Hello Auntie on express expansion drive

Marrickville Vietnamese Hello Auntie is embarking on an expansion plan across Sydney that's part employee buy-in, part franchise.

While owner Cuong Nguyen is self-funding a "more refined" version of the original, which he confirmed will open at Darling Square (near Haymarket) in August, he says a more casual spin-off of the restaurant will open at Newmarket Randwick.

The new eastern suburbs development, which has already signed up a number of food venues , is to include the first Hello Auntie Express.

"Some of my staff came to me saying they wanted to do their own venue. I didn't want them to make the mistakes I made, I learnt from having a failed first one. I used to think if you cooked good food, people would come, but there's more to it than that."

Nguyen believes the Express model, which has a pruned menu and lower operating costs, is a great trainer-wheels operation.

"They are already saying they want to do more of them," he says.