BANGKOK — A famous Thai restaurant ‘Kaithong Original‘ posted a message on its Facebook page in both Thai and English on May 2 stating that it has filed a police report to prosecute two foreigners who exhibited behavior of stealing the restaurant’s menu.
Kaithong Original stated that on April 29, the restaurant’s headquarters received a report from one of their branches. According to the report, around the afternoon of that day, two foreign customers (a man and a woman) came to have lunch.
“During their time at the restaurant, the male customer used his mobile phone to take detailed photographs of every page of both the food and dessert menus.”
Following this, the female customer placed both menus, which are large-format copies designated strictly for in-house use, into her personal bag and carried them out of the restaurant. The male customer remained at the table during the entire incident and appeared fully aware of her actions.”
After receiving the report, Kaithong Original’s head office conducted further investigation and reviewed the CCTV footage. Verification of the name appearing on the payment receipt revealed that the male customer is the owner of several Thai restaurants based in Indonesia, operating under multiple brand names.
“The actions of both individuals demonstrate a clear lack of respect for the property of others and represent a serious breach of professional ethics, particularly between businesses operating within the same industry.”
Kaithong Original added that they have filed an official police report with the local authorities. Both civil and criminal proceedings have been initiated in accordance with Thai law. The restaurant also emphasized to state the following:
- The intentional removal of the restaurant’s property without permission constitutes a criminal offense.
- We urge the individuals involved to take full responsibility for their actions and return the property immediately.
- The restaurant will take all appropriate measures to prevent unauthorized use, imitation, or recurrence of such behavior in the future.
They thank their valued customers for their continued support and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethics and the integrity behind everything they do.
“We hope this incident serves as a reminder to the wider food and hospitality community that mutual respect is the foundation of professionalism and must never be overlooked.”
Kaithong Original opened in 1998 as a 6-seater eatery, cooking “on demand.” The original restaurant was called ‘Gum Gai Kaithong,’ where “Gum Gai” is Cantonese language used in Hong Kong meaning “Golden Chicken.”
The first branch was in Muang Thong Thani, with Chinese-style decoration, before changing its name to ‘Kaithong Original’ during the era of Saeng-arun Montreewat, the second-generation heir who renovated the restaurant and modernized the brand. It has expanded to 4 branches: Muang Thong Thani, Central Festival EastVille, Central Phuket Floresta, and Central Embassy.
According to Michelin Guide, the family-run establishment, is renowed for its traditional recipes, serving fresh meat and seafood flavours in simple yet refined and lightly seasoned dishes. Catering to different tastes, the stir-fried liver with garlic is made with either pork or chicken liver.
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