The independent Thai street food brand opened at 104 Stokes Croft in April this year, five years after launching its first permanent restaurant on Whitchurch Road in Cardiff.
The expansion followed Brother Thai’s strongest year of trading to date, as the business continued its evolution from a street food pop-up into a multi-site restaurant operator.
Founder Andrew Chongsathien said the Bristol opening had given the business confidence in the wider potential of the brand, while also highlighting the operational work required to grow sustainably.
He said: “Opening a second restaurant has changed the way we think about the future of Brother Thai. It has taken us from being a successful Cardiff restaurant to becoming a multi-city brand. That is a massive milestone because it shows the concept can connect with people somewhere new.
“We have always believed there was wider potential in Brother Thai, but the second site is where we begin proving that properly.”
The company’s longer-term ambition is to build a group of five company-owned restaurants rather than pursue franchising.
Chongsathien said Brother Thai intends to grow regionally, developing a cluster of restaurants that can be supported by its existing team and operating structure. Bristol was selected for the second site because of its proximity to Cardiff, the brand’s existing customer base in the city and its strong independent hospitality scene.
Future locations could include a second Cardiff restaurant, another city within the region or a neighbourhood that fits the Brother Thai brand.
Brother Thai began as a pop-up in Cardiff in 2015, initially serving a more traditional Thai menu.
A year later, Chongsathien created the Sticky Beef Roti that would come to define the business: a flaky paratha filled with fresh slaw, herbs, sauces and bold Thai-inspired flavours, designed to be folded and eaten by hand.
The dish gave Brother Thai a clear point of difference within the growing street food market and continues to distinguish the brand from more traditional Thai restaurant concepts.
Brother Thai went on to trade at markets, festivals and street food events across South Wales and beyond, including regular appearances at Bristol Harbourside from 2018.
Its first bricks-and-mortar restaurant opened on Whitchurch Road in Cardiff in July 2021, with the menu expanding beyond its street food roots to include rice bowls, noodles, small plates and cocktails alongside its signature rotis.
Reflecting on the move beyond Cardiff, Chongsathien said: “Cardiff gave us the foundations, but opening a second site is showing us what it takes to operate Brother Thai in more than one place. It has been exciting, but also a huge learning curve. You quickly realise that you cannot simply copy and paste a successful restaurant into another city and expect the same result.
“Every city and every neighbourhood is different. The important thing is protecting what makes Brother Thai distinctive while allowing each restaurant to become part of its own local community.”