Doan is familiar with the restaurant industry after working in his parents’ fried chicken restaurant in Arlington as a child. In 2018, he partnered with his brother Martin to split from the family business and create their own restaurant in Mansfield. He opened their second location in Richardson in May 2019 to cater to the business lunch crowd in the area.
Char’d specializes in a fast-casual fusion of different Asian delicacies unlike traditional restaurants. With his experience at his family’s restaurant, Doan said he prioritized customer experiences to create a friendly environment when building Char’d.
“They don’t necessarily have to like the food, but they’ll come in more often if they like you,” Doan said of customers. “That’s what we learned from our parents’ restaurant. There’s so many fried chicken places in Arlington that we had to compete with. But a lot of times, [customers] will come to us because they know us as a family.”
The restaurant’s menu mixes Southeastern Asian influences from Vietnam, Korea, Japan and Hawaii, he said. Similar to Chipotle, Char’d allows guests to customize their own bowl from a variety of bases, proteins, vegetables and sauces.
“[Char’d] is trying to cater to an Americanized version of Asian food versus creating an authentic experience,” Doan said. “There’s plenty of restaurants in the area that serve traditional Asian food. [My brother and I] wanted to do something different, and [we] found a market that wasn’t being catered [to].”
In addition to its customizable options, Char’d offers specialty prebuilt bowls and simple bites, including a fusion version of loaded fries and spring rolls.
One of the biggest challenges Doan said he has faced is building onto the prebuilt menu, as they add items every three to four months.
Looking to the future, Doan and Martin have discussed expanding their franchise throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Doan said he wants to create a hometown feel in each location, but still standardize the food across each restaurant.
Char’d: Southeast Asian Kitchen
1251 State St., Ste. 800, Richardson
972-803-6455
www.chardkitchen.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
