While our delicious food draws you in, the way you feel at home here is what keeps you coming back. How each dish is flavorful and made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. The way you can either run in for a quick bite, or stay for hours with your latest book, or get some work done. We are proud to offer a space where you can come in, breathe, and refuel with our one-of-a-kind food and drink selection. Our recipes come from our family’s kitchens, are inspired by our travels, and are driven by a passion for making Lotus Banh Mi the obvious choice for where you want to go eat today.
A Story Behind Each Bite
Our food and environment represent what it means to work hard, be patient, love your family, embrace your heritage, and have faith. What started as a dream between two college kids turned into a reality after years of asking each other and ourselves, “What do we do? How are we going to do this? Are we sure?” It wasn’t an easy, linear journey – but it’s easy to say that it was all worth it.
Planting the Lotus Seed
Before we were restaurateurs, we were two college students at UIC dreaming of a quiet place to study with good food at college-student-friendly prices. So we thought, “Why not make it happen?” After all, one of us was working on a Nutrition degree, and the other on a Civil Engineering degree. Gradually, casual “what ifs” turned into tangible plans.
One day, we set off for Maine with our faithful Honda Accord and some spare change. As we looked towards the sea together, we looked towards our past, present, and future together. All the sleepless nights studying. Hours of research. Many ideas were tossed around. Doubt. Frustration. Despite all of this, we were still determined to push on. In that moment, as the cold, salty winter air whipped around us, the lighthouse would shine a beacon onto our answers and purpose: Lotus. Like a lotus flower, which is the official flower of Vietnam, we shall persevere through the hard times and capture awe as we bloom.
The Lotus Roots Take Hold
In the spring of 2012, shortly after graduating, we signed our first lease! We’d been watering the seed for years: carefully curating a menu that felt like walking into our grandmothers’ houses, yet suitable for the fast-paced American life. Using friends, family, and neighbors as taste testers, spending hours navigating business and financial logistics, and trying to define what our unique Lotus Banh Mi aesthetic would look like, opening our doors at the UIC campus in the fall of 2012 didn’t come without challenges.
Trying to Keep the Lotus Alive
We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, managing a business, a family, and our personal lives. We suffered pretty much every hardship imaginable. Our first few locations were in places that historically did not do well. Financial risks were incurred. All the hurdles new businesses face, such as getting your name out there, figuring out how to save on operational costs without sacrificing quality, and understanding what we could do to bring more people in and deliver an experience they can’t get anywhere else. But as with all things, time, patience, and a will to keep showing up no matter what helped the lotus bloom.
Today’s Flourishing Lotus Garden
We wouldn’t have been able to endure it all if it weren’t for our love for each other, our family, and our community. Now, we have 6 locations, 3 beautiful children, and hearts full of love and happiness. And yes, we still go back to Maine, to that same lighthouse that guided us towards our dreams. All of our locations are equally dedicated to bringing you food built from family recipes, culinary experiences, and nutritional innovation, and an environment where you can go when you need comfort, to celebrate, to relax, or simply get something good yet healthy to eat.
Mission Statement
Lotus Banh Mi: Where Tradition Meets Flavorful Innovation
Dive into Lotus Banh Mi
To us, you’re not just a customer: you’re a significant part of Lotus Banh Mi. Out of the million places to eat in Chicagoland, you chose us, and our family couldn’t be more grateful. If you want to share a taste of our family with yours, we offer catering services. Have a question or a comment? We’d love to hear from you!