East Market Noodle House owner Matt Vilaykham, and his mother, Nittaya, was all smiles last week after Vilaykham found out he won Downtown Lloydminster’s marketing contest. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
It’s hard to beat a bowl of piping hot Pho on a cold winter’s day.
That was the thinking of Border City native Matt Vilaykham when he opened East Market Noodle House, a Vietnamese restaurant, a decade ago.
The business had more than a 10-year anniversary to celebrate last week, however, as Vilaykham was recently informed his restaurant won Downtown Lloydminster’s marketing contest, put on by Red Bicycle Communications. The decision was reached collaboratively by Red Bicycle, the City of Lloydminster and the Downtown Area Redevelopment Committee (DARC).
As the winner, Vilaykham secured $5,000 in marketing services from Red Bicycle and a heck of a lot of bragging rights.
The contest was open to businesses with a physical location within the downtown area redevelopment boundaries. The business also had to be locally owned and operated and could not be a franchise or a co-op.
“Ten years goes by really fast. Blink once and it’s gone,” said Vilaykham last Thursday evening at the restaurant, located at 4811 49 Ave., Lloydminster, Sask. “It’s been fun opening here. There were changes when we opened because of a recession, but we made it through and we’re still here kicking it.”
Vilaykham explained he first saw a need for more diverse cuisine in the Border City after moving back to Lloyd from Calgary.
“Vietnamese is pretty popular in Calgary,” he said. “I was there for about eight years, and moving back to Lloyd, after growing up here, there was never anything like that here, so I thought I’d give it a shot and see what happens, and we’re still doing it.”
East Market Noodle House is a family affair for Vilaykham, whose mother, Nittaya, can be found working most days.
“I have one cook, but it’s mainly me and Ma these days,” said Vilaykham.
“We’ve got pops at home rolling egg rolls for me; it’s pretty family-oriented.”
Jill Kelly, owner of Red Bicycle Communications, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We’re so excited to work with East Market Noodle House as they not only serve delicious Vietnamese food, but they also bring many patrons downtown, and we look forward to helping them grow.”
The $5,000 in marketing services will empower East Market Noodle House to enhance various aspects of its marketing strategy, which could include developing a new website, social media initiatives, menu design, promotional advertising, or any other marketing initiatives identified as crucial to its success. The services are yet to be confirmed and will be done so after Red Bicycle and East Market Noodle House can sit down for a strategy meeting later this month.
