Current client
Kei Concepts: ten brands, one crew since 2020
Marketing partner to Kei Concepts since 2020, across ten brands including The Vox Kitchen, NEP Cafe, INI Ristorante, QUA and Kei Coffee House.
Client: Kei Concepts, an Orange County hospitality group headquartered in Huntington Beach and led by CEO and executive chef Viet Nguyen and co-CEO Ivy Ha.
What we did
Aviate has been Kei Concepts’ marketing partner since 2020, handling marketing for the group and ten of its brands. SUP (2014), The Vox Kitchen (2017) and GEM Dining were already open when Aviate came on. Every brand that launched after, from NEP’s 2020 pop-up through KIN, ROL, INI, Kei Coffee House and QUA, has launched with Aviate running its marketing.
The story, as told publicly
Kei Concepts began in 2014 with SUP Noodle Bar, a pho shop in Buena Park, named after Viet Nguyen’s daughter, Keira (LA Times, Feb. 18, 2021; OCBJ, Mar. 30, 2026). In April 2022, Eater LA profiled the group as “Orange County’s Hottest Restaurant Group.” By July 2026, the Orange County Business Journal counted 15 locations across eight brands.
Location counts vary by source and date. Each figure is tied to its source.
Group-level recognition
- Eater LA, Apr. 6, 2022: “Orange County’s Hottest Restaurant Group Is a Cross-Cultural Strip Mall Sensation.”
- OCBJ, Mar. 26, 2026: Ivy Ha and Viet Nguyen named winners of the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Awards.
- OCBJ, Mar. 30, 2026: Viet Nguyen named Restaurateur of the Year.
- James Beard Foundation, Jan. 21, 2026: Viet Nguyen of NEP Cafe named a semifinalist for Best Chef: California.
The Vox Kitchen
What it is. A modern Chifa (Asian-Latin) fusion restaurant. It opened in Fountain Valley in 2017 and now also operates at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and in Aliso Viejo.
What we did. Aviate has handled The Vox Kitchen’s marketing since 2020. Vox was already open when we came on (the OC Register called it “one of the hottest restaurants in Little Saigon” in 2017). The South Coast Plaza (2025) and Aliso Viejo (2026) openings happened during Aviate’s time with the brand.
- Yelp Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S., 2022: No. 11, reported by the OC Register (Jan. 20, 2022), PureWow and FOX 11. FOX 11 reported it was No. 28 the year before.
- South Coast Plaza press release, Mar. 31, 2025: Second location opening Apr. 7, 2025, with 92 seats, including a 24-seat bar.
- Greer’s OC, Aug. 30, 2026: Announced a third location in Aliso Viejo, opening Sept. 2, 2026.
INI Ristorante
What it is. A Japanese-inspired Italian restaurant in Fountain Valley that opened in June 2022. The name comes from “Ini as in Gemini,” a nod to the group’s earlier GEM Dining.
What we did. Aviate has handled INI’s marketing since it opened in June 2022.
- Orange Coast, Dec. 5, 2022: Critic Gretchen Kurz wrote that INI had been “booked solid since opening in June” and called it “one of this year’s strongest debuts.”
- Orange Coast, Apr. 14, 2023: Named to Best New Restaurants 2023: “No surprise the expansive dining room is booked tight every night.”
NEP Cafe
What it is. A Vietnamese-French cafe and brunch spot. It started in 2020 as a sidewalk pop-up in Fountain Valley and now has locations in Fountain Valley and Irvine.
What we did. Aviate has handled NEP’s marketing from day one, starting with the 2020 pop-up.
- Eater LA, Apr. 6, 2022: NEP began as a breakfast pop-up where waits stretched to four hours, then became “its own restaurant, and one of the busiest in Orange County.”
- Eater LA, Oct. 28, 2025: “A Vietnamese Brunch Destination Rises in Orange County”: “expect to wait during prime weekend hours.”
- James Beard Foundation, Jan. 21, 2026: Viet Nguyen, credited to NEP Cafe, named a semifinalist for Best Chef: California.
SUP Noodle Bar
What it is. The restaurant that started Kei Concepts: pho built on a slow-simmered 48-hour beef bone broth, plus fusion plates. Buena Park (2014) and Irvine (October 2020).
What we did. Aviate has handled SUP’s marketing since 2020, including the Irvine opening.
- LA Times, Jan. 9, 2017: Jenn Harris: “Why you should drive to Buena Park for a plate of French fries, and meatball doughnuts.”
- LA Times, Feb. 18, 2021: “It all started with pho. The rest is his story.”
- Yelp, Buena Park: 4.3 stars from about 3,900 reviews.
- Kei Concepts: “Slow-simmered 48-hour beef bone broth.”
More Kei Concepts brands
QUA Contemporary Chinese Cuisine
Contemporary Chinese through a Vietnamese and Chợ Lớn lens in Fountain Valley; the name comes from “vượt qua,” “to overcome.” Marketing since it opened in 2025.
OC Register (Sept. 26, 2025): an $8 million investment. Orange Coast (Apr. 15, 2026): one of its Best New Restaurants.
KIN Craft Ramen & Izakaya
House-made ramen and izakaya in Fountain Valley; started as a takeaway pop-up, opened October 2021. Marketing from day one.
Eater LA: pop-up preorders “often sold out in less than 10 minutes.” OC Register (Dec. 15, 2021): laksa ramen a “best thing I ate.”
ROL Hand Roll Bar
A temaki counter, now in Fountain Valley, Irvine and La Habra. Marketing since the first location opened in Huntington Beach in 2021.
Eater LA: first ROL built “in just 21 days.” OC Register (Oct. 7, 2021): reservations booking “several weeks in advance.”
Kei Coffee House
Southeast Asian-influenced specialty coffee in Westminster, pastries in-house. Opened July 31, 2024; marketing since opening.
Eater LA, July 30, 2024: about 4,000 sq ft that “took nearly four years.”
Holy Heat
Bangkok-style pad kra pao at 16121 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. Marketing since launch.
GEM Dining
Fountain Valley. Marketing from 2020 until it paused in September 2023.
OC Register (Dec. 9, 2022): listed among Michelin Guide-recognized OC restaurants (no star).
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