The essay is based on a conversation with Oklahoma business owner Paul Her. It has been edited for clarity.
My parents fled the war in Laos. I was born in Thailand and my family moved to a refugee camp after the war. We were sponsored to come to the United States after six years in the camp.
We ended up in Michigan because a lot of our family members lived there. We lived there for 20 years.
I played soccer in high school and college. I studied business administration. My family members were involved in the restaurant business, and I wanted to be a part of it as well. It is very labor-intensive. Business school prepares you to own a business because you learn about marketing and advertising.
I was a manager at Walgreens when I was in college. It was a fast-paced job, but it wasn't my passion. I opened my own car rental agency. I would get a percentage of the sales for the car rentals and the gear people would rent. I enjoyed it for a while.
The car industry in Michigan was hit hard by the Great Recession. Some of my uncles got into the poultry business because of the economic downturn of 2008.
Other family members moved to the area, including the smaller towns of Owasso and Broken Arrow. It was cheap to live in Oklahoma back then, and I didn't want to live there, but I made the move anyway.
In 2009, I opened a restaurant called Thai Village. We put in about $20,000. We didn't have anything to lose because many businesses fail.
We found the location and liked it because it was previously a restaurant and it is across from Oral Roberts University. We were able to fix it up after some repairs. The location was worth it even though the rent was more expensive than other areas.
It was courtesy of Paul Her.
The food at Thai Village is different. I tell people that Thai food is similar because it's made from the same ingredients, but it's possible that the amount of coconut or fish sauce you use in a dish is different. The food at Thai Village is similar to what you would find in Thailand.
It was a challenge to start out because no one knew who we were. I would go to nearby businesses and pass out fliers in hopes of getting new customers.
It was difficult at first. We didn't have a strong customer base and we weren't getting much by paying our employees and living in an apartment. I have two young kids now that I'm married.
I thought we could make it if we made a little money. We ate at the restaurant and stayed open during many holidays, but the staff left because they weren't making enough money. Each day we were barely breaking even.
We bought out the two partners who left. We were able to survive the Pandemic closure, and our clientele has increased because people are using delivery apps. They come in.
Since we were locked down, I don't know a lot of people anymore, and I used to know a lot of people who came into the restaurant. The number will return to where it was.
I'm proud that many businesses closed during the Pandemic.
If people want to open their own restaurants, I would recommend working in one. You can cook your own food, but it's not the same as cooking for hundreds of people each day. Customer service skills are important and highly valued by customers in the U.S., even if I don't think customer service is emphasized as much in other places.
My business has changed since I arrived. I'm proud of everything we've accomplished and I'm making a living for my family.
