SriPraPhai Thai Restaurant

It takes 21 years for Sripraphai Tipmanee to bring her restaurant “SriPraPhai” to where it is today. The restaurant is rated number one Thai spot in NYC by Zagat from 2006 - 2007. It is rated top 30 in NYC in Zagat food category.          Sripraphai Tipmanee came to New York 33 years ago starting out as a nurse. With the ambition of being her own boss, she started her electrical appliance store known as “Bangkok Trading” She was doing very well by targeting Thai student who enjoy shipping American branded goods and appliances back home. Not until a couple of years later when these American companies started their business directly in Thailand bringing the price differentiation closer. As business prospect declined, Sripraphai decided to sell her appliance store. She then started her little bakery and Thai dessert center. The bakery did not do so well, however, Sripraphai recognize that there were quite a number of Thai people living the area. As a result, this little shop was converted bit by bit to a tiny Thai restaurant. Three years later she moved to the present location. It was not until middle of 2003 that she has an opportunity to buy building on both of her sides. That is when she decided to expand and add more seats and a garden to her restaurant. It was a long journey as Sripraphai was learning by doing and adding one item at a time to her menu. Sripraphai said that Thai customers are kind and very supportive and she will always thankful to her Thai customers. Without their continued support, my restaurant will not come to this point today she said. She added that American and other nationalities customers are consider new customer to her SriPraPhai restaurant. They mainly come in recent years when we start to get more publicity from local papers and New York Times, she said.