Le’s Sandwiches & Cafe is staying in the family, and it’ll move to a new Charlotte spot
There’s good news for banh mi fans. Le’s Sandwiches & Cafe is staying in the family — and it’s staying put at its current location a little longer than expected.
Owners Minh Quang Nguyen and Le Thi Le-Nguyen had put the restaurant up for sale to make way for retirement. But their son, Tuan Nguyen, is taking over with an eye on moving to a nearby spot as the family’s lease at Asian Corner Mall comes to an end.
About 5 years ago, Tuan had a plan to take over the banh mi shop his parents built in 2004, but then life got in the way and complicated the decision, he told CharlotteFive.
“Kids happened. The pandemic happened. And things kinda changed,” he said.
Now, Tuan and his wife, Emily, will keep the restaurant open after all. The news was first reported by Unpretentious Palate after a recent visit to grab sandwiches that the staff thought would be their last.
“My parents built the business for the Asian community. There wasn’t any banh mi or anything like that — my mom started basically the first banh mi shop in Charlotte,” Tuan told CharlotteFive.
Le’s Sandwiches’ lease is set to end in June or July, but the family is in talks to hold onto that spot a little longer while a nearby building the restaurant will move into undergoes redevelopment.
“They don’t have to go too far to find us,” Tuan said.
Plans call for the new location to be ready in November or December 2022, if everything happens on schedule.
The menu won’t change much, but Tuan and Emily Nguyen envision the new location as a destination space that evokes the sights and surroundings in Vietnam, where he has traveled with his parents. Outdoor seating will be available.
Le’s Sandwiches and Cafe
Location: 4520 N Tryon St #41, Charlotte, NC 28213 (new address coming soon)
Neighborhood: North Charlotte
Cuisine: Vietnamese/banh mi
Instagram: @les_banhmi_clt
This story was originally published March 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
