Business partners Christian Lombardo and Arleth Blanco loved the Vietnamese sandwich shop Banh Mi Boys so much, that they decided to become franchisees and now the partners are planning to open a carryout location alongside a hotel in the Central Business District at 717 Common St. The building is currently undergoing structural renovations.
Lombardo recently told What Now New Orleans that the hotel will have a bar on the second floor, which will complement the planned Banh Mi Boys location.
“We’re really excited about it,” he said. “New Orleans is obviously this food capital, and we wanted to bring Banh Mi Boys closer to the French Quarter and into the hands of more tourists. We also want to cater to the CBD and the medical complex that’s in the area.”
The restaurant was founded by local chef Peter Nguyen and the original Airline Drive location in Metairie became popular for filling traditional banh mi sandwiches with all kinds of non-traditional fillings, including bang bang shrimp and bulgogi. That original location inspired Lombardo and Blanco to go into business with Nguyen.
