A Warm Welcome
WisePass’ Partner Venues The Butcher Shop & Grill and Boulevard Grill Provide Guests Exceptional Food AND Service
Good old-fashioned hospitality can be hard to find in today’s world. With the hustle-bustle that typically characterizes modern metropolitan cities, it can be difficult or at least rare for most individuals to have meaningful interactions with the people working in the places they visit.
Popular restaurants and eateries in major cities can see heavy traffic every day so it can be quite a challenge for front-of-house staff to maintain a high standard of service for all guests. The venues that do manage to accomplish this, however, typically do so because of strong leadership and strong company values.
With an exceptional eye for detail and quality, the team behind both The Butcher Shop & Grill and Boulevard Grill have achieved this goal in spades — consistently providing guests the perfect atmosphere to enjoy their delicious meals.
These venues not only provide exceptional high-quality imported meats courtesy of the expertise of parent company Dinh Phong, but also amazing service thanks to a skilled team led under the tutelage of owner Nguyen An Ly and FOH manager Andy Tran.
Born in Vietnam, Andy left the country with his family when he was still an infant, shortly after the war. They went by ship and ended up in Wellington, New Zealand where he and his family lived in a small house with 17 other Vietnamese refugees. His parents had to struggle just to make ends meet and as the youngest of his siblings, he spent most of this time away from his family, being raised by an elderly Vietnamese nanny.
At the age of 9, he and his family moved to a suburb of Sydney, Australia called Cabramatta, commonly referred to as ‘Little Vietnam’. Visitors to this area are likely never to hear English ever being uttered. Growing up in this community helped Andy remain strongly connected to his roots though — something that he values to this day.
During High School he was something of a bad boy, getting into trouble and hanging around the wrong crowd — that is until he met his soulmate — Rachel Tran. A true Type-A personality with a track record to back it up, Ms. Tran is not only the mother of his children but has been an incredible influence on Andy’s life ever since they met.
Since 1994 they began their courtship as perhaps the perfect embodiment of the age-old belief that ‘good girls like bad boys’ and vice versa. Although he is an endlessly enthusiastic and genuine man, Andy often stated during our discussion that if it wasn’t for her, he would likely be dead or in jail and owes the best parts of his personality — in his words — to his ‘wife and brother’.
As stated earlier, he is the youngest of his siblings and has always looked up to his elder brother of 3 years. It was he who had originally taught Andy the importance of confidence. As a result of his brother’s teaching and guidance, both directly and indirectly, Andy transformed from an anxious teen into the dynamic and charismatic young man that his beloved wife fell for.
The couple had their first child in 1999 and Andy took his responsibilities as a father to heart — doing anything and everything to provide for his family. He began working in a local casino and as a dishwasher eventually working his way up to head chef until the owner of the restaurant recognized his talents for hospitality were being wasted in the kitchen. He was then moved to the front-of-house where he began honing his skills. He flourished in this role and never looked back.
Truly a natural salesman, Andy effortlessly acknowledges each of his guests with the same genuine care and hospitality only someone who has a real interest in the well-being of the people he encounters can ever hope to accomplish. He eventually opened his own cafe-restaurant in Sydney which he owned and operated while his wife traveled the globe for her work.
For years, while his wife spent 9 months out of the year working for major corporations away from home, Andy would take care of their children and his business. Family being of absolute importance to Andy and his wife, however, meant that this separation began to take its toll on everyone. As a family, they made the ultimate decision that Andy should join his beloved wife during her contract in Vietnam. While she worked for a major bank, Andy took on the role of house-husband for the majority of the first year in their homeland.
Enjoying a much-needed break following years of service and hard work, Andy nevertheless remained active, spending his time working out and ensuring all his wife’s needs were taken care of. When she would come home from work each evening, he would ensure that the house was tidy, and a delicious meal was prepared for them to share.
As expected however this life of leisure eventually got boring and having worked since a youth, Andy wanted to get back to a busier routine. Through some connections, he set up a meeting with Ms. Nguyen An Ly — F&B Managing Director of Dinh Phong.
Being in the meat-importing business with her husband, she had overseen their company’s butcher shops around the country for years and at the time of their meeting, had just opened her second restaurant — Boulevard Grill in District 3.
A casual grill and steakhouse, Boulevard Grill is a socially and environmentally conscious restaurant serving imported prime quality meats from Japan, Australia, and the USA. An endlessly kind and caring individual, each month under Ms. Ly’s guidance, the restaurant donates meat to the homeless and orphanages and began their #Dining4Giving mission by donating a portion of profits to pay for various operations for the less privileged across the country.
She had originally ventured into the restaurant business after converting their company’s popular butcher shop in Thao Dien into the aptly named The Butcher Shop & Grill. Something was lacking, however, and she was looking to hire an in-house manager. Luckily for all, she met with the right person at the perfect time.
The food being offered at the 2 venues have always been spectacular, but the experience required the front of house expertise to bring them to their full potential. Once Andy started, both venues began to see even more returning customers. He began teaching the teams at both venues not only the skills of the trade which he had learned through his experience but also English. Teaching can be easier said than done, but Andy believes that one must adopt the approach to each individual and lead by example.
Under the leadership of both Andy and owner Ms. Ly, all areas of the customers’ experience at these venues are truly taken care of. Having long ago realized the importance of getting on the same page as a customer and trying to put oneself in their shoes, Andy passed on this philosophy to the rest of the team. This provides all servers with the confidence to have meaningful interaction with visitors — turning strangers into friends within minutes. Greeting each as an important individual, both, before and after their meal.
‘When people leave here, they leave happy.’
Andy will soon return to Australia with his wife to be with their family, however, his legacy will still live on at both The Butcher Shop & Grill and Boulevard Grill. He has helped the front-of-house teams at both venues reach world-class standards and has left quite an impact. Whether by design or accident, it appears that the importance that Andy places on family — his main inspiration and motivation — has been imprinted into each venue, truly creating a family-friendly atmosphere of warmth and relaxation.
Everyone will surely be sad to see him go — but he will be back. Meanwhile, there is some great news to announce! Christmas has come early to their community of loyal and valued guests as The Butcher Shop & Grill will be opening an expansion of their esteemed shop this holiday season, ensuring there is enough space to serve you best.
Owner Ms. Ly, of course, remains an always caring and exceptional presence and together with Andy, they have found an excellent manager to take over — the charming and commendable Nicks Nguyen.
By ensuring all guests can enjoy a delicious dining experience through a truly human approach, both The Butcher Shop & Grill and Boulevard Grill have cemented themselves amongst must-try restaurants in the city. You will certainly not be disappointed, and you will likely leave with a great new friend.
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