Ricky's Thai Cuts Ribbon For 3rd Location In Bernardsville

BERNARDSVILLE, NJ — Ricky's Thai officially held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for its third Somerset County restaurant on Dec. 19.

Bernardsville Mayor Mary Jane Canose cut the ribbon along with owner Ricky Chai and his wife Leng. The event was followed with a cocktail party.

Chai previously held a soft opening at the new restaurant located 80 Morristown Road in Bernardsville on Nov. 28.

Chai, who runs the restaurants with his wife Leng, has two other locations in Hillsborough and Montgomery.

He decided to expand into Bernardsville because Chai said there are not many Thai restaurants in the area. Additionally, Chai is specifically opening this location to help out his employees who stuck with him during the pandemic. Read More: Ricky's Thai Expands With 3rd Location In Bernardsville

"This is coming from my heart I want to help people like my employees who helped to keep our restaurant open. I am taking this golden opportunity to help them achieve their goals and dreams and have a better life in America," said Chai.

Chai came to the United States from Malaysia in 1988, at the age of 24, in search of the American dream. He started working as a waiter and then began working his way up the chain of command.
He moved up to managing a restaurant and then with his business partner they opened his first location in Hillsborough at 646 Route 206. Chai eventually took over the business with his wife and expanded to open a second location in the Skillman section of Montgomery in 2014.

Chai credits a lot of his success to his Head Chef Chai Yo Thongpanich who helped to create the menu. The same menu has been named Best South East Asian Restaurant by New Jersey Monthly Magazine for six years in a row.

"We not only serve our customers with the freshest ingredients and brightest flavors from Thailand but also share the pride we have in our beloved country of Malaysia," said Chai.

To learn more about Ricky's Thai, to see the menu, or to follow the new location opening updates visit rickysthai.com or facebook.com/rickysthaihills.

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