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Vietnamese fast-casual concept Saigon Hustle in Garden Oaks serves banh mi, spring rolls, egg rolls, salads, rice and vermicelli bowls.

Vietnamese fast-casual concept Saigon Hustle in Garden Oaks has a large, colorful patio and a drive-thru.

Vietnamese fast-casual concept Saigon Hustle serves several variations on the banh mi, including rib eye beef.

Vietnamese fast-casual concept Saigon Hustle serves several rolls, like an egg roll with shredded taro, carrots, glass noodles and wood-ear mushrooms.

Co-owners Cassie Ghaffar, left, and Sandy Nguyen opened Saigon Hustle on Feb. 10, 2022.

Vietnamese fast-casual concept Saigon Hustle in Garden Oaks repurposed an old gas station.

There's a wealth of great Vietnamese food in Houston, but one new spot has aims to be next big fast-casual franchise specializing in the cuisine.

Saigon Hustle, which opened in Garden Oaks on Feb. 10, boasts a drive-thru and large, colorful patio. The restaurant serves Vietnamese classics like banh mi, spring rolls, and rice and vermicelli bowls that allow some customization. 

Co-owners and best friends Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyen met at the University of Houston, eventually founding the restaurant group Ordinary Concepts, which owns Ginger Kale in Hermann Park and Sunday Press, an art-deco coffee shop that debuted last October.

Saigon Hustle initially operated out of Blodgett Food Hall, the ghost kitchen incubator in Third Ward, for a year before leasing a brick and mortar that was later delayed due to the pandemic. Ghaffar, who is Vietnamese-Chinese, is Saigon Hustle's chef while Nguyen takes care of the finances and the front of house.

The rolls are the star of the show here, particularly the Saigon Crepe Roll, Saigon Hustle's take on banh xeo. The traditional turmeric omelette with lettuce, carrots, daikon radishes and other garnishes is served in spring roll form with braised pork belly and shrimp.

"Spring rolls on the fly through a drive-thru has always been hard to find," Ghaffar said.

Another roll, this one encasing honey- and lemongrass-glazed salmon, was originally crafted by Ghaffar and enjoyed a lot at home before she decided to put it on the menu.

Basing Saigon Hustle's concept off of efficiency and convenience, Ghaffar said they are positioning it as a "Vietnamese Chipotle" where diners can select their base and their protein as part of designing customizable rice and vermicelli bowls.

Saigon Hustle's menu also has several gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options for the growing segment of the population requesting that.

"Our goal is to get Saigon Hustle into the quick-service restaurant industry," Ghaffar said. "We're looking for a much bigger picture now that we're seasoned operators."

The duo specifically created a concept that could scale up, with the aim of turning it into its own franchise or becoming corporate-owned. Ghaffar said they are currently scouting for new locations, and are mulling over whether the next Saigon Hustle will be in the city or in Houston's suburbs.

Ghaffar likes Saigon Hustle's old gas station space, which she says is "very retro-looking," and wants to find other freestanding buildings as opposed to a strip mall corner, but the former are harder to find.

Ordinary Concepts signed the lease in Garden Oaks before COVID-19 hit, but the drive-thru and patio have translated well to the pandemic, when more people want to sit outside or order food to-go as new variants pop up. Ghaffar says Saigon Hustle has been well-received in the neighborhood so far, as evidenced by the very busy lunch rush.

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Emma Balter is the food editor for Chron.

She was previously an entertainment reporter for the Houston Chronicle, writing food, drink and feature stories. Before joining the Chronicle in March 2020, Balter worked for Wine Spectator magazine for six years as a writer, editor and tasting coordinator. She has also contributed to Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Eater, PureWow, Chowhound and VinePair, among others.

Balter grew up in Paris, France, where she got an early taste for good food and wine. She studied English Literature at Newcastle University in the U.K. and was the lifestyle editor of the student newspaper. She currently lives in southwest Houston.

Follow her on Twitter at @EmmaBalter