Just when it looked like the hurdles might be in the rearview mirror, Qui Tran faced another obstacle.
On July 25, the restaurateur posted on social media that his flagship restaurant, Mai Lee, would be closed “until further notice” due to an exhaust hood failure. Had the missive read “temporarily” or “for a few days,” no yellow flags would have been hoisted. When no updates were posted for several weeks, however, devotees started to get anxious.
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In normal times, restaurant equipment (including important cogs, such as the exhaust hood) can be fixed in a matter of days. “But these aren’t normal times,” Tran observes. “What we thought would be a minor delay has turned into a 30-day closure. Since COVID, nothing is being fabricated as fast it did before. Plus, our exhaust system runs further and is far more elaborate than most.
“But we’re close,” Tran adds. “In a perfect world, we should be able to reopen on Tuesday or Wednesday, [August] 23 or 24. I’ve got all my fingers crossed.”
In recent years, the restaurateur has endured pandemic closings and reopenings, staffing shortages, supply chain interruptions, food and labor cost increases, inflation, and, most recently, a flood along Delmar Avenue that temporarily shut down the Loop location of his other restaurant, Nudo House, for almost two days.
