A behind-the-scenes look at our Bún Bò Huế Ramen — not quite traditional BBH, not exactly ramen, but a flavorful mashup that honors both. In this Reel, we share how we make it and why. Watch to learn the story behind the bowl.
#cincinnati #cincy #july4th #ohio #japanese #vietnamese #asian
Not all the work at Lang Thang Group happens in the kitchen. This week, we used AI and custom scripts to organize our digital files, automate finance workflows, and update the website for Quan Hapa.
Tech helps us stay sharp behind the scenes so we can keep bringing you great food and experiences out front.
#LangThangGroup #QuanHapa #RestaurantOps #TechBehindTheScenes #WorkSmarter
We didn’t see a place for us in Cincinnati — so we built one.
From pho to coffee, we’ve spent the last 14 years creating spaces that reflect our culture, our community, and our future.
This AAPI Month, we’re proud to raise our kids in a city that now feels like home. AAPI month is a reminder for us to keep doing what we do.
#AAPIHeritageMonth #VietnameseAmerican #LangThangGroup
Big thanks to the City of Cincinnati, Mayor Aftab Pureval, Council member Seth Walsh, and City Council and Administration for recognizing the Lang Thang Group as a 2025 AANHPI Month honoree.
It’s definitely an honor for us, and we couldn’t do it without the support from our team, family, friends, the community and the City!
Sometimes, we just don’t have the images to post the content that’s on our mind. So we’re going to start posting more on threads. Come follow us over there.
After the Asian Food Fest high comes Monday. Time to unload the U-Haul, scrub down sticky fryers, deep-clean the grill, and haul everything back to its home base. We even reran all the keg lines on the coffee cart — part of our annual maintenance to keep things flowing smooth.
And once the gear is clean and put away? That’s when the real work starts. Catching up on emails, bookkeeping, staffing, scheduling — all the behind-the-scenes admin stuff that quietly keeps the business running.
Funny how we started this for the love of food — but running a business means diving deep into spreadsheets, schedules, and all the not-so-glamorous stuff too. Still worth it.
Updates from the restaurants:
📍 Hi-Mark – The Pulled Pork Banh Mi is back for a limited time! We’re also working on restoring our basement games after some flood damage.
📍 Hapa – Starting 5/14, we’ll be open five days a week:
Wed–Sat: 11am–Midnight
Sun: 11am–9pm
Perfect for lunch, dinner, or late-night hangs.
📍 PLT – Our ribs from Asian Food Fest will be offered as a limited-time appetizer. Keep an eye out 👀
May is also AAPI Heritage Month, and we’re taking time to reflect and share our story. Lang Thang Group was always about bringing a little more of the Asian things we love to our city — more on that soon.
We just wrapped up @asianfoodfest , and like every year, it took over our world for a bit.
Prepping for this event always disrupts our usual flow—but it’s worth it. We’ve been part of AFF since the beginning, and it’s become our favorite testing ground for new ideas and dishes we’re excited about.
This year, we got ambitious with steam-fried buns. Why fry?
You won’t find this dish anywhere else in the city.
Frying worked better than steaming on-site—logistically and flavor-wise.
We also rolled out:
- Suon Cay Nuong (spicy grilled ribs)
- Walking Taco with Bo Kho chili
- Pandan Cold Foam Coffee
These events help us figure out what works, what people love, and what we might tweak. We’re working on a plan to offer some of these as limited-time specials at our restaurants soon—stay tuned.
Big shoutout to @wayfarertavern and @allezbakery for letting us use their mixers for the bun dough. And thanks to everyone who showed up and supported—we appreciate you.
We’re excited to be at @asianfoodfest by @asianati_official this weekend! Come find us and check out our lineup: Grilled Ribs (Sườn Cây Nướng), Fried Steam Buns (Bánh Bao Chiên), Walking Taco with Bò Kho Chili, Pandan Cold Foam Coffee, Mango Limeade, Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and Black Nitro Coffee. We’ve got some really good stuff—see you there this weekend!
Playing catch up still…
This week, we mainly dealt with the flood at Hi-Mark. We’ve been through this before—last time was in 2018—so we were a bit more prepared.
Once the forecast showed the river hitting 58’, we knew water would reach our basement. We cleared out anything important and all consumables ahead of time.
We added an extra sump pump to move the water out. Even though it ends up cycling back in, it helps keep things flowing and prevents buildup. Huge thanks to our landlord for not only loaning us the pumps, but helping install them and helping out with the overall process.
Since there wasn’t much we could do to stop the flood, we took a more positive route and had fun with it—documenting “Mother Nature’s renovation” over at @thehimark .
We did end up losing a few basement games, but the vending company is checking them out. Once the water receded, we had a crew come through to pressure wash everything. We lost a few days of sales, and the team had to shift gears, but everyone stepped up.
When it floods, you can’t fight it—you just save what you can and reopen fast to keep things moving.
Hapa Kitchen Updates- We launched garlic noodles! For Bo Luc Lac, it was initially too salty, but we refined it and eventually got it right. It might seem easy—you cook garlic noodles, cook Bo Luc Lac, and put them together—but the balance was tricky. And we’re always thinking about kitchen efficiency.
While we were on that topic, we decided to add the Lemongrass Chili Shrimp garlic noodles. We felt like there’s more room to offer fun protein options with our garlic noodle base.
In the coming weeks, we’ll keep experimenting and tweaking dishes. It’s all part of our vision to keep Hapa fresh and forward-thinking.
Tariffs – We’re watching how this could impact our coffee. Right now, there’s no benefit to anyone—not our family in Vietnam, not us, and not our customers. Plus, there’s no real “Made in America” substitute for Vietnamese coffee beans. We’re holding steady for now and won’t make any pricing changes due to tariffs unless we’re directly hit with a tariff invoice.
Hi-Mark Flood Watch – We’ve been flooded before, so we’ve learned the signs. When the Ohio River is projected to rise above 58’, we prep. Water doesn’t reach our storefront, but it comes up through basement drains and floods the lower level. We’d like to thank Stokley, our Director of Operations, for calling it out early and leading the team—and thank you to the whole crew for stepping up and getting everything ready. We’ll share more about this in next week’s recap.
Life happens, and some posts get delayed…next recap coming soon.
Opening Day Recap Opening Day was a win. We served 3 hot dog variations: a classic coney with Hi-Mark chili, a Japanese-inspired dog with okonomiyaki toppings, and one that let us use what we had on hand. Sales were strong and feedback was solid.
We also tried to launch Lang Thang Whip, but ran into issues with the machines overheating and freezing over product. Lesson learned: get the machines professionally serviced at the start of each season. We’ll reopen once it’s resolved.
Some feedback came in about our use of AI to create a quick promo graphic. A few folks felt we should work with local artists instead. We agree. Our window displays were done with local art in mind. But when time and budget are tight, AI helps us get the word out fast. It’s a tool, not a replacement—and we’ll keep working with artists when we can.
Hapa Operational Check-In We stepped back to evaluate Hapa’s kitchen ops. With such a tight space and changing hands over time, things got messy—too many SKUs, prep inconsistency, slower tickets.
So we cut the menu. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. We simplified ingredients, focused on execution, and made it easier for our new staff to succeed. It’s still a work in progress, but the reset has helped. We’re now in a better place to launch new specials next week.
Drag Brunch Success Drag Brunch was more than just a packed house—it was a team win. It was the first event many staff felt strongly about and executed with pride. The energy was there, and we’re excited to keep building on that momentum.
#thisweekinreview #langthanglife #restaurantlife
