SUNDRE — A new location of Tasty Thai in town could potentially be the next step in the owner’s hopes to franchise the restaurant into a chain.
Originally opening his first location in Olds in 2015, Garnet Greipl anticipates opening a second one in Sundre this March, provided the stars align and COVID-related speed bumps don’t cause any further delays.
“We’ve always been looking around for another place,” Greipl said during a recent phone interview when asked why he’d set his sights on Sundre for an expansion.
“This one come up and it fits what we need,” he said, referring to the establishment at Sundre Motor Inn and former home of Twisted Pantry.
“We don’t have to spend a big deal of money to get into it, so that takes down the risk,” he said.
Plus, “It’s got a huge kitchen. We’re hoping some day maybe to franchise, and this would be a great kitchen to do our sauces and all that stuff.”
The work to prepare the new location, including an updated kitchen and fresh paint, is well underway.
“We’re probably about 90 per cent finished,” he said.
Patrons whose taste buds have become familiar with the recipes at the location in Olds can anticipate essentially identical meals.
“It’ll be the same menu,” Greipl said. “I’ve got a chef coming from Thailand.”
While he had previously intended to sponsor the new chef last February-March, the pandemic put those plans on pause.
However, the chef has since then nevertheless been able to arrive in Canada, and has been working in Vancouver and Toronto.
“He specializes in a lot of different dishes. We’ll be featuring a lot of new stuff, too,” said Greipl, adding that bringing the chef up to speed on the restaurant’s procedures as well as specific recipes for certain items such as sauces — which can vary depending on different regions in Thailand — might yet take some time.
Asked how he would respond to people who might be surprised by a restaurant opening up during an ongoing pandemic, he said, “I’ve done a lot of reading on what the rich have done. Most of them say if you can make it in the hard times, you’ll have no problems in the good times.”
And tough times have been. In Olds, numbers at Tasty Thai have been down, “as everybody else is, too,” he said.
Before the lockdowns, takeout made up for about 60 per cent of their business. During the closures, that of course increased to 100 per cent. While they during that period made some gains with takeouts, business overall was still a bit down, he said.
Laying off staff was a difficult decision that he had struggled with, but Greipl said he’s fortunately been able to bring everyone back.
“Most of my staff have been with me for probably close to three years," he said.
He largely credits his employees for ensuring his business’s success to date that has paved the way for an expansion to even be possible.
“It’s probably our employees and how long they stayed with us — and our food,” he said. “They’re my front-line — if I don’t have them, then I have nothing.”
Since reopening the 10-table restaurant in Olds — down from 16 prior to accommodating physical distancing as per health protocols — when the provincial government announced on Feb. 8 that restrictions had been relaxed, Greipl said many customers have remained cautious about returning for dine-in service.
“The last lockdown, it took us right until December 8 to finally start building up our clientele,” he said, adding even then, numbers had not gone back up to pre-pandemic levels.
This time around has not been much different.
“There’s still a lot of people out there who won’t do dine in,” he said.
The location in Sundre has 11 tables, but they won’t all necessarily be available at the same time due to physical distancing requirements, he said.
Asked what he most enjoys about his line of work, Greipl said, “My independence — working for myself.”
But he also likes being able to provide an additional option for people’s palates.
“And it keeps my wife happy. She loves doing what she’s doing — happy wife, happy life!” he said, with a chuckle.
Although not technically a licensed chef, “she can cook up any dish you like.”
As the kitchen manager, she relocated to Canada from northeastern Thailand in 2002, and the couple have been together for more than 10 years.
“It’s her dream, and my reality,” he said.
