Meet Yuyee Sakpanichkul and George Kaiho — a remarkable restaurant couple

I’m very fortunate that I get to meet and sometimes collaborate with many extremely interesting, talented and smart people in the course of my restaurant consulting business.

Yuyee Sakpanichkul and George Kaiho are two of them. Together they own Ka-Tip Thai Street Food in Dallas (Yuyee is chef), and George also runs the outstanding cocktail lounge Jettison. They’re doing so much right as restaurateurs and entrepreneurs that I thought I’d share some highlights.

I’ve been a huge fan of Ka-Tip since it debuted in 2019, and it gets even better and better as time goes on. There is no more exciting and talented Thai cook in North Texas than Yuyee, and the restaurant has been drawing Thai food lovers from all over Texas to enjoy the offerings.

(To be clear, Yuyee and George are not clients of mine, but friends; George and I collaborated last year creating a new cocktail program for an out-of-town client of mine, and Yuyee has generously shared her Thai cooking expertise with me as I’ve dived into the genre for my cooking website, Cooks Without Borders.)

Smart restaurateuring

Here are some of the beautiful things that are contributing to their success:

• They have created two businesses with great brand stories. Ka-Tip has an OUR STORY tab on its website; Jettison’s story is expressed on its ABOUT tab.

• Both websites are simple, clear, attractive and easy-to-navigate. That’s important because a restaurant’s website is the most essential way the business presents itself to the world. More than 70% of diners say they visit a restaurant’s website before deciding where to dine.

• Ka-Tip’s small physical space is attractive, simple and smart, making great use of every inch. A thoughtfully curated retail shelf offers Thai snacks and ingredients.

• Yuyee and George know how to market effectively. The restaurant is adjacent to the Dallas Farmers Market, which becomes jammed with people on weekends. Yesterday, a busy market day, they had set up a table outside — in view of the marketgoers — at which George was making knom kroc, coconut pancakes. The enticing aroma wafted toward the market, attracting new customers and activating the patio space. The activation was spot-on brand-wise: a delicious, sensory street food marketing moment for Ka-Tip Thai Street Food. Love it!

• Most importantly, both offer uncompromising quality. Ka-Tip may be tiny, but every dish delivers, and many knock it out of the park. Jettison’s cocktails are among the most outstanding in a city with a great cocktail scene. Yuyee and George know how to draw guests, and those guests return again and again because the experience is exceeds expectations.

Do check them out

If you find yourself in Dallas, swing by and treat yourself to some spectacular Thai food at Ka-Tip and cocktails at Jettison (reservations recommended). Be sure to keep your eyes open to take in all the smart, cool ways they’re maximizing potential. Oh, and by the way, that “reservations recommended” suggestion at Jettison is spot-on brand-wise. It’s a jewel-box of a bar with a vibe of connoisseurship, and “reservations recommended” underlines its specialness.

George Kaiho, co-owner of Ka-Tip Thai Street Food in Dallas, cooks knom kroc (coconut pancakes) outside next to Ka-Tip.