Sonny Nguyen’s first poké restaurant has been open only six months, but he and his business partner are already adding a second Little Rock location.
Capitalizing on the poké craze, Nguyen and partner Au Tran launched Ohia Poké in January 2018 with no previous restaurant experience.
“We didn’t know all the procedures and regulations, but we hired two great managers with extensive experience in the food business, and we were able to empower them,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen also turned to the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for guidance.
Market data and analysis provided by the center helped the new business owners settle on the Sixth Street space.
“ASBTDC helped us a lot in regard to the demographics, foot traffic, and location. What the data showed comforted us in choosing downtown for the first location,” he said.
The next location will be at the Promenade at Chenal.
Ohia Poké lets customers fully customize the Hawaiian dish with chopped raw fish or other proteins, rice, sauces, and toppings.
One of the owners’ goals is to provide a fresh, healthy alternative in the metro area’s fast casual dining scene. They also want to bring the aloha spirit of the islands to Little Rock by having a “beautiful, upbeat and welcoming environment inside the restaurant,” said Nguyen.
“We designed the space so people would feel a positive and super happy vibe, like you would find in most poké places in Hawaii.”
Amid starting restaurants, Nguyen is also a member of the National Guard.