Regardless of what I will write or show you all in the future, it would not be quite complete if I never told you how it all began. 
Before becoming an owner of Thai Café, I had been a structural engineer for almost 5 years. Basically, I’ve designed bridges and buildings (simply, my job to is to make sure a building stays up, and will never come down). I came to the US in August of 2002 for my masters degree. My first three years in US were divided in half, between studying and working in a Thai restaurant near campus. I worked in my aunt’s restaurant, one of the best Thai restaurants in Greensboro, North Carolina. I finished my masters degree in Structural Engineering and got a job with DART, here in Dallas in 2005. I was the structural designer of the DART’s orange line for over a year and soon after went from designing bridges to designing buildings.
Here is a few samples of what I’m doing outside the restaurant.
Baylor Medical Office Building at Plano
Austin College Idea Center in 3D Structural Model
After proudly working as a building engineer for another four years, the opportunity to have a business of my very own revealed itself to me. Well, I can’t certainly say the opportunity revealed itself, it just came about as a result of many factors. I was waiting for an opportunity but was also actively seeking them out. So many things came together at a perfect time for me to begin my entreprenurial journey. My passion about eating and cooking, my cousin’s decision to leave North Carolina to live with me, and finishing my MBA all came together at about the same time. However, the most inspiring factor that led to me to find my passion was on a visit to a local Thai restaurant. After eating, I pulled out a Thai Community newspaper and noticed a Thai Restaurant was for sale in Allen. Stranger yet, the current owner actually graduated from the same high school as me, just a few years before! At that moment, I knew that creating Thai Cafe was my destiny. I met with the owner, and within 24 hours, I was the proud owner of Allen’s newest Thai Restaurant.
As some of you may know, I took over Thai Cafe from the original owner in November 2009. The restaurant industry is not new to me, although being on the ownership and management side of things was a whole new story. Along with my cousin, our main chef, we have almost 20 years of combined in food service experience, so we were off to a great start. We were well trained to work in every position, from front of house, to dishwasher. Even though food service wasn’t anything new, I was still a rookie business owner.
Since then, a year and a half has gone by so quick. I have to tell you all that the restaurant business is tough, yet rewarding. Strangely enough, if there is something tougher than structural engineering, being in the food service industry is up there on the list. It’s hard work, there are a lot of details and restrictions imposed upon us while we try to operate our business. I know all businesses have their ups and downs. As it was, it seemed like we had much more downs than ups our first year. There were times when I felt like giving up would be easier. What kept me and my cousin in the business was seeing the happy faces of our loyal customers day in and day out. I believe we put a lot of pride into every dish we make. We pay attention to the little details in our restaurant so that you we know you’ll be satisfied every time. I know we are not perfect but we will always put forth our maximum effort to share our authentic Thai dishes with you. Regardless of when you come in, we’ll always have a happy face greeting you, excited and thankful that you, your friends and your family chose Thai Cafe.
If there is anything you might want to know about our head chef, Wimolwon, it’s that you can always make her day by complimenting her cooking or how fast she delivers the food to you.
We look forward to your next visit!
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