The latest restaurant to fall victim to the coronavirus crisis is East Dallas’ nationally acclaimed Khao Noodle Shop.
Donny Sirisavath, owner and chef behind the casual Laotian restaurant, announced the closure in a social media post over the weekend and said April 18 will be the last night of service.
“I’m saddened by the words I am about to mention in the next line,” he said. “Next week will be the last week Khao will be running our regular service.”
The small neighborhood eatery has been a household name in Dallas’ dining scene since it opened last year, and was recognized as the No. 2 best new restaurant in the country in 2019 by Bon Appetit magazine.
Sirisavath, a former Hewlett Packard engineer with no formal culinary training, introduced the masses to Laotian cuisine through a short, inventive menu of dishes inspired by his childhood and his late mother. Earlier this year, he talked of plans to continue his momentum and open a second concept, but now the future of his first concept is uncertain.
After several weeks of running the noodle shop as a takeout operation following the citywide mandate that all restaurant dining rooms close, Sirisavath decided to temporarily shut down for the safety of his staff, but also because of crushing financial blows.
In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Sirisavath said operating as a takeout restaurant is like “putting a Band-Aid over a deep wound.” The restaurant bleeds money every day it is open, but he said they continued operating for the past several weeks to help employees get their feet under them before they shut down the restaurant.
“We were in it to make sure our staff was surviving, to pay their rent and pay the bills and make sure they had food on the table,” he said. “We’ve exhausted our minds, our bodies, and we’ve exhausted our bank accounts.”
Sirisavath said he dipped into his own savings to keep things going over the past few weeks, but knew he couldn’t continue that way.
“It brought tears to my eyes, just giving up on it,” Sirisavath added. “It’s hard to tell my staff because they’ve showed up every day. They took reduced pay and reduced hours. They’ve been very understanding.”
The closure is temporary, but the possibility of not being able to reopen crosses his worried mind, he said.
With a business model and menu centered around communal dining, Sirisavath said he’ll have to rework his approach when he is able to reopen the noodle shop, which he hopes is in the next two months.
“We just have to strategize and figure out how we can be sustainable after this. We might have to do a small menu of takeout and to-go items to ease people’s minds. It’s going to be a different world when we do reopen. But the passion and drive is still there, so we’re going to use that as our leverage,” he said.
Khao will be open for takeout and delivery this Thursday through Saturday before suspending kitchen operations. Sirisavath and three other staff members will continue to operate the restaurant as a mini market and will sell packages of items like in-house beef jerky, sticky rice, sauces and pantry staples in hopes of selling enough to be able to pay rent for the restaurant.
More Dallas-area restaurants that have temporarily or permanently closed:
BIRD Bakery: 7 Highland Park Village, Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Corner Bakery: All Dallas locations. Status: Temporarily closed
Foxyco: 921 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Maple Leaf Diner: 12817 Preston Road, Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Punch Bowl Social: 2600 Main St., Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Rex's Seafood and Market: 920 S. Harwood St., Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Ten Bells Tavern: 232 W. 7th St., Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
Truck Yard: 5624 Sears St., Dallas. Status: Temporarily closed
