Huy Pham, manager of Fortune Garden in Georgetown, believes in a hands-on approach to his job.

Pham, who worked in the restaurant business for 10 years before taking the lead at Fortune Garden, said he helps wherever he is needed. In this, Pham said he has been able to organize the restaurant to make it more efficient for his employees.

“Pretty much, I do everything,” Pham said. “When it’s busy [and] they need me to cook, I’ll cook. If it’s busy [in the front], I’ll help wait tables and take orders [and] be the cashier.”

Fortune Garden opened in March in the Wolf Ranch Town Center. The Chinese-Vietnamese restaurant also has a location in Round Rock.

Pham received an offer to become manager of the Georgetown location after he met Fortune Garden owner John Nguyen in church.

Now, about seven months later, Pham said he has learned a lot about running a restaurant, including how to cook every meal on Fortune Garden’s menu. His favorite item: the pan-fried noodle, which is one of the restaurant’s most time-consuming meals to make.

“With the pan-fried noodle, if it’s not cooked the right way it will be chewy,” Pham said. “The best thing about the pan-fried [noodle] is that it is supposed to be crispy.”

Pham said his chefs get to the restaurant  early in the morning to begin the day’s preparations and ensure quality and consistency in the food. He added that Fortune Garden makes its egg rolls fresh every morning and cuts meat and vegetables every couple of days instead of chopping en masse and freezing ingredients. The restaurant also offers lunch specials from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Pham, who said his favorite part of the job is talking to patrons, added that he is always willing to listen to customer suggestions.

“Here, it’s customer first,” Pham said.