The 85-seat restaurant on Broadview Road is run by the Jabkuls, a Thai-American family headed up by mother Mel Jabkul and son Tony Jabkul. While the family says its been blessed with a large following, Mel's husband Carl Bindman, a retired member of the Navy, says the family is ready for retirement.
The restaurant specializes in a variety of Thai dishes such as curries and rice and noodle dishes. The restaurant survived the pandemic offering takeout and delivery only, but reopened in January. Since then, Bindman says inflation, rising food prices, an inability to find labor and slumping sales have all contributed to a desire to move into retirement.
"We've been unsuccessful in trying to sell the restaurant," says Bindman. "Staffing for the average ma and pa restaurant is very, very difficult right now. We haven't had anyone even consider come to work for us, and we've lost people."
The restaurant also wrote that it would be auctioning off its kitchen equipment and dining room equipment and furnishings on RCIauctions.com. It will also be selling off its liquor license.
Comments poured in from fans of the restaurant on its Facebook post.
"Wow, this is terrible news," wrote user Patty Mlady on Facebook. "Sorry to hear it. Loved your restaurant. It was our go to when company came to town. Best of luck going forward."
"I am so sorry and disappointed to hear this!" says Kimberly Bass. "Your chili duck is amazing! We will definitely be coming by before you close."
As for the customers, Bindman says they've "meant everything."
"We've been telling customers, even ones who aren't regulars that we're closing, and some of them have already come back this week," Bindman says. "The customers and regulars have meant everything to us. We plan to stay in the area, but we have a bucket list that we'd like to accomplish."
