A Tribute to our Mom - Our inspiration

We first came to America in 1979 to Reno, Nevada where our uncle was residing. We actually landed there because my uncle was our sponsor, and of course, a gambler. My parents realized right away the environment with all the casinos around was not a good place to raise a family of 11 children. Fortunately, my parents had friends who lived in Houston, Texas. They invited our family to move there and promised to give my mom a job in their restaurant. So it worked out nicely. We moved to Houston, and my mom got a job without any restaurant experience. She started out as a kitchen helper, and was her only training ground in how to serve the public. At home, she made magic. With the recipes, she put good food on the table for all of us to eat. She just loved to cook.

With the experience from that restaurant, and a herd of children behind her, she dreamt about opening her own restaurant. Her dream came true. The first restaurant called, Thien Thanh Restaurant, was opened in 1984 after we moved to California in 1982. She came up with a meal set and it was a major hit. It was so successful that we had customers waiting for tables from the time we opened to the time we closed. All of us helped out. I figured all of us had to walk between 5 to 7 miles a day in that little restaurant to serve the customers. There were so many customers that we couldn't find time to eat, and when we got a chance to eat, customers kept coming in. We had to stop eating to serve the customers. Some days we worked on an empty stomach, and some days we ate "on the run." All of us got tired, but one thing for sure, we were all happy that we were successful! The business was so successful and so good that all of us followed our mom's path. She inspired us, and to this day we have been opening restaurants. Until now, we have 14 restaurants in Southern California and growing healthier every day. All the business cards printed on this table mat are the restaurants belonging to our family members-a success story. Restaurant means hard work and we just love to work hard and harder everyday like our mom did for her children. Thanks to our mom, the creator of "The Restaurants family."

Mom is retired, but still enjoys cooking at home for a family of nearly 50: her children, their spouses, and her grand children. Thanks Mom! We will continue on in your tradition.

The Tran Family