THIP KHAO, LLC.

What THIP KHAO, LLC. does

Thip Khao, LLC. operates a single Lao cuisine restaurant under the Thip Khao brand at 3462 14th St NW in Washington, D.C., founded in 2014 by Chef Seng Luangrath with co-founder Chef Boby Pradachith. The restaurant is open only two nights per week — Sunday and Monday, 5pm to 10pm — with a lean staff of 1–10 employees, and has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation annually since 2018. The founders are also associated with the Hanumanh restaurant in the Shaw neighborhood (opened 2019) and a newer concept, Baan Mae, launched in 2025.

The business generates revenue from dine-in service, cooking classes priced at $195 per person (booked through OpenTable), carryout via ChowNow, and gift cards sold through GiftRocker. Reservations are managed on OpenTable. There is no proprietary technology platform; the operating stack consists of standard third-party hospitality SaaS for reservations, off-premises ordering, and gift cards, and there is no disclosed AI, data, or automation capability.

Commercially, the company pursues a premium, chef-led positioning anchored by Chef Luangrath's recognition as the "Godmother of Laotian Cuisine" and reinforced by national media exposure in Netflix, the New York Times, and Bon Appetit, alongside regional recognition including the 2025 RAMMY Restaurateur of the Year award. The model combines restricted operating hours with multi-concept expansion within the D.C. market rather than scaling a single unit's capacity.

Name

THIP KHAO, LLC.

Legal name

THIP KHAO, LLC.

Website

https://thipkhao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thip Khao, LLC. operates a single Lao cuisine restaurant in Washington, D.C., serving dine-in guests two nights per week, plus cooking classes, carryout, and gift cards, under founder Chef Seng Luangrath.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lao Cuisine Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Asian Fast Casual (Pan-Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean) (THAFABAE)

Keywords

• Lao cuisine restaurant
• Authentic Asian dining
• Cooking class experiences
• Restaurant carryout ordering
• Online table reservations

Headquarters

HQ city

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Service: Full-service Lao restaurant offering dine-in experiences with table reservations via OpenTable. Revenue generated from food and beverage sales to customers dining at the restaurant.
2. Carryout/Takeout: Online carryout ordering through ChowNow platform, allowing customers to place orders for pickup.
3. Cooking Classes: Hybrid cooking classes taught by Chef Seng Luangrath, priced at $195 per person. Classes include hands-on instruction, ingredients, equipment, and take-home recipe cards. Limited to 20 spots per class.
4. Gift Cards: Gift card sales through GiftRocker platform, providing prepaid dining value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thip Khao is a full-service Lao cuisine restaurant in Washington, D.C. (Columbia Heights neighborhood) founded in 2014 by Chef Seng Luangrath. The restaurant offers dine-in service with traditional Lao dishes such as laab, papaya salad (Thum Mak Hoong), and mok pa, supplemented by carryout ordering via ChowNow, immersive cooking classes ($195 per person), and gift card sales through GiftRocker.

Product overview

Thip Khao is a Lao cuisine restaurant in Washington, D.C. founded by Chef Seng Luangrath in 2014. It operates as the home of the Lao Food Movement and serves as the core restaurant product, offering authentic Lao dishes. The company also offers complementary services including cooking classes taught by Chef Seng, table reservations via OpenTable, carryout ordering through Chownow, and gift cards via GiftRocker. In 2025, the company launched a new sub-brand restaurant called Baan Mae ('Mom's House'), which has also received significant culinary recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lao Food Movement: An inspiring initiative dedicated to preserving and celebrating Lao culture, led by Chef Seng Luangrath

Products and services

• Thip Khao Restaurant (Dine-in)
• Lao Cooking Classes
• Table Reservations
• Carryout Service
• Gift Cards
• Baan Mae Restaurant

Quantifiable outcome

• Michelin Bib Gourmand annually since 2018 (8 consecutive years)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OpenTablecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOpenTable is used as the primary reservation platform for dine-in table bookings and cooking class registrations. This partnership enables online reservation management and customer acquisition through the OpenTable platform and app.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hanumanh: Chef Seng Luangrath's former Lao/Shaw concept in DC, which earned Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2020 and was replaced by the Baan Mae concept. Directly comparable as the chef's prior Lao dining concept in Washington, DC.
• Beau Thai: Thai restaurant with locations in the DC metro area. Comparable as an independent Asian dining operator in the same regional market offering Southeast Asian cuisine to mainstream diners.
• Moon Rabbit: Vietnamese modern Vietnamese restaurant by Chef Ian Cooley in Washington, DC, also holding Michelin Bib Gourmand status. Highly comparable as a chef-driven Southeast Asian concept in DC with similar media recognition and price tier.
• Thamee: Burmese restaurant in Washington, DC by Simone Jacobson, also recognized in Michelin Bib Gourmand. Comparable as a chef-driven, under-represented Southeast Asian cuisine concept in the DC market with a similar cultural-preservation mission.
• Baan Mae: Chef Seng Luangrath's newest Lao concept launched in 2025, immediately honored by Bon Appétit as one of America's 20 Best New Restaurants. Directly comparable as a sibling concept sharing the same founder, culinary philosophy, and Lao cuisine positioning.
• Lucky Danger: Chef Tim Ma's Chinese-American restaurant in Washington, DC. Comparable as an independent, chef-driven Asian concept in DC built around a charismatic founder and cultural storytelling.
• Bistro 1521: Filipino restaurant in Washington, DC. Comparable as an independent chef-driven Southeast Asian concept in DC introducing an under-represented national cuisine to American diners.

Regional players

• Burma Superstar: Iconic Burmese restaurant group in San Francisco. Comparable as an independent operator specializing in an under-represented Southeast Asian cuisine, with similar chef-driven authenticity positioning though in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Nyum Bai: Cambodian restaurant in Oakland, CA by Chef Nite Yun. Comparable as a chef-driven concept introducing an under-represented Southeast Asian cuisine to American diners with a strong cultural-preservation mission, similar to Thip Khao's Lao Food Movement positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Rose: Independent global-cuisine restaurant in Washington, DC also holding Michelin Bib Gourmand. Comparable as another independent DC Bib Gourmand-recognized restaurant, though broader in menu scope rather than Lao-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thip-khao-llc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THIP KHAO, LLC.