Darkoo’s Chicken Shack, the Lao fried chicken restaurant from Khao Noodle Shop owner Donny Sirisavath, is closed for an undetermined amount of time.
A sign posted on the Bryan Street restaurant’s door said the tenant had defaulted and that the locks had been changed.
Sirisavath told D Magazine Tuesday that he was paying rent on time. He blamed the matter on additional costs accumulated over the last two years that the building’s new owner requested be paid immediately. Sirisavath says he’s in the process of working with the management company, Stockdale Investment Group, to resolve the issue.
“I’m heartbroken,” Sirisivath says. “I can’t pay my staff this week. I can’t make sales this week to pay rent or pay anything.”
Stockdale Investment Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sirisavath is the chef-owner of the late and highly praised Khao Noodle Shop, a Lao restaurant that once thrived where Darkoo’s stands today. Khao closed its doors in December 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic and its variants prevented it from operating as intended; diners sat shoulder-to-shoulder at cramped tables within view of the busy kitchen and shared small dishes. Khao has had at least one pop-up dinner event since it closed.
Stockdale Investment Group recently took over the strip mall, Sirisavath says. Still, the notice and temporary closure are part of a years-long battle that Sirisivath has dealt with since the pandemic.
Sirisavath opened Darkoo’s in March with Jimmy Niwa of Niwa Japanese BBQ. It serves a menu of Lao-style crispy fried chicken, cucumber salad, sticky rice, and more. The business was just starting to build momentum, Sirisavath says, and it’s now come to a hard stop.
“It’s very frustrating,” Sirisavath says. “We’re all here fighting to stay afloat.”
4812 Bryan St. Ste. 101
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