Beloved Springfield Thai restaurant owner “Tongway Twitty” closing shop after 25 years

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A beloved restaurant is closing its doors after 25 years of serving hungry patrons of the Ozarks.

Tong Trithara is a unique person.

He’s not from the Ozarks, but he’s just as Ozarkian as your neighbor, strutting around in his signature cowboy hat and answering to the nickname “Tongway Twitty.”

However, Trithara is closing the doors to his restaurant, Tong’s, on South Campbell Avenue after two and a half decades of providing Thai-fusion cuisine to the 417.

It’s not because of food costs, or staffing issues.

It’s because he plans on giving back to those less fortunate.

“I want to give this back, give education on what I learned here with this cooking and American history, how hard Americans work to get to where we have today, and that’s my main focus,” Trithara says.

He’s expanding his program called “Thailand Little Ones” which teaches youth how to grow their own food and has a sponsor out of Mansfield that provides seeds for the effort.

There are also plans to build an education center.

It’s just the latest chapter in a long life documented in photos on the wall of Trithara’s eatery.

“In 1971, I worked around Los Angeles, and I worked at a place called the Troubadour, which has world music history. Just to give you a sample, like the artists there, Eagles, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor and so many artists there. In 1976, I left the Troubadour and became a hippie in a Volkswagen van,” Trithara said. “I came here in 1979 to run and build a restaurant called the Vintage House, which is where Sam’s Club is today.”

The 1970s were also the first time Trithara started being called “Tongway Twitty.”

“I had a restaurant in the Lake of the Ozarks at the time, and we usually go into the neighborhood bar, and of course, Conway Twitty came out with the song ‘Tight Fittin’ Jeans’, and I just love that song. I put my cowboy hat on and go to the jukebox and drop the quarter, and two-step on that, you know, and people started calling me Tongway Twitty,” Trithara said.

It’s that personality that local foodies like Jeffery Bates will miss.

“There’s not many there’s not many places like Tong’s left in the 417. So, yeah, we’ll definitely miss him,” Bates said. “I’m glad that he’s getting the break, but it’s also hard to you know, it’s hard to see him go.”

Bates runs a local food blog and has been to Trithara’s for a couple of years.

“I’ve been doing it for five years, and people kept talking about Tong’s Thai restaurant and I’ve lived in Springfield, like, pretty much my whole life. I think it’s been around for 30 years and maybe about two years ago I finally went in there, didn’t even know the place existed,” Bates said. “I’ve been hooked ever since. We go multiple times a week, sometimes three or four times a week. I mean, it’s the food. Tong’s personality is just really old school, but it’s cool, you know like a lot of restaurants are like mainstream now, but this is like more that real built like mom and pop shop, if that makes sense.”

Bates says Trithara’s dedication sets him apart.

“I would like to just touch on the fact that Tong is very devout in his giving. Yes, he does do the fundraisers, but his main beat or function has been giving back to the kids in Thailand,” Bates said. “He’s building schools over there. I think churches as well. That’s always been his main goal at heart just to give back to the next generation going forward.”

Trithara says it’ll be emotional when he turns the lights off the last time.

“This is my home. This is my life, you know, six days a week for the last 25 years. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m excited to go and do what I do,” Trithara said. “I just want to tell everybody in Springfield, thank you for being supportive to my restaurant and my foundation.”

Trithara says it’s unclear when his exact last day will be but says the restaurant will close by the end of this week, and customers are encouraged to call ahead before driving to the restaurant.

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