New owners of Siam Thai Restaurant rely on the energy of
youth
Morgan Hill – Since Sean Theravithayangkura and his wife took over House of Siam in Morgan Hill two months ago, the couple has worked hard to make the vigor of their youth apparent in their new restaurant.
But a career as a restaurateur was the last thing on Theravithayangkura’s mind while earning his Electrical Engineering degree from St. Gabriel college in Taiwan and later a master’s in Engineering Management from San Jose State. It wasn’t until his wife, Wanna, entered the restaurant industry that the couple, who met about 12 years ago in Thailand, realized something would have to change.
“I woke up at 5am and came home at 7pm, and she was gone from 10am to 11pm,” he said. “I didn’t see her at all.”
Now the 34-year-old couple comprise the newest duo in downtown cuisine after purchasing the popular Thai restaurant next to the Morgan Hill Playhouse just before the new year.
“When it became available, I saw the potential,” Thera said.
And though the couple is relatively new to the industry, they’re learning the ropes quickly – like changing their last name from Theravithayangkura to the more easily pronounced Thera.
Though running the business was new, the Theras had some experience to draw upon. Sean worked at a Thai restaurant in Santa Clara as he finished his education and was hired as the manager at House of Siam about a year ago. When the restaurant went up for sale, he jumped at the chance to go into business for himself.
“It is real different,” said Thera about engineering and running a restaurant in a small town. “I love doing things with people. With engineering, you got to wait a while to get customer feedback. In the restaurant, you see it right away. You see people laughing, talking, smiling, licking the dish. I like seeing people happy.”
Once Thera took over the business, he changed the name to Siam Thai Restaurant. The couple wasted little time in getting settled. They are now the only Thai food restaurant since the King and I closed.
“We moved in Friday and were open on Saturday,” he said. “We didn’t waste a day.”
Thera tries to keep customers coming back by offering friendly, personal service.
“Sometimes when you get older, you tend to sit in the office too much and not pay attention to the customers as much,” Thera said. “I like to get out and meet people.”
The restaurant has kept many of the old favorites as well as adding new items to the menu.
“We’ve had to change the menus three times,” Thera said. “People love the new dishes, but they love the old dishes too. We cut some of the old menu items, and people keep asking for them.”
A big part of being able to add new items to the menu is having a flexible cook.
“He can cook anything any time,” Thera said. “He is happy to help create new menu items.”
With his wife’s help, Thera has added many additional items such as pictures and decorations to give the restaurant a cozier oriental feel.
“It’s pretty much the same,” Thera said. “We try to keep things cleaner and make it look nicer. It’s been a very smooth transition. We are actually doing better than House of Siam did.”
The restaurant, located at 17120 Monterey Road, usually has four to six workers at a time. Thera uses mostly part-time employees and has a friend who helps him with the bookkeeping.
Thera originally came to the United States about 10 years ago to get a better education and further his knowledge of the English language, which he was exposed to as a young child. But his wife, who was also born and raised in Thailand, didn’t know hardly any English when she arrived in the United States.
“I relied on him for about a year and couldn’t do anything myself,” she said. “I cried every day.”
She received a rude awakening when she saw snow for the first time on a trip to Reno with her husband. She also had to adjust to the dry weather as opposed to the tropical climate.
With the help of his family in Thailand, Thera was able to come up with the necessary finances to buy the restaurant.
“They wanted me to succeed,” Thera said. “They were there to help their kids, even though I am not a kid now. That is kind of what Thai people do.”
Family has always been important to Thera. It was because of his older brother’s example that he decided to come to the United States. And now it is because of their new restaurant the young couple has plenty of time to spend together.
“Now I get to spend more time with my wife,” Thera said. “She is here all the time. I couldn’t do it without her. If I have to run errands she is here. It’s a good system.”
