Piranha noodle Restaurant Backstage
17 years of warmth and taste from devotion
Students in Siam area such as Chula students, students that have special class or those who pass that neighborhood, nobody does not know “Yentafo Piranya” that is established for 17 years by Khun Chairat Likhitamnuaiporn. He was the former marketing employee that felt saturated with being an employee in company and needed independence so he decided to resign to chase his dream.
Before being Yentafo Piranya, Khun Chairat said that personally, he liked noodles and his family has meatball factory. So, it came with an idea of opening a noodle restaurant. Khun Chairat had a chance to travel to look for a location in Siam area until he found the current restaurant location where many people walk by but it has few noodles shops. So, Khun Chairat opened Yentafo Piranya Shop since then.
In the past, Yentafo Piranya, apart from Siam branch, Khun Chairat expanded it to 10 branches but due to economic crisis and work force, Khun Chairat decided to closed down branches. Currently, there are only 3 branches at Siam branch which is the first and best-selling branch followed by Tops market Place Udomsuk and Paradise Park.
When asked about the origin of the name, why “Piranya”? Khun Chairat said with smile that as his family has fish ball factory, so, he decided to open a noodles shop with meatball and look for a name of fish at the end. One day, Khun Chairat took his children to see movie which had Piranya as main character. So, he had an idea to use a name of “Piranha” because it indicated spiciness and full flavor of Yentafo. However, at first, child customers were misguided that fish balls at the restaurant were made of Piranya. Khun Chairat explained it to them and saw it humorous.
Various menus with different customers
Menus of Yentafo Piranya are not expensive and suitable for every age so, different customers will come to taste including irregular and regular customers and they are varied from students to foreigners. Khun Chairat said with pride that, Yentafo Piranya has a lot of foreigners to eat. One of them is a writer who tried our menus and wrote a review in a book until there are a number of customers who come to taste our menus.
Most customers are Chinese, Hong Kong people and Korean people. In addition, many celebrities in various businesses such as Khun Boonchai, Khun Chuwit Kamonwisit that are regular customers for long time as well as Benjamin Patterson, a Hollywood actor with many works.
Signature menus that customers always order are such as Seasoned Yentafo filled with various fish balls, thick Tomyam soup, traditional spring rolls from Yaowarat or fried shrimp balls. Khun Chairat started creating noodles recipe from seasoning in his own way and letting friends to try but it turned out not quite good as expected. Khun Chairat then adjusted recipes until they are delicious and full-flavored. From a person who never cooked to person who did trial, Khun Chairat learned a lot and then he developed and could create new recipes for his restaurant.
Apart from Thai food, we also have Japanese food to support trend of Japanese food in current time. This makes Khun Chairat select products of Ajinomoto because of good and reliable taste such as popular menu like Gyoza that Khun Chairat said it is delicious like from Japanese restaurant itself. In addition, it is recommended menu of the restaurant too.
Khun Chairat added that deciding to choose Ajinomoto products could make us save cost because they are quality products with reasonable price. Apart from cost saving, it also save time to cook too.
Quality from heart to dish
Main issue of the restaurant of Khun Chairat is not cost in each day, but it is to find people who will work for long time.
This is another reason why Khun Chairat closed down some branches to only 3 branches left. Furthermore, there is a problem of changing staffs a lot especially those who cook so taste changes a lot too. But in difficulties, there’s still warmth from old employees at Siam Branch that we may see some aged employees. Khun Chairat said that these employees are with the restaurant from the beginning and that is 17 years ago.
The reason why these employees stay long is that Khun Chairat care about them. Every day, if Khun Chairat visit the place, before closing, he would thank employees from his heart and in every year, Khun Chairat would buy tour package for employees to travel abroad such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Korea. This is what to motivate employees to be happier in working.
Khun Chairat gives some suggestions that those who want to open a restaurant need to study hard, have heart for it and have patience to become successful in operating a restaurant because new generation people have a number of interesting idea , anyway.
Next step of Yentafo Piranya
Although opening branches can cause a problem of insufficient employees, Khun Chairat does not stop looking for new channels in expanding his business. Khun Chairat considers about franchising of noodles shop even accessing to social network users. Therefore, we realize that Khun Chairat is a committed and dedicated shop owner and his determination will convey to menus of full-flavored noodles as original of Yentafo Piranya that stays together with students in Siam for long time.
