Local Thai Restaurant Closes Due to Growing Dispensary Trend, Moves Downtown
From our August 2018 magazine:
One of East Long Beach’s beloved Thai restaurants, Thiptara, closed its doors this June. However, the owners want their loyal customers to know that they can still enjoy authentic, delicious Thai food at their other location: Naree Thai at 555 Ocean Ave.
The Norasing Family, Som, Mai, and their parents, also want to make sure people understand why Thiptara had to close.
The story of Thiptara being forced to shut its doors is one we are seeing at a handful of established businesses in Long Beach. With the legalization of marijuana dispensaries coming to Long Beach in 2019, a handful of long-standing business leases are being heavily outbid by dispensary investors. These investors are choosing locations that follow the city’s restrictive guidelines and promise high profitability for the 32 dispensaries allotted to the city of Long Beach.
That is exactly what happened to Thiptara.
Som said they knew it might happen but were unsure of when. In the end, they were only given a few weeks to vacate their building and say goodbye to their customers.
“We miss our customers that we have come to know so well,” said Som. “The customers that know we are downtown still come and see us, but we did not have the chance to tell everyone that we have another location downtown.”
Naree Thai on Ocean Avenue has the same menu items Thiptara did. However, it separates itself by offering an expanded menu, upscale interior, and more offerings at the bar. They also still deliver all over Long Beach, although an extra delivery charge may be applicable depending on the customer’s location. Som says that a lot of old customers have begun using Postmates and DoorDash to keep getting their food.
While they enjoy the downtown corporate and tourist lunch clientele, this local Los Altos family looks forward to serving you and your family for dine-in and take-out the next time you feel like eating Thai food! The food is delicious, the Thai Tea is cold, and their service and attention is second to none!
Other dispensary locations coming to East Long Beach include:
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