San Mateo's Gao Viet Kitchen getting huge lift from social media
SAN MATEO -- The hospitality industry was hit hard during the pandemic, but one local restaurant owner started posting his eye-catching dishes to social media in hopes of getting more people to visit his restaurant, and it worked.
People from all over the country come to San Mateo to check out Gao Viet Kitchen and to try their signature dish, the "Phozilla" which is a huge bowl of pho filled with lobster, ribs, filet minion and brisket.
Owner Viet Nguyen said social media gave him an avenue to promote his restaurant, especially during the pandemic.
"I cannot afford to advertise in different ways, so I just do social media, and everything that you see is done on my iPhone," Nguyen said.
We also see Viet's fun personality shine through on their social feeds which now have thousands of followers. He also makes it a point to walk around his restaurant, meeting customers and thanking them for coming in.
Viet says if you make good food, people will keep coming back.
"I figured out if we make things, we like to eat then people will also like it, it's very simple," he said.
His secret to his success, his sister, who also works at the restaurant.
"There's no secret at all, I have my family, my other half, my sister who does all the hard work," said Viet.
His motto: come hungry - and he's not kidding! The Phozilla sells for about $95 but is large enough to share with about 3 people.
Gao Viet Kitchen is located at 313 South San Mateo Dr., with a new restaurant that just opened in San Francisco's Outer Sunset.
