[ BIG BITE OF SUCCESS ]

Dough means
money for Ba-Le

A lone sandwich shop blossomed into
a thriving enterprise known for generosity

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By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com

While he ran his first Chinatown sandwich shop in 1984, Thanh Quoc Lam weighed 97 pounds and worked 18- to 20-hour days, seven days a week.

Now, 28 pounds and 21 locations later, the 5-foot-5-inch founder of Ba-Le Sandwich and Bakery still works seven days a week, but now 10 hours a day.

Lam learned hard work at age 9, when he lost his father and had to help his mother run a tiny grocery stall in war-torn South Vietnam.

The 43-year-old Vietnamese immigrant has built a $5 million-a-year business on hard work, and in May was named the National Small Business Person of the Year in Washington, D.C.

With 21 franchise stores, Lam retains only one retail outlet. He does 95 percent of his business wholesaling more than 200 bakery items to airlines, caterers, hotels, markets and restaurants, and supplies 40 tons of dough a month to Papa John's Pizza. He operates out of his15,000-square-foot office, bakery and shop at 2242 Kamehameha Hwy., across from the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Thanh Quoc Lam still works seven days a week - but has cut down to only 10 hours a day. The 43-year-old Vietnamese immigrant has built a $5 million-a-year business on hard work, and in May was named the National Small Business Person of the Year in Washington, D.C.

Lam came to Hawaii from San Jose, Calif., with partner Le Vo to start a sandwich shop. But the bakery where they bought 400 baguettes a day required them to pick up just 75 at a time. So Lam flew in a San Jose baker to teach him how to bake French bread.

In 1986, Lam became sole owner of the company.

Over the past 18 years, Ba-Le, which means Paris in Vietnamese, has made getting crusty French bread and flaky croissants as easy to find in Honolulu as it is in Paris.

But the French bread sandwiches garnished with Chinese parsley (cilantro), pickled turnip and carrot, which the company was founded on, remain a staple. In the former French colony where Lam grew up, he said, "That's like hamburger over here."

But Ba-Le has brought more than bread to Hawaii.

While many companies have downsized or failed in Hawaii's struggling economy, Ba-Le Inc. has provided the local economy with jobs, said Lam's banker, Warren K.K. Luke, Hawaii National Bank chairman and president.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Ba-Le owner and baked goods wholesaler Thanh Quoc Lam opened his first Ba-Le Sandwich shop in December 1984.

Ba-Le Inc. employs 76 workers. Another 75 or so are employed by the franchises.

"Mr. Lam's hard work and entrepreneurship has had a very positive impact in the local community," Luke said. "Many of his employees are new immigrants to Hawaii. By taking them under his wing and personally training them in every aspect of the restaurant's operation, not only as a manager but as owner-manager, he has helped many to realize the American dream."

Kristy Hoang, 29, a widow with a 7-year-old daughter, runs her father's Alakea Street Ba-Le shop.

Her 60-year-old father, a hospital maintenance worker, bought the franchise in 1999.

Hoang's husband had worked for Lam for more than 10 years before he fell ill and died.

"He (Lam) helped me, and take care of me and my daughter," Hoang said. "He has very good heart."

He credits his success to "very good employees -- nice people, work hard and loyal to me," and is grateful to his loyal customers.

But with all his success, Lam doesn't slow down.

He's opening a new Hilo store and bakery in September, and Kapolei and Kauai franchises are in the works.

"My dream is to expand to Asian countries," Lam said. He is negotiating to open stores in Singapore and China, and has signed a contract for a franchise in Japan.

"That's why I have to work seven days a week," he said.

Ba-Le Sandwich and Bakeries President and chief executive officer: Thanh Quoc Lam First Ba-Le Sandwich shop opened: Dec. 16, 1984 Lam became sole owner: 1986 Sales last year: $5 million Number of locations: 22 Number of franchise-owned shops: 21 Number of employees: Ba-Le Inc. has 76 employees, with a total of about 150 at all locations including franchise-owned shops