Bangkok City Restaurant located on Bryan at Peak and Bangkok City at Greenville are two Thai restaurants with very similar names. So what gives?

Phillip Canady, husband of Janpen Thavornkaew, who owns the restaurant on Bryan, shared the history of the same-named restaurants. His wife’s cousin originally owned both restaurants. She opened the location on Peak in 1992, and the location on Greenville a year later. Later, she took on partners who were relatives to run the restaurants, and she ran the establishments with them 50-50. Eventually, both relatives bought her out. “When that happened one of us should have changed our names, but we didn’t.” Canady said. Thus, the two restaurants co-exist with practically identical names.

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The owner of the Greenville restaurant, Joe Pumphaung, says that customers often confuse the restaurants, but that is expected. Canady seems more frustrated with the situation.“It should have been handled differently,” Canady says. “If we weren’t as established with customers, we would change our name.”