When Vietnamese-Australian Bao Hoang opened the very first branch of Rolld, a store specializing in street food-inspired Vietnamese cuisine, the former physiotherapist had high hopes for his newest business venture.
As it turns out, the word “success” doesn't quite convey how things have gone for Hoang. Within an hour of opening its first location in Melbourne, Rolld ran out of food, reports The Age. A few weeks later, when he'd got the hang of things, Hoang's eatery was serving 1,000 people a day.
The secret, Hoang alleges, is his family's recipes, which were the only thing his parents brought from Vietnam when they arrived to Australia decades ago. To this day, his parents still tinker around in the Rolld kitchen, testing recipes.
To open his first Rolld store, 33-year-old Hoang collaborated with a cousin, Tin Ly, and an old school friend, Ray Esquieres. In 2012, the trio began their business with a budget of AU$180,000. Mere months later, Rolld was taking over cities across Australia. Hoang's family members opened another three branches in quick succession, followed by an additional 14 stores within the space of four months.
Now, the Rolld franchise has a total of 435 employees and a staggering growth rate of 769% over the past three years. Its 31 stores, located all over Australia, pull in AU$25 million (US$18.7 million) a year. Hoang also plans to open the franchise's first international store in Manila before the year is done and has his sights set on Britain and the United States in the future.
[Photo via The Age]
