The co-founder of Han’s Cafe has vowed to return the once-popular restaurant chain to its former glory after fines for unpaid taxes and wages and her suicide attempt.
Tram Hoang Han will take her first step next month by reopening the Kalamunda franchise and a new, modernised Han’s Cafe in Fremantle.
After several harrowing years — in which she went from living in a $4.7 million riverside home to struggling with a $6 million debt — Mrs Han plans to make Han’s Cafe a name that will once again make her nine franchisees proud.
“I can’t give up because I have children,” she said. “This is my way of trying to build a life for myself and my two children.”
Mrs Han’s life has seen many twists and turns. Her family fled Vietnam as boat people when she was eight and spent time in a refugee camp in Indonesia before moving to Perth.
She was 17 when she met 35-year-old Ian Han, and the pair opened their first Han’s Cafe in the city in 1995 when she was 19.
Now 42, she said their marriage problems started immediately, but there was no time to work on the relationship.
“For the first 10 years of my life with Ian we were both working 18 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mrs Han said.
“We had one day off a year — Christmas Day. Looking back, I don’t think I was very happy, but I was brought up very religiously and thought that if you met someone you stuck with it.”
They trained Cambodian refugees to work in their restaurants, giving many their first jobs in Australia. The pair began setting up franchises so staff could run their own business.
At the height of their success, they owned four cafes and had 16 franchises. Mrs Han stepped back from the business when she was 30 to raise their two children and Mr Han’s five children from two previous marriages.
They enjoyed the high life, with a riverfront home in Applecross and a city apartment, using the equity to invest in Cambodia. But by 2014 she was so distraught about their relationship problems, she attempted suicide and left the marriage.
Mr Han moved to Cambodia in January 2015 where he now lives with his new partner. Left with more than $6 million in debt from their Cambodian investments, Mrs Han sold their $4.7 million home and the $1.45 million apartment. She now lives in a rental property.
During her first week at the helm of the restaurant chain, the Fair Work Ombudsman began investigating her four cafes for underpaying wages and not keeping proper records. The company was penalised $37,500.
“Apart from the Fair Work investigations, I also had a tax audit and a payroll tax audit,” Mrs Han said.
“I was bombarded with so many problems as soon as Ian left. Due to my health, I couldn’t handle the pressure. My head was not screwed on right.”
The cafe’s management company collapsed under $110,000 in unpaid payroll tax, but she retained the company, which receives $20,000 income each month from the nine franchises.
Mrs Han is using this money to repay her debts and fines, including a separate $30,000 unpaid tax bill.
The new business model involves a more uniform experience for all the cafes, ensuring a standard quality for meals.
“Even though I feel like I’ve got nothing left at all, for the first time in my life I feel a little bit free — I’ve got freedom,” Mrs Han said.
If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14
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© West Australian Newspapers Limited 2023