Pho Vietnam restaurant, which was recently shut down at its original location on Humber Road, has been given new life at a Caribou Road location.
The Vietnamese restaurant will open its doors again downstairs in the Colemans building, across from the Bank of Montreal. The location used to house a restaurant called Maggies and, upon inspection, still has most of the equipment — freezer areas, a stove and sinks — that can continue to be used for food service.
The restaurant was shut down unexpectedly when the Humber Road location was deemed unsafe.
Citing electrical code violations and work completed by unqualified workers without permits, the province shut the building’s doors last month, leaving restauranteur Cathy (Thy) Nguyen and several apartment tenants out in the cold.
“I’m happy that (Ngyuen) has a new place now. A lot of people were regular customers,” said Joyce Hynes, a friend and regular customer of Nguyen’s.
“The city stepped up and Colemans did too, and a lot of us are glad to see she can continue in business.”
Hynes said she has developed a close friendship with Nguyen. She said business had grown so much for the Vietnamese immigrant that Nguyen had brought her father over to help her manage the location. A week after he arrived, the business was closed down.
“The city helped out a lot too, calling with suggestions for new location,” Hynes said. “She was thinking of other towns, but I know she had a connection to Corner Brook, so she’s happy to be staying.”
Corner Brook Mayor Charles Pender said he was pleased that it worked out for Nguyen.
“Our interest was that we had someone who wanted to open a business here and it was closed down, unfortunately,” he said. “So we are glad to see that she is able get back to business here.”
Nguyen told The Western Star she hopes to open by April 1.
