Meet Vinh Le | Senior Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vinh Le and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vinh, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I entered into the world of entrepreneurship back in 2011 when a couple of partners and I opened our first Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise. Since then, we’ve open 6 other locations and are on track to open a couple more in a few months. There are pros and cons of opening a franchise. The pros are, you inherit the business model and the support of a larger corporation. The cons are, you are strictly bound by their rules and their growth plans. When I came up with the Social Oak concept, I wanted to bring an upscale adult only lounge to the area. Something that was missing. I also wanted to create my own concept with the freedom to grow it to other markets that makes sense.

What should our readers know about your business?
Social Oak is an upscale wine & whiskey lounge. It’s a small quaint lounge with leather club chairs, velvet sofas, gold chain curtains draping down from the ceiling, all coming together to create an inviting speakeasy vibe.

What sets Social Oak apart from other bars and restaurants is our state-of-the-art wine dispensing machines. They keep oxygen out of the wines, so it preserves the integrity of the wine longer, allowing us to offer 56 wines from all price ranges by the 1 ounce, 3 ounces, or 1 glass pour. They also keep the wines at the perfect temperature so every wine is enjoyed the way it was intended by the wine maker.

What I’m most proud of is our team, and the hard work they put in to taking a concept from a vision to a real brick and mortar lounge. Building a concept from scratch is a challenge. It’s very different than building a franchise where the blue print, business model, and support is already in place. Sometimes you’re learning along the way and you continue to make adjustments to improve the concept. It’s not easy, but staying true to the core of your concept and not getting distracted trying to be like others was critical to our success.

What I want people to know about Social Oak is our passion for wine, whiskey, and food is off the charts. We strive to make every guest feel like they’re having a unique wine, whiskey, and culinary experience when they spend their evening at Social Oak. We cater to all kinds of wine and whiskey drinkers, from the novice wanting a small taste of as many wines as possible to find something they love, to the seasoned connoisseurs looking for bottles of rare wines they can’t find elsewhere.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First I would take them to the Ft. Worth Stock Yards. They’ve done a great job reviving that area and it really is a great representation of what Ft. Worth is all about. We’d hit the different bars for a drink, and grab dinner at the Hotel Drover. Next, I’d take them to dinner in Dallas at one of my favorite restaurants Town Hearth, Nick & Sam’s, or The Mexican and maybe catch a Mav’s game if they were playing. If not, maybe catch a musical at Dallas Music Hall. Next, I’d take them to a Rangers or Cowboys game and hit the bars at Texas Live before or after depending on the time. Then, I’d take them for a stroll down Main Street in Grapevine, especially during the holidays, grab a drink at the Hotel Vin, and dinner at Oishii Grapevine. Then I’d take them out on a sunset boat ride at Lake Grapevine to watch the fireworks in the summer with some charcuterie and a bottle of wine. Lastly, I’d wrap up their visit with the most amazing wine and whiskey experience at Social Oak and introduce them to some of the best tapas style dishes in the DFW area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like dedicate my shoutout to my original business partners Tuan Nguyen and Tien Pham. They encouraged me to become entrepreneurs in the first place and their partnership over the years has been amazing. I also want to give a shoutout to my wife Stephany Le. She is always supportive and there for me if I need help. She understands what it takes to be an entrepreneur as well as hold a full time job, so working in the evening is not uncommon. She helps hold down the fort while I’m working.

Website: socialoaklounge.com

Instagram: @socialoaklounge

Facebook: facebook.com/socialoaklounge

Yelp: yelp.to/ZyWuDZFk27

Image Credits
Audra Tackett Photography