MANGO TREE TO OPEN FIRST U.S. RESTAURANT
The Thai restaurant brand, Mango Tree Worldwide has put down roots in the United States. In a strategic partnership with chef Richard Sandoval, Mango Tree will launch its first stateside restaurant in October.
Located in the nation’s capital, Mango Tree DC will sit is in the heart of the downtown precinct, specifically in the new lifestyle complex CityCenterDC. The launch is part of a global expansion programme aimed at growing the group's branded restaurants, bistros and cafes to over 100 locations worldwide by 2015. The brand hopes that Mango Tree DC will also position them to ride a growing global surge in the popularity of Thai food. Sandoval, with over 30 Latin restaurants across the United States, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East, is acclaimed for his innovative combination of Latin ingredients and modern culinary techniques. He is also credited with the largest collections of tequilas in North America and the Middle East and aspires to educate diners on their quality and diversity. Mango Tree founder and CEO Pitaya Phanphensophon said, "I don't know what happens when you mix tom yum kung and tequila, but it's bound to get hot, spicy and a little crazy." In addition to the growth of the Mango Tree stable of brands, Pitaya revealed there have been discussions on plans to launch Sandoval's El Centro Mexican restaurants in Asia within two years. Pitaya, is a restaurateur who took over the family restaurant business when his father, founder of the COCA chain of hotpot and Thai-Chinese restaurants, passed away. He founded the first Mango Tree in Bangkok's Silom district in 1994 and today oversees an empire of more than 70 Mango Tree, Mango Tree Bistrobar and Mango Tree Cafe outlets. Mango Tree plans to double its existing annual turnover to reach USD100 million within two years as it sets its sights on expanding throughout Asia Pacific, Middle East and the US. The group is also actively seeking locations in China, India (it opened its first Mango Tree Bistrobar in Bangalore last month), Australia, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain.