Help Revive Laughing Bird Pho
Donation protected
Since its opening in March of 2016, Laughing Bird Pho, formerly known as Snapdragon Pho, has quickly become a landmark restaurant in historic downtown Staunton, Virginia. Laughing Bird has become a cornerstone of the community, humbly serving the many diverse communities within Staunton including Mary Baldwin University, The American Shakespeare Center, The Heifetz International Music Institute, The Stuart Hall School, and The Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind. Over the past several years of operation, it had become a common sight to walk by the storefront and see people of all ages enjoying a warm bowl of pho on a cold winter day or to spot local students enjoying a cup of boba tea after classes.
This image is something that we wish to bring back and preserve for the community. Laughing Bird Pho shut its doors on November 16th, 2021, but that doesn’t have to be the end of the story for this loved restaurant. Our team wants to put Laughing Bird’s classic pho back in your hands (and your stomachs.) We have a vision to reinstate Laughing Bird Pho as a staple of Staunton culture, as well as eventually expand our following into the surrounding areas of Augusta County. However, to make this dream a reality, we will need your help.
In November 2021, we became the new owners of Laughing Bird Pho, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not continue to operate in the same location as before. To get the Laughing Bird that people know and love back in operation, we need capital. We estimate that we will need approximately $120,000.00 to make this happen. So, we are hoping that you, the people, could help us.
[FUNDRAISING RAFFLE]
In the hopes of incentivizing our gofundme, we decided that we would hold a raffle for people to enter into.
Our prizes include:
-One years worth of free pho
-One years worth of free boba tea
-Various gift cards and certificates to local businesses
HOW DO I ENTER THE RAFFLE?
An entry into the raffle is 1$ USD. You may purchase additional entries as you deem fit. On top of paying 1$ You must ALSO follow the Laughing Bird Pho page on Facebook and share the gofundme on your Facebook or Instagram, and message the share to the Laughing Bird Pho page.
https://www.facebook.com/laughingbirdpho
HOWEVER. There will be various days where tables will be set up at specific locations where you can go pay and take a picture of your stub. Keep an eye on our social media and gofundme for more information
HOW CAN I CHECK MY STUB?
We will send you your stubs via Private Messaging over our official Laughing Bird page, or we can let you take a picture of it yourself physically at specific locations. We will also be keeping track of it for you in a google spreadsheet that you can always message us for info on just in case
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I WON?
We will announce our winners over social media, as well as in store during our opening day.
[PATRON CO-OPETITION]
On top of this central fundraiser we will be hosting a patron contest. Where dedicated patrons of the Laughing Bird Community can contact us to sell tickets and compete for selling the most amount of tickets
Prizes include:
-Lifetime discounts on orders from the restaurant ranging from 10-20% based on ticket sales.
under 250 sales = 10% on orders of 50$ or less
250 sales = 15% on orders of 50$ or less
500 sales = 20% on orders of 50$ or less
HOWEVER reaching certain overall ticket sale thresholds will net additional discounts to other participants after the first place winner.
Every 200 tickets every participant gets access to the same opportunities as the first place winner starting at 10%. They will still need to sell to the minimum milestones to increase their discount rate (250, 500)
HOW DO I GET THE TICKETS TO SELL?
You will merely need to pay in advance for the tickets you plan on selling (Increments of 10) then come pick up tickets from us at one of our physical locations that will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KEEP TRACK OF WHEN SELLING THE TICKETS?
You must simply get the name, email, ticket number, message that info to us, and let them take a picture. After that you just have to return the ticket to us. The money you make from selling the ticket is yours.
DOES MY PREVIOUS DONATION COUNT TOWARDS THE RAFFLE?
Previous donations will not be seen as retroactive entries into the raffle, however they will still be taken into account for the Ruby Dragon spot.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We may be launching additional fundraisers in the future! Keep an eye on our social medias for more information.
We plan to use this money to:
-Secure a store location in downtown Staunton and have it fitted with any necessary equipment needed for operation
-Employee Payroll (3 months) to ensure our staff is taken care of while the restaurant gets off the ground
-New refrigeration units
-Vendor/Food costs
-Furniture
-Service Fees (Square App, Electricity, Music, etc.)
-Supplies (Bathroom, Cleaning, etc.)
-Licensure Fees
The recent inflation and rise of minimum wage are also things that we must accommodate in this ever-changing job market. We want to make sure that our employees are fairly compensated in a way that can do more than sustain them.
Our team greatly appreciates any donations that we receive and would like to give something back to the community and to those that have helped us toward our goal. Considering this desire, we have planned to celebrate milestones toward our donation goal in the following ways:
$60,000 – we will designate a “Donor Wall” in the restaurant where we will commemorate the names of all those who contributed to the fundraising campaign.
$120,000 – we will provide free food for our guests on opening day!
In addition, we would also like to offer exclusive rewards to the donor who donates the largest contribution to our campaign.
The Ruby Dragon:
-Commemorative Plaque, immortalizing your act of charity on our wall
-An Invitation to our soft reopening
-One free bowl of pho every week for one year
-One free Ruby Dragon per day during the Mischief and Magic annual event
Our mission statement:
To continue to further the development and growth of the downtown Staunton Community.
Meet the team:
Logan Davenport: Former employee and manager of the original staff of Laughing Bird, alumni at MBU, and local Stauntonian. He has happily served the people of Staunton for nearly four years and intends to continue bringing hot meals and smiles to the city that raised him and aiding in Staunton's growth and prosperity. In addition to being a co-owner of Laughing Bird, Logan plans to resume his role as store manager and overseer of the day-to-day operations where his heart and desires truly are.
Diểm Thuý Nguyễn: Diểm is originally from Saigon, Vietnam, and has lived in United States for most of her life. She has spent that life in various careers including retail management, restaurant management, customer service, and primary education, as well as many entrepreneurial endeavors. She has assisted in establishing various Staunton favorite businesses. Diểm plans to use their prolific business knowledge and wisdom to manage the technical aspects of the restaurant. She is planning to help bring back and reestablish Laughing Bird for the downtown Staunton community. Her future plans include also like investing and raising money for the children of the greater community with reading materials, exposure, and education to help children further their reading, especially those whose education has been negatively affected by the pandemic. She looks forward to reopening laughing bird pho and creating an enjoyable experience for all
Thank you so much for supporting us and the raffle. Stay tuned on the Laughing Bird Pho Page for more updates, and additional information.
This image is something that we wish to bring back and preserve for the community. Laughing Bird Pho shut its doors on November 16th, 2021, but that doesn’t have to be the end of the story for this loved restaurant. Our team wants to put Laughing Bird’s classic pho back in your hands (and your stomachs.) We have a vision to reinstate Laughing Bird Pho as a staple of Staunton culture, as well as eventually expand our following into the surrounding areas of Augusta County. However, to make this dream a reality, we will need your help.
In November 2021, we became the new owners of Laughing Bird Pho, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not continue to operate in the same location as before. To get the Laughing Bird that people know and love back in operation, we need capital. We estimate that we will need approximately $120,000.00 to make this happen. So, we are hoping that you, the people, could help us.
[FUNDRAISING RAFFLE]
In the hopes of incentivizing our gofundme, we decided that we would hold a raffle for people to enter into.
Our prizes include:
-One years worth of free pho
-One years worth of free boba tea
-Various gift cards and certificates to local businesses
HOW DO I ENTER THE RAFFLE?
An entry into the raffle is 1$ USD. You may purchase additional entries as you deem fit. On top of paying 1$ You must ALSO follow the Laughing Bird Pho page on Facebook and share the gofundme on your Facebook or Instagram, and message the share to the Laughing Bird Pho page.
https://www.facebook.com/laughingbirdpho
HOWEVER. There will be various days where tables will be set up at specific locations where you can go pay and take a picture of your stub. Keep an eye on our social media and gofundme for more information
HOW CAN I CHECK MY STUB?
We will send you your stubs via Private Messaging over our official Laughing Bird page, or we can let you take a picture of it yourself physically at specific locations. We will also be keeping track of it for you in a google spreadsheet that you can always message us for info on just in case
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I WON?
We will announce our winners over social media, as well as in store during our opening day.
[PATRON CO-OPETITION]
On top of this central fundraiser we will be hosting a patron contest. Where dedicated patrons of the Laughing Bird Community can contact us to sell tickets and compete for selling the most amount of tickets
Prizes include:
-Lifetime discounts on orders from the restaurant ranging from 10-20% based on ticket sales.
under 250 sales = 10% on orders of 50$ or less
250 sales = 15% on orders of 50$ or less
500 sales = 20% on orders of 50$ or less
HOWEVER reaching certain overall ticket sale thresholds will net additional discounts to other participants after the first place winner.
Every 200 tickets every participant gets access to the same opportunities as the first place winner starting at 10%. They will still need to sell to the minimum milestones to increase their discount rate (250, 500)
HOW DO I GET THE TICKETS TO SELL?
You will merely need to pay in advance for the tickets you plan on selling (Increments of 10) then come pick up tickets from us at one of our physical locations that will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KEEP TRACK OF WHEN SELLING THE TICKETS?
You must simply get the name, email, ticket number, message that info to us, and let them take a picture. After that you just have to return the ticket to us. The money you make from selling the ticket is yours.
DOES MY PREVIOUS DONATION COUNT TOWARDS THE RAFFLE?
Previous donations will not be seen as retroactive entries into the raffle, however they will still be taken into account for the Ruby Dragon spot.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We may be launching additional fundraisers in the future! Keep an eye on our social medias for more information.
We plan to use this money to:
-Secure a store location in downtown Staunton and have it fitted with any necessary equipment needed for operation
-Employee Payroll (3 months) to ensure our staff is taken care of while the restaurant gets off the ground
-New refrigeration units
-Vendor/Food costs
-Furniture
-Service Fees (Square App, Electricity, Music, etc.)
-Supplies (Bathroom, Cleaning, etc.)
-Licensure Fees
The recent inflation and rise of minimum wage are also things that we must accommodate in this ever-changing job market. We want to make sure that our employees are fairly compensated in a way that can do more than sustain them.
Our team greatly appreciates any donations that we receive and would like to give something back to the community and to those that have helped us toward our goal. Considering this desire, we have planned to celebrate milestones toward our donation goal in the following ways:
$60,000 – we will designate a “Donor Wall” in the restaurant where we will commemorate the names of all those who contributed to the fundraising campaign.
$120,000 – we will provide free food for our guests on opening day!
In addition, we would also like to offer exclusive rewards to the donor who donates the largest contribution to our campaign.
The Ruby Dragon:
-Commemorative Plaque, immortalizing your act of charity on our wall
-An Invitation to our soft reopening
-One free bowl of pho every week for one year
-One free Ruby Dragon per day during the Mischief and Magic annual event
Our mission statement:
To continue to further the development and growth of the downtown Staunton Community.
Meet the team:
Logan Davenport: Former employee and manager of the original staff of Laughing Bird, alumni at MBU, and local Stauntonian. He has happily served the people of Staunton for nearly four years and intends to continue bringing hot meals and smiles to the city that raised him and aiding in Staunton's growth and prosperity. In addition to being a co-owner of Laughing Bird, Logan plans to resume his role as store manager and overseer of the day-to-day operations where his heart and desires truly are.
Diểm Thuý Nguyễn: Diểm is originally from Saigon, Vietnam, and has lived in United States for most of her life. She has spent that life in various careers including retail management, restaurant management, customer service, and primary education, as well as many entrepreneurial endeavors. She has assisted in establishing various Staunton favorite businesses. Diểm plans to use their prolific business knowledge and wisdom to manage the technical aspects of the restaurant. She is planning to help bring back and reestablish Laughing Bird for the downtown Staunton community. Her future plans include also like investing and raising money for the children of the greater community with reading materials, exposure, and education to help children further their reading, especially those whose education has been negatively affected by the pandemic. She looks forward to reopening laughing bird pho and creating an enjoyable experience for all
Thank you so much for supporting us and the raffle. Stay tuned on the Laughing Bird Pho Page for more updates, and additional information.
Organizer
Logan Davenport
Organizer
Staunton, VA
