Nov. 11—FIVE YEARS AGO, Trumin Nguyen opened Buba Noodle Bar on Lowell Street in Manchester.
Now, he's opening a second location at 148 N. Main St. in Concord under the name Buba Kitchen in the spot of the former Whiskey and Wine.
Nguyen said the restaurant will have a similar Vietnamese-inspired menu to the Manchester location, but he wants to grow his target audience.
"Noodles will be the main part of our menu in Concord, but we also want people to know that we have more than that," he said. "We have Asian street tapas. We have bao buns and some other appetizers."
Nguyen said there is nothing like it in downtown Concord with ramen and pho and that is the biggest reason for opening there. He had been interested in the location for two years, and was able to finalize plans a few weeks ago.
"The place is really ready to go. It is nice and modern and my concept is also modern/contemporary design," he said. "I am just going to add a few things here and there, but not much."
The restaurant was able to rebound after dealing with COVID-19 restrictions and a salmonella outbreak, which he said was handled swiftly and professionally.
"We passed that challenge and we are opening a second location," he said. "That is proof right there we overcame the obstacle."
Nguyen said he was able to open the second spot as a private investment. He plans to hire six to 10 employees.
He aims to open the first week of December.
New direction
A few doors down, Sunday's, an ice cream and treat shop, will become Social Club Creamery, a different concept by the same owners. The doors are expected to open in March, according to a sign on the door.
Before it closed in September, Sunday's specialized in soft serve and milkshakes.
"The shop will feature our own homemade hard-scoop ice cream and baked goods. Don't worry though, there are plans to have a smaller soft serve menu for our Sunday's lovers," the post reads.
Social Club Creamery, which also has a location in Laconia, specializes in small-batch desserts made with the best ingredients.
Shared space
Speaking of ice cream, Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream will soon share part of its space on Hanover Street in Manchester with The Potato Concept. The Potato Concept offers gourmet, twice baked potatoes with various meat, veggies and cheese topping.
Brandon Rainer and Lauren Lefebvre started the pop-up and catering business in 2021.
The space on the corner of Chestnut and Hanover streets was previously home to Prime Time Grilled Cheese. The Potato Concept aims to sprout at its new permanent location at the end of November, according to its website.