Meet Vy Wynn | Business Operations & Brand Executive

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vy Wynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vy, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
Yes, I do! My personal motto is “Think Freely. Dream Bigger. Keep the Faith.” I apply it in my life daily. It reminds me to have an open heart and mind to explore the unknown by thinking freely; to set my standards and goals high by dreaming big; and lastly to keep the faith by knowing for certain from within that everything I think, plan and take action on will come true.

What should our readers know about your business?

I am excited about this question! It truly sets me on fire! First, let’s pronounce the name correctly. Pho is pronounced FUH, not FOE. I am the Co-founder, Designer, and Operating Partner of Who Wanna Pho. The very first Vietnamese Cuisine & Lounge

I took my boyfriend Terry to have pho for the first time. I went to“Pho King”, a Vietnamese restaurant. He couldn’t get over how great the word-play was. Because if you say it fast…it’s Fuhking. Lol. Later that evening, I told him there’s another restaurant called “Who Wanna Pho”. I googled it –nothing because I meant to say “What The Pho” which is located in Duluth, GA. Then he said, “So wait a minute! WHO WANNA PHO is it though!” He and I started brainstorming and came up with business ideas around the name. That night we locked in WHO WANNA PHO LLC.

This is why my motto means a lot. “Think Freely. Dream Bigger. Keep The Faith.”

Two weeks later, Terry’s commercial realtor called him about potentially taking over a restaurant building.

Since we were already talking about “WHO WANNA PHO”……we took the leap of faith to get locked into an amazing once in a lifetime prime location in Little 5 Points, Atlanta, GA.

One of the first people I called was my Uncle David. He has 7 of his own pho restaurants called “I Luv Pho, a Vietnamese Noodle Soup and Grill”. He also owns a construction company. Not only did he agree to do the buildout but he also gave me the secret multi-million dollar recipe for the pho broth, which is the most important part of pho.

In hindsight, the amazing alignment in full-circle is: In 2019, I left my corporate job as a global graphic designer to pursue GoldnV Designs & Company full time, which is a branding agency I founded.

Then the pandemic hit. I needed help. My uncle and aunt also needed help with the restaurant business. They almost lost the businesses entirely. It was definitely a crazy and scary moment because my uncle worked so hard building the “I Luv” brand for more than 25 years!

So I stepped in and gave a lot of sweat equity into reestablishing front house services at 2 of their locations. It took a lot of my energy and time so I didn’t have any fuel left for my business or for anything else really.

Since I blessed my family with my help and although I didn’t put time into GoldnV, in return, the universe gave me the biggest branding project, which so happens to be my very own Vietnamese pho restaurant. What a blessing to be blessed by my uncle, the Vietnamese goat, a respected Pho King, no pun intended.

We want our customers to know that our pho recipe has been tried and true and passed down from many generations! Come in and taste the delicious food we have and enjoy the unique ambience vibe that ya girl designed!

Win-wynn-win!

I want the world to know that Who Wanna Pho is the first Viet lounge offering authentic Viet food, premium exotic flavors, boba tea, cocktails, and bottle services. Our ambience is great for date nights, birthday celebrations, and special events. We have committed ourselves to perfecting the services, flavors and techniques of traditional Vietnamese cuisine while embracing the bold creativity of hip-hop culture.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Let’s say my best friend is visiting from another state for the first time. Here’s a little itinerary for her, not necessarily in order:

– Ride the SkyView Atlanta

– Eat at Who Wanna Pho

– Tickets to the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world

– Go bowling at Painted Pin

– Outdoor Photoshoot with GoldnV Designs & Company and Vlog the Trip

– Watch a Game at the Mercedes Benz Stadium

– Eat at SluttyVegan ATL

– Go clubbing at Suite Lounge on Monday for “I Love RNB Mondays” at GreenHause Rooftops

– Eat, smoke hookah, and hangout at Who Wanna Pho

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

Yes, most definitely. My mentor’s name is Bill Largent, an experienced executive with more than 30 years in operations and leadership roles. Bill was CEO and Chairman of the Board with Veeam Software which saw revenues grow from $0 in 2006 to over $1.2 Billion when sold to Insight Partners in early 2020. Thanks to his mentorship and advisory, I am confident in setting up my businesses for success. It truly is an honor to learn from the best.

Another person I’d like to give a shoutout is Terry Jessup, an experienced sales and marketing executive and the people’s director. He is my business partner and co-founder of Who Wanna Pho. He serves as the GM of the business. Who Wanna Pho wouldn’t have been possible without Terry and his super-glue-power between the organizational dynamics.

I also want to give my mom and sister a shoutout for their support in everything I do. Together, we are the owners and operators of Saigon Lily, a Vietnamese food lunch pickup in Dodge City, Kansas. Last but not least, my uncle David Le, owner and founder of I Luv Pho.

Thank you EVERYONE for your support and for believing in the vision. We are in this winning energy movement together! #WynnRG

Website: whowannapho.com

Instagram: instagram.com/whowannapho

Linkedin: linkedin.com/vywynn

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/who-wanna-pho-no-title

Image Credits
Tiger Entertainment Inc. and Buggs View Visual Art