New Thai restaurant opens at former Tong's space

A new Thai restaurant that took over the Tong's Thai Cuisine space is working to establish a customer base after opening this month in south Springfield.

Jenny Khokunthod said she launched Thai Garden LLC with boyfriend Bill Brink on Nov. 3. The restaurant operates in around 3,300 square feet at 3454 S. Campbell Ave. in the Shamrock Center.

"I love it. It's exciting every day," Khokunthod said of the new restaurant.

Khokunthod and Brink purchased the business for undisclosed terms from Tong Trithara, who operated Tong's Thai Cuisine at the spot for around 25 years. Khokunthod said she heard about the opportunity through a friend.

"Everything is ready, already set up," she said.

A Thai chef who has lived in the United States for 28 years, Khokunthod recently relocated to Springfield after living in O'Fallon and Schaumburg, Illinois. In the Chicago suburb, she said she operated a restaurant called Thai Pepper for three years.

Menu items at Thai Garden include stir fry entrees such as cashew-crisp chicken, pad thai, fried rice and curry. Khokunthod said she's seeking to establish a friendly atmosphere around Thai dishes.

"We want to talk with the customers. I just want the customers happy," she said.

Tong's Thai Cuisine opened in December 1999, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Trithara recently told SBJ that he was exiting the restaurant business to focus on his organization called Thailand Little Ones, which works with youth in Thailand. He said he's partnering with Mansfield-based Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Co. LLC on the effort.

A dinner event that welcomed Thai Garden and said goodbye to Tong's Thai Cuisine was held in late October.