Banh Shop Controversy

Vietnamese community petitions Yum! Brands to change Banh Shop logo

Dismay over the logo for Banh Shop, the new banh mi concept launched by Taco Bell owner Yum! Brands, has ballooned: There is now a petition calling for the logo to be redesigned. The petition was authored on September 17 by Thanh Cung, president of the Vietnamese-American Community of Greater Dallas.

Cung, a resident of the Dallas area for nearly 30 years, says that the community is "deeply concerned" about the launch of Banh Shop.

"While we are very pleased with the name of the restaurant, we are hurt and offended by your chosen logo, a red star, which is a symbol of communism and will offend thousands of South Vietnamese refugees in my community," he says in the petition. "The majority of Vietnamese living in the Dallas area are political and religious refugees who fled Vietnam when North Vietnamese communist rule started in 1975."

The objection is twofold: first that the restaurant's reference to "Saigon-style" food seems casual, given the fact that Saigon was overtaken in 1975 and renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Second, the logo includes a red star, which represents not only communism, but also the collapse of the city's democratic policies and subsequent evacuation.

Yum! Brands did not respond to requests for comment on the logo or the petition, which Cung said he launched for a few reasons.

"I felt it was my duty," he said. "Not only as president of the Vietnamese-American Community in Dallas, but as a refugee and a solider who fought alongside U.S. forces for freedom and democracy in Vietnam. I spent two years in a concentration camp and was tortured, starved and put down every day by the Communists. Seeing the logo for the Banh Shop hurts and offends me, and I'm not the only one who feels this way."

Nam Bam, who handles brand management for his employer, said that there is no objection to the idea of the restaurant, just the logo.

"I'm not boycotting their business model," he said. "I think it's an awesome idea, minus the branding. I think the purpose is to make Yum! Brands aware that this is a poor choice for a logo."

And while many in the community object, a few do not.

"Some people just will let things be and that's fine," Bam said. "I personally will stand up, say something and sign petitions along with whoever else will so that Yum! Brands will properly brand their restaurant chain based on Vietnamese food and culture and show respect to the Vietnamese people who now live in this country."

One dissenter said that the food wasn't good and the price was too high, so it didn't matter. "They sell their banh mi for Americans. Do you think they expect many Vietnamese customers to come there?" said Andy Le. "There are a lot of companies have this type red star logo, and the Vietnam flag has a yellow star, not red; red star doesn't mean Communist."

But the prevailing concern is that, as a representative of Vietnamese culture, they should get it right.

"This is their first prototype store," said Young Tran. "The second one will be at DFW International Airport. We're talking about a large corporation considering expansion across the United States. Their marketing department made a poor decision. They are misrepresenting the Vietnam language and history."

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Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 8 cool new restaurants for June 2026

Photo courtesy of Syrup + Sno

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Summer's almost here, and you can feel it in the June 2026 edition of Where to Eat, CultureMap's monthly roundup of new and appealing restaurants to check out: Three of the eight places on this list specialize in frozen treats, and all are well worth a visit. They include a buzzy chain from Portland, an over-the-top brand from Florida, and the debut a new snow cone concept from a local celebrity chef.

Here's where to eat in Dallas for June 2026.

Alania Mediterranean Grill
Family-run Turkish restaurant landed the hallowed spot in East Dallas that was formerly home to Mai’s Vietnamese, kitty corner to foodie temple Jimmy's Food Store. Owners Kenan and Melike Turan and their son Kaan Elagoz have restaurant experience including their previous restaurant Istanbul Palace, which closed during the pandemic. Alania's menu includes Mediterranean staples like hummus and falafel, but also novelties like Anotalian Ezme a veggie dish with tomato, pepper, and walnuts with pomegranate molassess. Mains include meat skewers, lamb chops, and pizza — both Turkish-style flatbread pide as well as Neapolitan-style.

Dumpling Queen
Family-owned spot for dumplings has debuted in Flower Mound, where it's serving steamed dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, and other family recipes from Sichuan, China. They have dumplings in a dozen varieties, including a four-color rainbow dumpling sampler with beef, chicken, seafood, and veggie. One of their signature items, not commonly found around DFW, are their sheng jian bao pan-fried buns, often consumed for breakfast, featuring with a crispy, golden-brown bottom and soft, fluffy top — like a hybrid of dumplings and bao.

Dumplings from Dumpling Queen. Photo courtesy of Dumpling Queen

Ilio’s Greek & Lebanese Restaurant
Mediterranean restaurant in McKinney features Middle Eastern favorites like gyros, shawarma, kebabs, hummus, falafel, and pita wraps, filtered through the prism of Greek and Lebanese cuisines and spices. They're big on kebabs in choice of chicken, beef, shrimp, and kafta, like a fancy Lebanese hamburger. There are gyro plates, falafel, lentil soup, and pita wraps, with pita that's a little softer and less doughy than usual. Lastly, there's a fusion dish that's very Texas: a "Greek quesadilla" with your choice of grilled meat stacked between pita bread.

Joy Cafe
Breakfast and lunch cafe in Sunnyvale is a comeback story for owner Andrea Hermosillo, who previously owned Chimalma Taco Bar Co. in downtown Dallas. Hermosillo has created a sweet oasis of joy in Sunnyvale as well as a destination for good food, including bread and tortillas made in-house, and coffee beans roasted at the front of the cafe. The menu features steak & eggs, burgers, and avocado toast alongside Mexican staples such as chilaquiles, tortilla soup, and tres leches. There are also global influences with a Mexican twist, such as shakshuka featuring house-made chorizo, as well as croque madame and hummus.

Breakfast at Joy Cafe. Photo courtesy of Joy Cafe

Oak and Stone
New restaurant in McKinney specializing in pizza and beer is part of a chain founded in Sarasota, Florida in 2016. Their shtick is a self-serve wall with taps for beer and wine, which are not uncommon, but also for bourbon and cocktails. Above each tap is a display of info such as tasting notes and alcohol by volume (ABV) content, and their beer selection spotlights mostly DFW labels such as Lakewood Brewing, Martin House, and Rollertown Beerworks. The menu includes a dozen pizza varieties ranging from pepperoni to one topped with buffalo chicken, blue cheese, and ranch; plus spinach dip, wings, and Philly cheesesteak rolls. A second location is coming to Addison soon.

Salt & Straw
Buzzy artisan ice cream chain from Oregon opened its first location in Texas in Dallas, on equally buzzy Henderson Avenue, next to a location of also-buzzy bagel chain PopUp Bagels. What started as a pushcart in 2011 has grown to 58 locations in California, the East Coast, and Texas. They're famous for their hyper-creative, unexpected flavors including a never-ending rotation of monthly specials, and for their generous sampling policy. June's flavors have a strong Asian theme including Cheesecake with Salted Yuzu Curd, Hong Kong Milk Tea with Toasted White Chocolate, Chocolate Caramel Smoked Budino, Sweet Potato Buckwheat Crumble, and Caramelized Plantain with Spicy Pecan Crumble which is a vegan flavor.

Sloan's Ice Cream
Small Florida-based chain of over-the-top ice cream shops has opened a location in Plano — its first in Texas — where it's scooping fun flavors in a space drenched in Instagrammable candy-colored hues including eye-catching chandeliers in hues of pink, magenta, aqua, and neon green.. Ice cream is the star, with foodie-level flavors such as Black & White Malt malted milkshake with malt balls; carrot cake ice cream with chunks of carrot cake, cream cheese frosting, and walnuts; and coffee ice cream with Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts. Beyond ice cream, they have chocolates, cookies, brownies, candied apples, bulk candy, plus gifts and fluffy toys.

Sloan's Ice Cream serves up Instagrammy treats. Photo courtesy of Sloan's

Syrup + Sno
New dessert shop from Dallas celebrity chef Tiffany Derry just opened at EpicCentral in Grand Prairie, where it's doing a chef spin on a snow cone stand, with flavors such as Banana Fosters with caramelized banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla sno; Mangonada with mango, Tajín, and chamoy candy; and Halo Halo with ube, coconut, strawberries, red bean, mochi, and soft serve. In addition to shaved ice, Syrup + Sno serves macaron ice cream sandwiches, cookies, and soft serve. The shop, which is open Thursdays-Sundays, joins two other Derry restaurants at the complex: Radici and The Landing which is next door.

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