Lakewood Favorite Mot Hai Ba Is Apparently Under New Ownership

Since opening in 2013, Mot Hai Ba has quietly built up a dedicated following of regulars devoted to their shaking beef and pho. Last year, owners Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare hired inventive chef Peja Krstic to run the kitchen, and now it appears as if he’ll take full control of the restaurant.

GuideLive reports that O’Hare and Johnson have sold their ownership stake in the restaurant to Krstic after bringing him on as a partner earlier this year. The change apparently occurred eight months ago, after Johnson and O’Hare split up at the end of last year.

Krstic is currently developing a new menu for Mot Hai Ba that will focus on modernized Vietnamese dishes. He’s also started making his own tofu in-house. Johnson told GuideLive’s Leslie Brenner that keeping mum about the sale was “kind of by design,” so that Krstic could get his footing as a restaurant owner.

Johnson and O’Hare remain business partners in East Dallas’ massively popular Good 2 Go Taco, but will no longer pursue new restaurant concepts together.

• Mot Hai Ba's founding chef-owners have left their modern Vietnamese hot spot [GuideLive]
• All Mot Hai Ba Coverage [EDFW]