Photos: Restaurant workers in Little Saigon

Lan Vo, owner of hotspot Song Long Restaurant, trains her Latino employees in customer service and the intricacies of French-Vietnamese cuisine.

Roberto Torres, right, picks up meals prepared by chef Juan Ramirez, left, and Omar Reynoso, middle.

For Roberto Torres, becoming the headwaiter meant a crash course in Vietnamese language and culture. Every so often, a customer will test how much he actually understands.

Chef Juan Ramirez, left, and Omar Reynoso, right, prepare meals at hotspot Song Long. Despite their political differences — the Vietnamese tend to be Republican, and the Latinos Democratic — experts say they come together to solve a labor shortage facing the area.

Waitress Suong Truong, left, and owner Lan Vo, middle, pick up food orders at Song Long.