Print
Restaurants

Leland’s Indochine Express Eyeing Mid-March Opening

By Miriah Hamrick, posted Feb 24, 2023
Leland’s Indochine Express, located at 1110 New Pointe Blvd., is expected to open in March. (Photo by Miriah Hamrick)
Almost a year in the works, Leland’s Indochine Express is slated to serve its first customers soon.
 
Situated next to the Walmart in Westgate Marketplace, the new Leland location will open in about three weeks according to Kathy Long, Indochine’s director of operations. With the capacity to seat 35 guests, the Leland eatery will be larger than other Indochine Express stores, Long said, and it will feature the same menu of roughly 30 Thai and Vietnamese dishes offered at other locations.
 
Indochine Express is a fast-casual spin-off of the original, enduringly popular Indochine at 7 Wayne Drive off Market Street in Wilmington, with a menu that borrows from Indochine top sellers including imperial pineapple rice, Pad Thai and Pad Ki Mao plus green, red and yellow Thai curries.
 
The opening will mark the fourth store in the new chain, which has grown rapidly since the brand launched in Monkey Junction in December 2020. Owner Solange “Niki” Thompson attributed the success of Indochine Express to its affordable prices and healthy, freshly made dishes.
 
“Even during inflation, people have to eat,” she said.
 
Although the Indochine Express restaurants offer quick service, the food is often prepared by hand with fresh ingredients, and Thompson emphasized that her dishes do not include MSG.
 
“I don’t want to lose the quality by buying frozen products,” Thompson said.
 
Thompson, who is of French-Vietnamese heritage, opened Indochine in 2000. After 20 successful years, she began to expand the business in 2020, and since then, she has added five new restaurants to her name: two Indochine Express locations in Wilmington, one in Southport and one in Leland plus Cafe Chinois, a sister restaurant to Indochine that serves French-Vietnamese fusion fare.
 
While the business has been gearing up to open the Leland eatery, Thompson said she is also working to tweak the menu at Cafe Chinois to add more Vietnamese dishes, which are already popular there, and launch a brunch service.
 
The business’s recent evolution is fueled by Thompson’s continued enjoyment of the work, she noted.
 
“I’m still having fun doing it. It’s something that I enjoy,” Thompson said.
 
She also credited the community for the support her ventures have received.
 
“They’ve always been faithful and loyal and good to my business and my brand,” Thompson said.
 
Thompson is considering sites for future expansion of the Indochine Express chain, but for now, the business is focused on opening the Leland store and ensuring the quality and efficiency of its existing eateries.  
 
“Leland will be the only store opening in 2023 that we’re committed to right now,” Long said.
 
Leland’s Indochine Express, located at 1110 New Pointe Blvd., will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign4

Paving the Way to Better City Streets

Tony Caudle - City of Wilmington
Unknown 7112393341

Why Feasibility is Paramount to Success

Holly Segur - Lead Intuitively – Corporate Coaching
Mcwhorter 0005

The Coastal Corridor is Helping Wilmington Startups With Connected Devices for Life Sciences Industry

Heather McWhorter - UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

Rezoning Could Bring 123 Townhomes To Growing Leland Corridor

Emma Dill - Mar 25, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

In The Current Issue

MADE: Polyhose Inc.

Polyhose manufactures and fabricates hose protection, paint hose assemblies and rubber hydraulic assemblies from its Pender County facility....


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


INFO JUNKIE: Jack Fleming

Jack Fleming, owner of Socialry Marketing & Scourz and emcee for 1 Million Cups Wilmington, shares his media and tech picks....

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments