Charlotteans rush to help Lang Van after hearing of COVID-related money struggles.
Social media posts warning of potential financial trouble for Charlotte staple Lang Van have customers rallying in support.
“Another staple on the east side is in danger of going under. This joint is some of the best Vietnamese in town… Y’all drop by and show em some love and get a great meal,” Neighborhood Theatre posted Friday about the Plaza-Shamrock area Vietnamese restaurant. Now the post has over 100 comments, sharing personal stories and favorite dishes from the restaurant.
“For the first time in my life, maybe I have no more, nothing,” owner Dan Nguyen told CharlotteFive on Friday afternoon with tears in her eyes. Yet even with the struggles related to COVID-19 over the past few months, she said she’s been able to keep her employees working.
And help is here, from the people who love her food. She said customers have come in and given her money: $100, $200, even $1,000.
“Can you tell my customers I love them,” Nguyen said. “They help me a lot.”
Patron Carly West started a GoFundMe Friday afternoon to “Save Lang Van Vietnamese Restaurant.” In three hours, the fundraiser already had $640 toward its $10,000 goal. By Saturday at 10 a.m., the fund had raised more than $21,000. Just after 3 p.m., the fund had raised $31,000+, surpassing its new goal of $30K.
To keep customers save, Lang Van is open for takeout only
Even though restaurants are permitted to be open under Phase 2 of North Carolina’s reopening plan, Lang Van is only open for takeout orders.
A sign on the door to the restaurant reads: “I will monitor closely other neighboring restaurants and the state of covid-19 to make sure my restaurant is safe for all my customers. Thank you for understanding and being patient during these hard times, I hope to see you soon.”
‘They first come to Lang Van for the food, but they come back for the owner’
The food-centric Instagram Lutterman Eats posted on April 23 about Lang Van: “Ask any Charlotte native what their favorite Vietnamese restaurant is and 9/10 times you’re going to hear Lang Van. But, if you ask those SAME people what they order at what is often their favorite restaurant? Odds are you get a blank stare. Because they first come to Lang Van for the food but they come back for the owner.”
Lang Van first opened in 1990 by No Duong, according to a 2017 Creative Loafing article. Nguyen took over in 2004, and she now owns the restaurant with her husband as chef and her two children working at the front of the house.
“One day, we open again … and I help people eat again,” Ngyuen said.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 6:09 PM.
