On a typical morning at 8, the owner of Sweet Basil Thai House begins shopping for that day’s ingredients.

Tom Tran always tries to buy the food locally and in Syracuse’s Asian markets.

Once Tran has the ingredients, he starts cooking the food at 10 a.m. He cooks most of the food for the restaurant on his own. His pad thai, a staple in Thai cuisine, is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes.

Tran said his restaurant’s staple dish is the pizza of Thai food.

Tran doesn’t look for experience when it comes to hiring. He’d rather his employees — typically students or local residents — be diligent than seasoned.

“You can teach people how to work, but you can’t teach people work ethic,” Tran said. “My biggest thing is that you have to be a team player.”

Sweet Basil Thai House, which first opened in 2010 in Mattydale, moved locations and opened on Marshall Street on Sept. 5, 2014.

For the restaurant, it’s been business as usual, even after moving more than six miles away. Tran said at the old location, large groups from surrounding businesses would eat there, but even after the move, the loyal customers followed.

“All of our customers throughout the years become our friends. They watched us grow, so they were sad that we left that area,” Tran said. “But they know Marshall Street is a much better location for us.”

For Tran, his favorite part of working at Sweet Basil Thai House is seeing a clean dish on the table after customers have left.

Tran said: “Empty plates. That’s the best part. Because they ate everything, and they liked it. We don’t have a lot of trash because there isn’t a lot of food left.”

Published on February 18, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact: maquigle@syr.edu