OMG Pho Vietnamese Restaurant Reopens Near Target
SHOREWOOD, IL — For the second day in a row, a popular small locally owned in Shorewood has reopened for business after closing for a month amid the new coronavirus outbreak. At noon on Friday, OMG Pho, 201 Vertin Blvd., displayed an open sign in its window.
As of 3:30 p.m., the dine-in Vietnamese cuisine restaurant already had taken 15 carryout orders.
"I'm pretty happy," OMG Pho owner Victoria Tran told Patch's editor for Joliet, Shorewood and Channahon-Minooka. Her restaurant is near the busy Route 59 corridor.
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Tran said she was pleasantly surprised with the early signs of business Friday afternoon. She is keeping her restaurant open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
If business does well over weekend, she said, she may keep OMG Pho open every day next week. She planned to keep her followers informed on her hours of operation for next week on her Facebook page: OMG Pho.
Until the health crisis, OMG Pho was known for its dine-in cuisine.
Now, Tran is having to reinvent her restaurant focusing on takeout. She is not letting customers inside her restaurant to order food.
Her employees, wearing protective gloves and face masks, are bringing the food orders out to the parking lot in front of her Shorewood restaurant.
"I think people are being so nice," Tran said. "People just missed the food, and that makes you feel good. It's the same menu."
Tran opened her restaurant in Shorewood in March 2019. Because of the health crisis, OMG Pho remained closed during its one-year anniversary.
Tran said she hoped Friday afternoon's uptick in carryout orders was a sign of more to come. Over the past year, she said, she built a strong and loyal customer base.
"I think people are craving of different foods, including our curries and the spring rolls," Tran said.
"I really do miss my regulars. I missed their smiles and they make you feel good. We have a lot of regulars."
The phone number for OMG Pho is 815-733-6630. The restaurant is at 201 Vertin Blvd. The year-old Shorewood Vietnamese restaurant has 114 Google Reviews with a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 stars. For see the menu, visit the website for OMG Phohere.
Last May, Patch's editor did a food review on the Shorewood restaurant: "OMG Pho: Great New Vietnamese Restaurant Near Target Store."
So far, about 20 of Shorewood's small local businesses have filled out Patch's simple online survey to let everyone know they are open and their current hours of operations during the coronavirus outbreak.
If you still want to add your business to Patch's list of open and closed businesses, you can do so here.
Related:
Illinois Coronavirus Update April 18: 1,134 Deaths
Baci: Former Plainfield Restaurant 'Still Alive' In Joliet
Barolo Ristorante Reopens Kitchen: 'We'll See What Happens'
This article originally appeared on the Shorewood Patch
