New Roots Stories
Where new beginnings make the news
Food & Restaurant
Lee's Sandwiches
Founded by Chieu Le and family, Vietnamese immigrants/refugees
60+ locations across California, Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma
The Founder’s Story
The Le family opened their first sandwich shop out of a truck in San Jose before growing it into a well-known West Coast chain. The concept was later expanded by Chieu’s son Minh Le.
Real Impact
Employment
- The Lê family’s original foodservice/distribution business supplied more than 500 food trucks by 1985, many owned by Vietnamese immigrants — supporting a wider wave of Vietnamese immigrant entrepreneurship in San Jose. [Wikipedia]
Locally Sourced Products
We couldn’t verify a specific public program here. If you know of one, tell us.
Charitable & Community Work
- Partnered with Donor Network West on the #CupOfLife organ-donation awareness campaign across 15 California locations in 2018. [Lee's Sandwiches]
- Raised $62,785 for Hurricane Harvey relief in 2017. [Lee's Sandwiches]
- Donated NT$1 million for Typhoon Soudelor relief in Taiwan in 2015, including infant formula, diapers, and rice. [Lee's Sandwiches]
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