Sa-Wad-Dee means “hello” and “goodbye” in Thai — a fitting moniker for the Missoula restaurant that is now saying goodbye to its downtown location and hello to a new food truck. Founder Sumalee Tdim Foy is stepping down from the operation she founded 26 years ago and passing the reins to her daughter, Am Penny.
“I think it’s a good thing for me to retire,” said Foy. “I still have things to do. I’m going to miss the customers.”
The restaurant’s last day at its current location on Broadway is Aug. 31. Foy and Penny recognized that they’ll be shuttering a popular gathering spot for a diverse crowd of locals. In particular, Sa-Wad-Dee had a special place in the hearts of many professionals who frequented the Missoula County Courthouse across the street.
Am Penny, left, stands for a portrait holding a family photo next to her mother, Sumalee Tdim Foy, owner of Sa-Wad-Dee, Missoula’s iconic downtown authentic Thai restaurant on West Broadway.
“We’re grateful to be at this spot,” said Penny, likening the restaurant’s role in the community to the TV show “Cheers.” “We got lawyers, judges, the (former) mayor. … Many memories have been made over here and we will continue.”
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Penny and Foy believe their transition to a food truck will make them more accessible to their customers throughout the region. They’re going to get their start at the KettleHouse Taproom in Bonner, and diners can keep up with their travels on their Facebook page.
Foy, 75, won’t be going anywhere, since she plans on helping her daughter with the food truck, but she’s looking forward to taking a step back. It’s been a long 26 years for the restaurateur, who immigrated to the United States from Bangkok in 1986 with only a nominal grasp of the English language.
She started working at Sun Mountain Sports selling golf bags, and on the side she made accessories from scraps of Sun Mountain Sports’ merchandise. With an entrepreneurial spirit and hardworking attitude, she saved up enough from those gigs to take out a loan on a new restaurant. She came into the Broadway location thanks to a Missoula friend who had decided to return to Thailand.
Sa-Wad-Dee, Missoula’s iconic downtown Thai restaurant on West Broadway, for years has served city officials working at the Missoula County Courthouse across the street.
Penny remembered how her mother promised the loan officer she would pay back the loan in five years, even though she had nothing to offer as collateral.
“And she did,” Penny said proudly. “She just worked really, really hard.”
Foy was lucky to get superb help along the way. Foy’s daughters Mahlinee Foy and Tao Koehring assisted her at the restaurant in addition to Penny, and one of Sa-Wad-Dee’s employees, Mai-ly Vang, has worked there since Day 1.
But besides the family members who live locally and pitch in at the family business, Foy has many other relatives who are waiting back in Thailand for her to visit. She said she’s looking forward to seeing them again with her newfound free time.
Nonetheless, she promised the food and service at the upcoming food truck won’t be a departure from what loyal customers are used to at Sa-Wad-Dee. Foy’s motto, according to her daughter, is to “do the best you can and not cut corners.”