Khanh Dao, the veteran restaurateur who was involved with Draelion, Restaurant, The Drae Lounge, Steel and Voltaire, is no longer on active duty at Pho Colonial Authentic Vietnamese Diner. Dao filed a restraining order on December 29 to prevent her partner, Phil Silva, from removing her as one of the members of the partnership. The judge denied her request.
Silva confirms Dao is out of the day-to-day operations. “She still has an interest in the business and is a stockholder in the company,” Silva says. “I tried to get her to maintain a role in the operation, remain as the face of the company, but she was unwilling to go with my program.” Silva is the majority owner. “I am trying to put some new systems in place that allow us to be profitable,” Silva says. “I had to make a decision as a majority holder to protect my investment.”
Pho Colonial opened their first location on Frankfurt Road in North Dallas in early May 2011. A second location downtown in the Wilson Building opened last August. Both locations are busy but being busy doesn’t always insure success. “At some point, I need to make a profit,” Silva says. I’ve left a message for Ms. Dao.
