Gin Khao to Open First Brick-and-Mortar in Bartow
Expanding from food truck to first brick-and-mortar with a May soft opening in Bartow.
BARTOW, FL — Gin Khao is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant at 750 W. Main Street, Bartow, FL 33830, with owners Thomas Klug and Prapapan Klug targeting a soft opening in May followed by a broader opening in June. Thomas Klug told Business Debut the couple is still working through facility maintenance issues as they finish the space.
What to Expect
The new Bartow location will build on the Gin Khao food truck, which has served Polk County for more than five years. Klug told Business Debut the brick-and-mortar is designed primarily for the lunch and takeout crowd, with a focus on nearby government offices, local businesses and residents looking for dinner to take home.
The restaurant will have limited seating for about 14 guests, but the main model will be fast-casual service with no waitstaff. “Our primary target with this is the lunch markets,” Klug told Business Debut, adding that Bartow’s daytime population and nearby offices made the location a natural fit.
The food truck will continue operating two to three times a week at breweries and events while the restaurant handles lunch service and evening takeout on nights when the truck is not out. That setup gives the business room to grow without leaving behind the mobile operation that built its following.
Menu and Vision
Gin Khao’s menu will center on authentic Thai food drawn from the couple’s restaurant experience in Thailand. Klug told Business Debut that many of the flavors and sauces served in Bartow are based on recipes the family has used for nearly 20 years overseas.
Guests can expect dishes such as pad thai, fried rice, basil fried rice, pineapple fried rice and pad kee mao, along with five different curries. With the added space, the team also hopes to bring back menu items that were difficult to execute on the truck, including chicken satay, pad see ew when the right noodles are available, and mango sticky rice when mangoes are in season.
Prapapan Klug brings a deep culinary background to the business. Thomas Klug told Business Debut she is a third-generation restaurateur who began cooking in her grandmother’s restaurant at age 8. He said she later trained in French cuisine and royal Thai cuisine and has also worked in Central Florida kitchens, including Morimoto Asia.
“Usually her dishes will taste now the exact same as you would have tasted 20 years ago,” Klug told Business Debut.
Opening Timeline
Gin Khao is targeting a soft opening in May and a full opening around June. Klug told Business Debut the current timeline depends on final maintenance and operational readiness at the restaurant.
Hours
The current plan is to operate Tuesday through Saturday, with lunch service expected from 10 a.m.—2 p.m. Evening takeout hours are expected to run 5 p.m.—8 p.m. on select nights, while Sunday and Monday are planned as closed days. Klug told Business Debut those hours may shift after the soft opening.
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Ross McWaters
