Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Nguyen.
Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started when I was a teenager in high school looking for a job. I started out as a server at a new restaurant to earn some money before college. Upon graduation, I got accepted into a California State University while still working for the same restaurant. After three years total, I had already been promoted to manager and learned everything I could about the industry. I had a front-row seat to watching a business thrive, and it was enough to inspire me to dream big. One day it just felt right to make a move — what started out as a seed planted in my head bloomed into a fiery desire to start a new journey.
Everything happened so fast and I found myself in the big ole state of Texas with a bit of savings, some credit cards, and a huge dream. I started out in Houston, then hopped around working in the industry again in Austin, learning even more about Texans, and finally somehow landed in the little old town of Flower Mound. There I found a lease opportunity where a sushi restaurant was closing down, with an amazing property management team and a landlord willing to give a young gal an opportunity with a halfway-finished lease. It felt right, and I took the leap of faith.
That’s how Teaholic Teahouse and Restaurant was born — decorating, hiring, training, working with the city, accounting and finance, advertising and marketing, and above all, customer service. Boy, it was a lot to take in, but we hit the floor running and things were amazing the first two months — until we got served with a frivolous lawsuit for $1 million from an old employer. I took out a loan to defend myself and continue to care for and grow my business, only to receive another big hit just a few months later with the pandemic.
What felt like good timing was becoming a nightmare. Sales slashed in half overnight, high rent with an empty dining room, and being an Asian cuisine felt like it was extra harsh. My newly trained and invested team was suddenly a struggle to maintain. As the economy slowly adjusted, periods of hyperinflation hit us hard, further eating into margins, and high staff turnover was all of a sudden a thing. Nonetheless, with persistence, some recovery took place that offered much-needed relief, but it was only temporary — until a series of personal issues and just plain burnout hit.
To make things worse, an economic turmoil left me witnessing many restaurants quickly plummeting, with many sharing the same feeling that it was becoming worse than COVID. We had to sit down and start taking a clearer picture of what was really going on, and it turned out to be a number of things. But at the end of the day, the biggest thing of all was that through it all we had somehow lost touch with the community we were destined to serve.
So I sat down and sought the support of my family, not knowing whether to throw in the white towel and give up or completely redo my entire creation. After weeks and even months of deliberating, the time to pull the trigger happened again. We set out to redefine our purpose and goals, our mission and dream, and with a limited budget, we rebranded Teaholic Teahouse.
After months and months of replanning, sales had to close Teaholic for a short period of time. We remodeled, added a bar license, updated décor, brought in a new kitchen team and a new management team, became more of a scratch kitchen, developed a new menu, concept, and brand — tracing back to our roots but modernizing to be a Vietnamese fusion. Kosmik Fusion was born.
Everything I’ve done in my life is a tribute to my mother, and so this name is especially important to me. That’s Kosmik — it starts with K and ends with K for Karen and Kim. It stands for Karen’s Origin Sparked Mom’s Inspired Kitchen, which is a fusion restaurant honoring old traditions yet modernizing everything. Our team is excited to launch our grand opening on October 1st, 2025, and we are so enthusiastic about serving and engaging with the community!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Certainly not. From lawsuits to COVID shutdowns, hyperinflation and huge staff turnovers, economic slowdowns, and personal issues — including health challenges, stress, and burnout — it’s been anything but easy. There were times I even lost faith. But with the support of my family, I never gave up. That support gave me a second chance and reminded me what the business was really intended for: putting the needs of the entire community in front of me. That was the missing formula to make it work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Kosmik Fusion Bar and Restaurant is a small, family-owned business serving Vietnamese fusion dishes made from scratch with a Western twist, giving our local community something new and exciting to explore. We offer hot baguettes baked daily, house-made pâté, freshly ground sausages, ribeye steaks grilled to perfection, chicken pho simmered for hours, handmade glass dumplings, deep-fried bánh xèo tacos, and our local favorite — shaken beef with garlic noodles!
What sets us apart is that we’ve taken the very best of Vietnam’s street-food culture, modernized it in familiar ways, and elevated it to bring guests the most flavorful version of Vietnamese fusion possible.
Brand-wise, what we’re most proud of is what Kosmik Fusion represents: the beginning of a new trend — a niche of high-quality food with a menu that constantly evolves and changes to keep up with Texas’s uniquely fast-changing and diverse population.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
To be honest, I’m still in that process myself. But I truly believe in good karma — that when you’re authentic with yourself and your community, good things naturally come your way. What you put out into the universe is exactly what you attract back. Years of giving back to my community are finally coming back to me in ways I could never have imagined for my business. With that in mind, I think it’s natural to draw the right people into your circle — whether that’s mentors, networks, or simply like-minded individuals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kosmikfusion.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kosmikfusion
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17NknM36qn/
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/IATs4_YPZ4
