Veteran restaurateurs buy Bangkok Alley
SOB Hospitality owners Ed and Brittany Cabigao, pictured on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, are the new owners of Bangkok Alley in Collierville. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Ask Ed and Brittany Cabigao about their favorite Memphis restaurants, and one answer will be Bangkok Alley.
The restaurant has been a date night destination for the couple for more than 20 years. Ed Cabigao usually orders the Northern Thai Curry Noodles; his wife will get the Thai Green Curry with either chicken or shrimp.
Today, the two aren’t just regulars of the longtime restaurant, which opened its first location in Cordova in 2002; now they also own Bangkok Alley, as well as SOB and The Liquor Store.
“We have always been fans, going as far back as 20 years to the restaurant in Cordova,” Ed Cabigao said.
The couple founded the SOB concept, which now has three locations in Memphis. Over the past year and a half, they have been adding to the portfolio of restaurants as part of their SOB Hospitality restaurant group.
The Cabigaos quietly bought Bangkok Alley at 2150 W. Poplar Ave. in Collierville in February of last year but waited until now to officially share the news.
“It was our first acquisition,” Ed Cabigao said. “We wanted to figure out what we were doing before sharing the news publicly.”
Bangkok Alley in Collierville on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
During that same month in 2023, the couple also purchased The Liquor Store diner. The Hen House in East Memphis was acquired in spring 2023 as well.
Ed Cabigao said that they plan to stay true to the vision Bangkok Alley’s founders, Thara and Dottie Burana, had for the restaurant: Authentic Thai food and sushi in a distinctive setting.
At one point, the Buranas had several locations of Bangkok Alley in Cordova, East Memphis, Downtown, Southaven and Collierville. The Collierville location, which seats around 50 guests inside and another 30 on the patio, was the second location the Buranas opened and it’s the only remaining location.
Thara Burana said he was approached by others to buy the restaurant, but that the Cabigaos were the first people he was comfortable selling the business to.
“Thara told me he wanted to hand off the restaurant to someone that wouldn’t change it all up … someone who would shepherd the brand,” Ed Cabigao said.
And what better people to do that than another couple with 20 years of history with the restaurant?
Bangkok Alley, located at 2150 W. Poplar Ave. in Collierville, is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and for dinner 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., daily.
Topics
Bangkok Alley SOB Hospitality Ed Cabigao Ed and Brittany Cabigao SOB The Liquor Store Hen House Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Jennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
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