Today we’d like to introduce you to Thai Doan.
Thai, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I originally immigrated from war torn Vietnam at the age of 2. I have resided within the Triangle ever since and am a proud UNC Chapel Hill alumni. After 18 years as a clinical project manager, I ventured off as a small business owner. Growing up in a traditional household, we were spoiled with my mother’s home cooking on a daily basis. I grew up with a deep love of Vietnamese food and would like to share that love with others through Paris Banh Mi.
Without a business background, I relied mostly on my experience as project manager to be fully immersed in our business ventures. My first business was a laundromat in Durham. It was the perfect starter business to learn the economics of a business, going through a lease review and managing the daily operations of a storefront business. I then owned and operated two menchies frozen yogurt franchises and was heavily involved in the day to day operations. I currently manage Doan Solutions, which is a document preparation service, with offices located in Chapel Hill, NC and Tampa, FL. There is nothing more rewarding then to be able to take an idea from scratch, work out all of the nuances along the way and produce a service that has aided tens of thousands of clients over the years. Along the way, we have also accumulated multiple commercial properties within the Triangle and have a separate entity, Doan Properties, that handles the commercial property management.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While operating menchie’s, we would often dabble in new flavors that were not readily available. We are bringing that same approach to Paris Banh Mi. Our staple is our traditional banh mi sandwiches, which is the most popular street food in Vietnam. Our meats are marinated and cooked in house and our bread is baked fresh throughout the day. But we also offer numerous other types of street food that are not readily available within the area. After having visited 43 different countries, I often joke that I travel for the food more than the destination itself. We are bringing some of the items that were experienced through our travels and offering them at Paris Banh Mi.
What were you like growing up?
I always had a fondness for food. At a young age, I spent countless hours sitting with my mother and watching her as she prepared our meals from scratch each day. As a kid, I was always fascinated about the process of heating up food, transforming it from being raw meat into something deliciously edible.
I naturally loved sports as a kid. I would spend hours after school each day on the basketball court. Starting in college, I had the opportunity to attend several of the UNC basketball and football games. My love of sports has extended through now. I am a season ticket holder for the Charlotte Hornets (yes, I would literally drive 2.25 hours each way) for the past 16 years and try to attend any NBA or NFL game in any city that I am currently traveling to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://parisbanhmi.com/locations/paris-banh-mi-chapel-hill-nc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisbanhmi.chapelhill
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisbanhmi.chapelhill
