“Tom Yum District, the capitol’s first fast casual Thai restaurant opened recently in the D.C. area to great success,” according to Danny Bendas, Partner and Co-Founder of Synergy Restaurant Consultants. “And we were really excited to be part of the concept development team, since the owners already own two other full service Thai restaurants in the D.C. area.”
The dynamic couple behind Tom Yum District, T.H.A.I. and Bangkok Joe’s, realized that there was a significant opportunity in the fast casual arena for busy diners who crave the flavors of Thailand. Chef Aulie Bunyarataphan and her husband/partner, restaurateur Mel Oursinsiri have been serving delicious authentic and fresh Thai cuisine in their other restaurants for years, but they had a desire to make it more accessible on a multitude of levels. It was then they decided to retain the seasoned professionals of Synergy. What emerged was a delicious yet efficient menu of rice bowls (white or brown) and noodle bowls that guests could customize with their choice of meats and toppings.
“We knew that Aulie and Mel wanted to create a QSR that could easily be replicated into a compelling chain and they appreciated our extensive experience with major national chains and wanted to put it to work for them. Our team’s cumulative expertise assisted in helping them develop this new brand which entailed the menu creation and restaurant design, customizing and implementing appropriate systems including training materials and POS methodologies,” Bendas continued. “We also provided meaningful guidance in management recruitment and oversight to assure that this first location would position the brand strongly, setting the stage for the rollout,” he concluded.
Tom Yum District is located in Arlington, Virginia, and provides seating for 48 guests.