Denzel Lewis and Anh Thu Doan-Lewis, spouses and co-owners of Pho Tay Do (Photo by Jay Paul)
Blink and you’ll miss the little blue house off Rigsby Road, home to Vietnamese mainstay Pho Tay Do. Once inside, though, you’re unlikely to forget the smells of perfectly balanced beef broth wafting from bowls adorned with fresh basil, jalapeno and bean sprouts; the cutout painting of three women smiling down at customers perched in red vinyl seats, slurping vermicelli; or the way genial host Denzel Lewis makes guests feel as warm and welcome as the restaurant’s namesake soup.
Richmond magazine: Tell us about your background and how you ended up working at one of the most beloved pho spots in the city.
Denzel Lewis: I’m originally from the Bronx [New York]. I met my wife, Anh Thu, at James River High School. We’ve been together since ninth grade. Her parents [the Doans] are Vietnamese immigrants and bought Pho Tay Do in 2000. I was familiar with the restaurant and her family and officially started working there in 2013 when her mom was looking for some extra help.
Her dad is still part of the ownership. He’s such a hard worker but, as he gets older, we just want to take some responsibility off his plate. When the opportunity presented itself for my wife and I to take over the restaurant, we were ready.
RM: Why do you think this off-the-beaten-path, cash-only restaurant is such a hit?
Lewis: We’re all honest with each other; everyone in the family is a taste tester. If there’s something wrong, someone speaks up about it. Anh Thu is the chef — she learned everything from her mom; it’s the same recipe that’s been passed down, and she’s the only one who has it. On my end, I’ve always wanted to do my best, not just be an extra hand. I can speak the whole menu fluent in Vietnamese and a couple other things in the language. When I started working at the restaurant, I brought out the service, which hadn’t really been there before because it was just the three of them, so it was a lot to handle. I started interacting more with the people, not just serving them their dish, but coming to check on them, having some conversations, letting people know we’re all family here.
RM: What is your approach with customers, whether they’re satisfied or disgruntled?
Lewis: Honestly, in the 10 years I’ve been here, I can count on both hands how many times someone has come back and told me something was inconsistent. I credit Anh Thu. Everyone has their off days, but even her off days aren’t that off.
I try to encourage regulars — we have a lot of regulars — to try new things when they come in. Even if they’ve been here before, I always present the menu and say, “Hey this is good, give this a shot.” I try to open people’s minds up a little bit more beyond what they usually get.
RM: What’s a typical day for you at the restaurant?
Lewis: When I get to the restaurant, I usually prep the tripe and the meatballs. When we started getting busier, one of Anh Thu’s sisters moved down from Maryland to come help with prep. Preparing for all the appetizers, like the papaya salad and spring rolls, takes a lot of time.
I’m there six days a week, and so is Anh Thu. Being young owners, everyone just thinks we want money, they don’t understand that we’re taking on the whole responsibility. I never knew I could be my own boss, and now I really take pride in that. I’ve always been the one people will say, “Oh, what’s next, what will you do after this?” This is it right here! After this, we are retiring and hopefully can pass the restaurant down to someone else in the family. Every year the shop progresses; I take big pride in not going backward.
