Meet Manh Trac | Restaurant owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Manh Trac and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manh, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
When I first started my restaurant, there was no such thing as a work-life balance. It almost felt impossible to think or do or breath anything else besides the business. I would come in to work 6 days a week, 14 hours a day. I will say that overtime it has affected many aspects of my life, including weight gains, sleep deprivation, and other personal life changes.

After one year, major changes started to happen, for the better. Once we got used to the rhythm of the restaurant and finding a more stable team, I was able to focus more on my personal mental and physical health. I went through a drastic weight loss in 3 months, I started traveling more, and I was able to connect with more friends and family. I was only able to achieve this with patience and business-first mentality. Once we were closed to 100% staffing and have a better operation stability, I was able to initiate more business improvements as well as personal wants and needs outside of work.

Many sacrifices were taken but I am grateful and blessed to see it was for the better and I am now finally able to find some balance within and outside of work.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business, Yen’s Kitchen is a Vietnamese Street Food fast-casual style restaurant. We serve authentic Vietnamese style street food and drinks. Every single item on our menu you would be able to find on the street of Vietnam and we can guarantee you it will have the same authentic taste from home. I am especially ecstatic for being able to serve unique dishes and cuisines to the local communities, especially with all the recipes coming from my mom and my grandmother.

It took about three years to develop the business. I was doing so with my sister Tracy bacon 2017. I had just graduated college and was working 2 full-time jobs. This was extremely difficult as I had no personal time to myself, working a 9-5 five days a week as a senior sale manager in an office then a 5 – 11 six days a week as a restaurant manager. Awhile having some time to slowly discuss and set up all the base work for our restaurant.

I overcame a multitude of challenges by taking it one day at a time. Sometime it felt discouraging to not accomplish much but nevertheless, I did make progress, even if it was just a little. What I learned overtime is that we don’t have to always do big and great things, but it is so much more to do small things in a great way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First up, we’d traveled down along the east coast to experience all the different beaches. from the liveliness of Lake Worth Beach, the exciting outdoor activities such as jet skis and parks at Boynton Beach, the beautifully soft sand and great night lives of Delray Beach, to the more laidback walks down Boca Raton beach. Then I’d take them to all the incredible local food spots that I have come to love. Kixi Cafe, Kung Fu Tea, and Lemongrass Hot Pot in Boca Raton. Eathai, Hawkers, and Beg for More in Delray Beach. Yami, K & L Hot Pot, and Tokyo Ramen in Boynton Beach. Yen’s Kitchen (of course!), El Rey Del Taco, and Lilo’s Streetfood in Lake Worth! For Night life, I love going to Clematis social in West Palm, Throw Social in Delray, Mad Hatter in Lake Worth, and Dubliner in Boca Raton. For more active activities, we could visit the Morikami museum, or canoeing and kayaking at Peanut Island.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family. My sister Tracy Trac for opening the restaurant with me. My mom Yen Nguyen for being the root and reason why we open up the business as well as it being named after her. My dad Hung Trac for being a huge support during the process. My brother-in-law Mike Du for being a major player in the success of the businesses. Finally all my peers including my partner and friends who motivated me and never gave up in believing I could.

Website: www.ykstreetfood.com

Instagram: @YKstreetfood

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YKStreetFood/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yens-kitchen-lake-worth-2