Community partnerships help a flooded Montpelier restaurant get back on its feet
Sam Somchit will never forget the morning of July 10, 2023. The 71-year-old owner of Pho Thai Express in Montpelier got a call from the restaurant’s property owner, who said the water started coming into the restaurant around 3:00 a.m. By 6:00 a.m., it had climbed the walls and submerged his dining room tables and chairs. He lost everything in the flood, right down to the dishes and utensils.
Sam and his wife, Nok, opened Pho Thai Express on Montpelier’s Main Street in 2015. Even before the flood, things were not easy. "The restaurant business is very hard," Sam says. For nine-and-a-half years, the couple worked 60-hour weeks in the restaurant. Nok did most of the cooking, and Sam did everything else: taking orders, waiting tables, washing dishes, and grocery shopping. At the end of the night, they'd close up and drive nearly an hour to get home. Then they'd do it all again.
"Many people in Vermont don't know how good Thai food is," Sam says. He delights in sharing his traditional cuisine with customers. The restaurant has gained loyal customers who appreciate authentic Thai food. Each summer, he visits Thailand and returns with special ingredients for the menu.
The 2023 flood devastated downtown Montpelier. For weeks, volunteers mucked out basements and excavated the remnants of homes and businesses. Volunteers helped clean out Pho Thai Express, too. The restaurant was closed for seven months while the space was put back together. It was hard to not have income during that time, but Sam says he never considered closing the business for good. "I have to stay here," he says. "Do or die, my friend."
The Somchits estimated more than $50,000 in flood damage. They received around $4,000 from the state's emergency fund for businesses. Sam and Nok financed the difference themselves. To get back up and running, they bought all-new furniture, flooring, small refrigerators, dishes, utensils, and more. They finally reopened in spring 2024. Sam says it took a while for customers to start coming back, but it's finally picking up again, more than a year after the flood.
Soon after the restaurant reopened, the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC) went door-to-door in downtown Montpelier to talk with business owners about what help they needed to get back on their feet. Sam told them that all the Pho Thai Express kitchen equipment had been lost in the flood, and he was now operating with just a few mini-fridges and an electric hotplate. Without a dishwasher, he was spending more than an hour a day washing dishes. Without a full-sized refrigerator and freezer, they were running out of food and being forced to turn away customers.
CVEDC and Efficiency Vermont staff helped Sam fill out an application for a flood relief rebate. With support from a restaurant consultant, they identified a qualifying refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher that met the restaurant's needs. Then they teamed up with Singer Kittridge, the restaurant supplier in Burlington, to make the purchase. Sam and Nok used a third-party payment agreement, which allowed Efficiency Vermont to pay the rebate directly to Singer Kittridge so they didn't have to pay upfront and then wait for a check. Sam and Nok got 100% of the costs covered.
“It was a pleasure partnering with Efficiency Vermont to help small businesses in Montpelier recover from the flood. Together, we listened to the needs of business owners like Sam and worked hard to respond accordingly. This new kitchen equipment will help Pho Thai Express continue to serve the Montpelier community delicious food for years to come.”
The new equipment, valued at $13,000, will save money on the restaurant’s energy bills, which helps lessen the financial strain and is one small step toward the long-term resilience of the business. The new refrigerator and freezer are now full of fresh food. Sam no longer runs out of food before the night is over. Crucially, the dishwasher is saving time that he can now spend resting at the end of the day.
Sam is glad to be part of a community that looks after one another. He's grateful that he was able to reopen his business, especially when other Montpelier businesses were not so lucky. He thinks another flood will probably happen at some point, but he tries not to worry too much about it. "If you worry too much about it, it will make you crazy," he says.
