Sacramento State offers a wide variety of restaurants catering to hungry students. But Minh Tran, the manager of Saigon Bay Express, offers much more than just a delicious meal.

While many places on campus serve food with conveyor belt-like efficiency, Tran said his goal when talking to students is to make them feel like a welcomed guest instead of just another customer.

“Working here is just like my home; we treat people like family,” Tran said. “I want customers who come here to be happy when they leave.”

Tran said he was a retired stockbroker and started working for Saigon Bay Express after his brother Thai, the owner of the Saigon Bay restaurants in Sacramento, asked him to run the Sac State location in 2007.

Tran said the secret to keeping his customers coming back is making Saigon Bay Express a place where students can relax and feel comfortable.

Since Saigon Bay Express is not located in the University Union or the Riverfront Center where many students usually go for food, Tran said he wanted to make the restaurant a special place on campus.

“(Students) know they come here for the food because they’re hungry, but their minds are in the classroom,” Tran said. “We try to help them and make them feel good.”

Tran said he likes to make his customers feel happy and welcomed because their emotions can dictate how he feels throughout the day.

“When people laugh, I feel good and when people are sad, I feel sad,” Tran said.

In addition to serving pho, the Vietnamese soup dish, and spring rolls, Tran said he often finds himself giving advice to stressed out students.

Tran said much of the advice he gives comes from his own experience as a computer science graduate from Sacramento City College.

“I tell (students) to go to sleep and to study their notes because everything’s in the notes,” Tran said. “That’s what I taught my kids.”

Freshman math major Thinh Tran said the friendly staff of Saigon Bay Express and the good food are what keep him coming back almost three times a week.

Tran said he likes the fact Minh Tran is sincere when he deals with his customers.

“He’s not putting up a front,” Thinh Tran said. “He is really friendly and respectful.”

Minh Tran’s care for customers also extends to his employees, as Tran said he wants to treat his employees as if they were his own kids.

Sophomore biology major and Saigon Bay Express employee Khi Moua said he likes the chemistry of his coworkers and the friendly environment of the restaurant.

“They’re like family to me,” Moua said. “Everyone gets along.”

Moua said one of the best parts of working at Saigon Bay Express is the managers, including Minh Tran, who are very easy to talk to.

“They’re really easygoing,” Moua said. “That’s why I really like this job compared to my past jobs.”

Minh Tran said he wants his workers to extend the kindness toward others beyond working at Saigon Bay Express and into their future professions.

“Your coworkers are your friends, not your enemies,” Minh Tran said. “You solve a lot of problems when you’re friendly.”

Tran said he often finds himself spending more time at the restaurant than at home, but said making people happy is what keeps him going.

“I don’t worry about the money or income,” Minh Tran said. When people are happy, I’m happy.”

Miguel Razo can be reached at [email protected]