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What's for lunch? New restaurant opens in the former Jonny’s of Longmont space

 A Thai Sticky Rice will serve a range of expected Thai dishes such as noodles, curries, stir-fries and fried rice. There also are some specialties such as a spicy papaya salad and a take on coconut milk soup.
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Tuk Dolan and Eve Philarrat, co-owners of A Sticky Thai Rice, which opened on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, in Longmont. (Photo by Deborah Cameron)

That didn’t take long.

Just a little more than two months after Jonny’s of Longmont left its brick-and-mortar location at the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue to shift to a food truck-focused business model, a new restaurant has moved into its former space.  A Thai Sticky Rice opened its doors on Sunday.

Co-owners Tuk Dolan and Eve Philarrat plan to serve their Thai food menu for takeout from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a later start at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The restaurant also has agreements with delivery services DoorDash and Postmates. 

“I’m excited to continue to work hard, serve a high-quality product and (for) people to enjoy my dishes, ” said Tuk Dolan, a CPA with a background working in Thailand’s restaurant industry and for a Thai food restaurant in Lakewood. 

 A Sticky Thai will serve a range of expected Thai dishes such as noodles, curries, stir-fries and fried rice. There also are some specialties such as a spicy papaya salad and a take on coconut milk soup.

A Sticky Thai is the first U.S. venture that is part of a broader international business organization, A Thai Essen Food Group. The parent company is a family run venture that operates a varied collection of food and tourism-focused enterprises that include farming interests, a hotel, an Internet café, and a motorcycle rental business.

Bill Dolan, the restaurant’s operation manager and Tuk Dolan’s husband, has been heavily involved in opening A Sticky Thai. A lifelong Coloradoan, he’s contributed both U.S. restaurant management knowledge and his experience as a restaurant equipment contractor.

2020_11_03_LL_sticky_thai_opens2Bill Dolan takes a customer's order at A Sticky Thai Rice on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, in Longmont.(Photo by Deborah Cameron)
As the restaurant was starting up, he’s already noticed benefits in its chosen location.

“We’ve been getting a lot of interest. We’ve already received phone calls from people who want to place orders. We get a lot of foot traffic in the area.  A lot of people are walking by, looking at our advertising on the window and the menu on the window,” he said.

One customer on Sunday, who identified herself simply as Connie, proved Dolan’s point. 

“We passed by earlier, and we saw the restaurant. We were coming home from Wibby (Brewing) and live nearby, just off of Ninth and Tulip in Longmont,” she said.

Bill Dolan said the couple is grateful Longmont is the location for their first U.S. business. 

“Longmont reminds me of a small community, but it’s a small community with a big footprint. It’s a friendly community. People stop to talk to us, ask when we’re opening up,” he said.

Although opening in a pandemic can be risky for any new business, A Sticky Thai’s focus on takeout and delivery allows the focus to remain on the food, serving customers, and tweaking its processes over time.