The owners of a neighbourhood Vietnamese restaurant in Kingston have praised the generosity of the general public, after the restaurant was flooded with takeaway orders following a Facebook post detailing how the business was in trouble.
Pham Van Nho, co-owner of Le Tran restaurant in Tolworth, posted a plea for help in a local Facebook group after seeing a steep decline in visitors to his restaurant, a result of fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
In the emotional post, he wrote: “We are dying! It's hard to write these things in a local Facebook group. But it's time to ask for help from local people. We are the only Vietnamese restaurant in the Surbiton area, which is newly opened few months ago. The business had been running quite well until that time.
"People fear to come to the restaurant. But people still need food. You can find us via Deliveroo or Uber Eats or Just Eat. Without your support our restaurant will die!”
Just one day after posting in the group, Le Tran was overwhelmed with orders from the local community, with some orders even arriving late due to Le Tran’s staff struggling to keep up with the demand.
Talking about the public’s outpouring of love, Van Nho said: “We have been struggling over the last two weeks. But the weekend was amazing. Many people came. They ordered the food from the restaurant."
"The next two months will be difficult, but I hope we will get through it. I think local people should support the local businesses by doing something like this weekend and ordering online."
Le Tran opened just four months ago and is operated by Van Nho alongside a group of his friends.
If you want to do your bit to support restaurants, check out our pick of the best London restaurants that are now offering takeaway.