The moment the realtor unlocked and pushed open the door of the musty building, recalls Victor Cao, was “when I fell in love with this place.”
“It was love at first sight,” says Victor, with an almost amorous twinkle in his eye.
Three years ago, the soft-spoken son of Vietnamese political refugees opened a restaurant in Tempe, proudly serving up a mix of traditional Vietnamese and fusion food to a growing customer base.
Victor established a strong following of repeat customers. But last year, Victor’s landlord raised the rent, and coupled with the high tax rate in Tempe, made it financially impractical for him to renew the lease.
With the future of his restaurant business now uncertain, Victor started looking for a new location with a friendlier business environment. And, not wanting to lose his loyal clientele, Victor restricted his search within a 2-mile radius.
That’s what led Victor to Southern Scottsdale.
As most nearby residents know, the building at 7436 E. McDowell Road has been vacant for the last seven years. The empty building became an eyesore that impacted the image of McDowell Road.
Now, thanks to Victor Cao, that’s about to change. Pho Cao is scheduled to open in March.
“Our menu will be 80% Vietnamese, 10% fusion and 10% bar food,” Victor explains, and quickly adds: “100% great food!”
When operating in Tempe, Pho Cao not only became known for its quality food, it was also a place to hear good live music. Victor intends to continue that tradition on McDowell Road. He’s planning an interesting mix of music that will include blues, jazz and acoustic performers on different nights of the week.
“When people come to my restaurant, they won’t be just customers to me. I want to get to know them so I can call them by their first names,” Victor says. “I want to be part of this community.”
SGA welcomes Victor and his new restaurant, Pho Cao, to Southern Scottsdale. And if his business philosophy is any indication, he should fit right into our neighborhood.