Tiên’s Sandwich Opens Soon in Wesley Chapel's Wiregrass Ranch

Tiên’s Sandwich, a banh mi and boba tea shop, is scheduled to open in November at the Wiregrass Ranch shopping center in Wesley Chapel. The establishment is led by Vietnamese chef Chau Le and is located at 2557 Mansfield Blvd. Owner Tommy Nguyen confirmed the expected opening date during a phone interview on Friday.

The menu centers on Vietnamese-French submarine-style sandwiches, with prices ranging from $8.95 for a classic item to $10.95 for a premium banh mi. Nguyen stated that the shop will import ingredients from Vietnam and bring in tea from Taiwan to maintain specific flavors. The baguettes are baked in-house using a proprietary flour mixture designed to achieve a specific texture.

Nguyen explained that the dough requires a precise blend of flour and protein to ensure the bread has the right crunch without becoming too doughy. He and his wife and business partner, Trang Le, traveled to Vietnam earlier this year to study regional techniques for making banh mi bread. During their trip, they tested various flour blends to find the correct consistency for their fast-casual concept.

In addition to sandwiches, Tiên’s will feature a boba tea lounge and a seating area for approximately 40 patrons. The menu also includes beef pho, vermicelli bowls, and spring rolls. The shop is named after the couple’s daughter. Nguyen and Le live in the local neighborhood and cited community requests for another Vietnamese dining option as a primary motivation for opening the store.

Residents have expressed concerns to Nguyen that many of the new restaurants in the area are expensive chains. He noted that family-owned establishments in the region have been closing frequently. “And then they don’t see many family-owned restaurants, and family-owned restaurants are being closed left and right,” Nguyen said. He added that the new shop allows them to customize the menu to suit local preferences.

Le’s family has a long history in the restaurant industry. Under the guidance of her chef father, the family has consulted for Vietnamese restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa Bay. They previously owned and operated Pho Nhu Trang, which has since closed, located on West Waters Avenue in the Egypt Lake-Leto neighborhood. The couple has already begun planning for regional specialties and a future full-service restaurant.

The shop’s website is tienssandwich.com. The owners intend to gather popular items from Le’s culinary repertoire into this single location as a starting point for their business expansion in the Clearwater and Wesley Chapel area.