Trần: To be honest, I never set out to build just a restaurant. I wanted to create something that could carry and preserve a part of our culture. Through Quán Bụi, I wanted to express my own image of Saigon, or perhaps Vietnam, a place where tradition, nostalgia, and hospitality come together. A restaurant can serve food, but a cultural space tells stories. That’s why from the very beginning, I tried to weave those stories into every detail, the décor, the food, and the people.
What kind of image of Vietnamese culture do you want to present to international diners who visit Quán Bụi?
When foreigners dine with us, I want them to feel they’re tasting more than just Vietnamese food. I want them to experience our sense of community, our warmth, and our way of sharing. That’s why I tell my team, we may not be able to do everything, but what we can do, we must do well. Our strength is in food, and through food, we can tell stories about Vietnamese culture.
We even created our own Quán Bụi Journal, an in-house magazine we produce entirely ourselves. It’s like a cultural diary of Quán Bụi, full of stories about our dishes, our people, and Vietnamese dining traditions. We’ve published eight issues so far, and the ninth is on the way. Guests often take it home with them, they flip through it later and remember that meal, that atmosphere. It’s our way of extending the dining experience beyond the table.
Quán Bụi Restaurant at the latest complex in Thủ Đức City
You’ve built an impressive portfolio: nine Quán Bụi restaurants, two Laang, two Sticky Rice, and five Café’In. Managing multiple brands can be complex. What’s your secret to maintaining consistency and quality across all of them?
It always comes down to people. I’ve been very lucky to have a loyal and dedicated core team; what I call my key people. Some have been with me since the very beginning. Even during the toughest times, like the pandemic, they stayed. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come from strict rules, it comes from shared belief and respect.
I lead with discipline, but also with empathy. I’m straightforward, but I also try to create a comfortable working environment. The key is balance, “lạt mềm buộc chặt,” soft power binds strongly. You build trust by giving space, but also by setting clear expectations.
Sticky Rice restaurant.
What about customer loyalty? How do you maintain such strong relationships with your guests?
The customer always comes first. Whenever an issue arises, big or small, I tell my team, resolve it immediately, resolve it properly. Whether a review is positive or negative, we always respond. When a guest takes the time to share feedback, that’s already a gift. If you ignore it, that dissatisfaction can grow quietly until it’s too late.
We also have very strict quality control. Cleanliness, for example, is non-negotiable. Every night, I personally check that our kitchens and bars are deep-cleaned. I still do that, hands-on, because I believe a clean kitchen reflects respect for both the craft and the customer. If the kitchen isn’t right, the food can’t be right.
Sticky rice dishes.
Beyond the people and structure, what would you say is the soul of Quán Bụi?
It’s the emotion behind every dish. We don’t aim to make “wow” food, we aim to make food that feels right.
Take our crispy chicken with snakehead fish cake (gà giòn chả cá thác lác). It’s been with us since the early days. We use smoked chicken skin, spread it with a layer of fish paste, then top it with a tangy-spicy sauce inspired by Thai flavors, mixed with shallots and coriander. It’s comforting yet surprising, something you can enjoy with rice or over drinks.
It’s not fancy, but it’s ours. It captures exactly what Quán Bụi stands for: familiar flavors, elevated with care and creativity.
Café’In.
The restaurant scene in Vietnam is becoming increasingly competitive, with many international awards entering the market. How do you stay calm and focused amid this wave of recognition and competition?
It’s natural to feel the pressure when awards like Michelin arrive; everyone starts comparing and speculating. But I’ve learned to stay grounded. There are thousands of restaurants in Saigon, and only a few can ever make it into those lists. Competing on that level is already a challenge in itself.
That said, credible awards bring visibility and prestige, and that’s good for the industry. They push us to improve. But I also understand the system, Michelin, for example, tends to focus on two extremes: fine dining or street food. Quán Bụi sits somewhere in between, casual yet refined, which doesn’t easily fit into their framework.
So instead of chasing for validation, I focus even more on delivering the best product possible. Maybe the dish isn’t everyone’s taste, but it will always be clean, honest, and worth what the guest pays for. That’s our philosophy.
If one day we make it into an award list, great. If not, we’ll still keep doing what we do, serving good food that represents Vietnam with integrity, and always be ready to conquer any awards.
Quán Bụi aims to combine tradition, nostalgia, and hospitality.
Have you ever thought about franchising Quán Bụi overseas?
Yes, it’s something we’ve been exploring carefully. Many overseas Vietnamese communities, from Australia to the U.S., have reached out about bringing Quán Bụi abroad. But I’m cautious. Vietnamese food deserves to be represented with authenticity and consistency, not just replicated.
If we expand overseas, it must be done with the same heart and attention to detail we have here, from the ingredients and recipes to the atmosphere and hospitality. I don’t want to open restaurants for the sake of expansion; I want to bring a true Saigon dining experience to the world.
It will happen, but step by step, when we’re ready to do it right.
Running a restaurant is never simple. What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who want to enter this field?
First, customers. You need to understand who you are serving before anything else: their habits, preferences, and what convenience means to them. Only when you know your customer can you design the right experience.
Second, location. You may have great food, but if the address doesn’t align with your target segment or their movement patterns, it will be an uphill battle. A strong concept needs to meet guests where they already are.
Third, people. I’m grateful to have a loyal core team, many of whom have stood by me through major challenges, including the pandemic. Managing people is the hardest part of this business. Skills can be trained, but loyalty must be earned through consistency, respect, and a shared vision.
That, to me, is the foundation of everything.
With Quán Bụi Group Complex was launched earlier this month, how would you see this next chapter for the brand?
This project is special because it brings all our concepts together for the first time: Vietnamese cuisine with Quán Bụi, Thai food with Sticky Rice, and coffee culture through Café’In. Each space tells a different story, but together they form one narrative, a modern Saigon experience rooted in tradition.
For me, the Complex is not just about growth, but about identity. It’s proof that a Vietnamese brand can evolve, diversify, and still stay true to its cultural roots.
At the end of the day, that’s what I want Quán Bụi to be remembered for, not just as a restaurant, but as a piece of Saigon’s living culture.
