How do I sell a Thai restaurant?

Buyers of a Thai restaurant worry about one thing more than most: will the food taste the same after the owner leaves? Your job as a seller is to answer that before they ask. The more of the kitchen you can put on paper and in other people’s hands, the easier the sale conversation becomes. Start months ahead if you can.

Write down the recipes

Put every curry paste, stir-fry sauce and soup base into a clear recipe with quantities, method and the brand of key ingredients. Have someone else cook from the page and note where it falls short. Decide ahead of time what you will hand over and what stays with you, and ask your lawyer how that should appear in the sale agreement, including whether you may use the recipes afterwards.

Keep the head cook in the picture

If a head cook or wok cook drives the menu, speak with them before buyers visit. Staff often worry about their jobs, and a cook who quietly leaves mid-sale can undo the deal. Ask whether they are willing to stay through handover and what they would need. Any promise should be settled with your lawyer, not left as a handshake.

Document your suppliers

List each specialty supplier, what you buy, how orders arrive and how long you have dealt with them. Introduce a supplier to the buyer if the buyer asks. Specialty importers can be hard to replace, so a buyer who sees steady relationships feels safer. Sort out any supplier credit or deposit that sits in your name.

Present delivery and dine-in clearly

Show sales by channel in plain monthly tables, and tie them to your point-of-sale reports and statements. Delivery platforms take a share, so show what reaches you. Your accountant can prepare the picture, and our page on preparing a restaurant for handover lists what else buyers expect to see.