The latest restaurant from the creators of several Gainesville-based Asian cuisine restaurants is set to open after Thanksgiving Break.
Hiro Asian Sandwich Bistro, located at 3841 SW Archer Road, will put an Asian twist on traditional hoagie and hero sub sandwiches, said owner Johnny Tung.
Tung said Hiro will hire about 25 workers, and he anticipates most of those will be students. So far, he said, about 20 people have submitted applications.
It will open either the Sunday or Monday after Thanksgiving, Tung said, but the management team hasn’t pinned down an exact date yet.
Tung said he isn’t worried about competition from other Asian restaurants in Gainesville.
In fact, he owns several of them.
Tung, a 2003 UF finance alumnus, began launching restaurants a decade ago when he brought Bento Cafe to Gainesville. He’s since created SushiCHAO and Mochi and is anticipating Hiro’s opening as his fourth successful concept.
Tung, 32, said he runs all the restaurants with a primary management team of mostly UF alumni. So far, he’s used Gainesville to pilot his restaurants and has expanded to Jacksonville and Orlando.
“We use Gainesville as a testing ground to see if it does well,” Tung said.
Tung said he expects Hiro to thrive because it will offer unusual sandwich options such as the “Mr. Miyagi,” a teriyaki chicken-and-vegetable duo, and the “Lox Vegas,” a salmon, avocado and spicy cream cheese combination reminiscent of sushi on a bun.
Most menu items are between $5 and $7.
Head chef Chris Pham, 25, said Hiro’s kitchen will create popular dishes with uncommon seasonings.
He said sandwiches, soups, salads and even fries will be covered with Asian five-spice, cilantro, lemon grass, curry and sesame oil.
Tung said entering the restaurant management business felt natural, even in the middle of a challenging economy, because from an early age he helped his parents — immigrants from Taiwan — with their restaurants in New York.
“I grew up in the restaurant business,” Tung said. “I didn’t go to preschool. I sat in the kitchen.”
Hiro Asian Sandwich Bistro, located at 3841 SW Archer Road, is set to open after Thanksgiving Break. It will offer sandwiches, soups, salads and fries.
