T. Falls eatery reopens after fire

1st read: 08262021

Hot Springs Business closing, while another in Thompson is back on its feet

A Thompson Falls business is getting back on its feet. The former Genki Asian Cafe on Main Street is literally rising from the ashes, having burnt down last December. Now, under the name Asia Food Express, the restaurant, owned by Jerry Lai, reopened last Thursday in its old location. Lai operates his food service out of a food truck he calls his "food wagon." He had been working out of this truck across the county, from Trout Creek to Plains, since his brick-and-mortar location burned down, but has now decided to permanently set up shop back where the business started.

One reason he decided to stop driving up and down the county was the cost and risk of traveling. "You just never know what will happen, and traveling is frustrating," said Lai. With the higher cost of gas, supplies and rental spaces, he decided to look for other options.

According to Lai, he was constantly busy when he reopened, and he has a good feeling about the business. He now offers flexible meals that he is very proud of. According to Lai, his big sellers are combination meals where customers can pick from numerous entrees combined with noodles or rice. Customers can pair one, two or three entrees and the most expensive of these is only $9.75. "Nobody can beat these prices for the amount of food and for what you make yourself," said Lai.

Lai said that he greatly appreciates everyone who reached out to help him after Genki burned down. Lai wanted to do something for the community, so he is operating as low as he can get his prices. The kindness of the community also convinced him to reopen and to stay in the area. He said that Thompson Falls is where he would like to retire, even though he has property in other cities.

One such property he has is a several story building in Butte, which he wants to turn into a restaurant, apartment building and more. Lai says that location is a good opportunity for him, but he is still committed to Thompson Falls, and once he is done working on that location, he will focus on the one in Sanders County. He estimates that he will start construction on a new building in Thompson Falls in a year or two. He wants to include spaces for several other businesses and rental apartments. Lai is considering calling it a plaza, but he said the fire hit him hard. The insurance will not cover the rebuild, so he has had to write it off as a big loss. Even with this, he is confident. "Hopefully, this will become true," said Lai of his plans.

Asia Food Express is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lai has had fences built and picnic tables included for customer safety and comfort. Asia Food Express is located at 709 Main Street, next to First Baptist Church.

AL'S CLOSING

After more than 12 years, Al's Sports Bar, Creekside Inn and Grill is closing its doors. The Hot Springs bar was hit hard by the pandemic and has since been trying to recover. Darla and Alan Reisinger took over the business in 2008 and were hoping the place would become their source for retirement. Unfortunately, during the year of COVID-19, the couple was unable to stay open for many months and they saw such a drop in foot traffic that they were unable to pay for simple operational costs, let alone pay on the property. After one final push, the couple tried reaching out to the community for support but were faced with a growing debt of over $100,000. "We tried one last struggle, but it wasn't enough," said Alan. The couple were only able to raise a couple thousand dollars, so they were forced to shut down. "I'll probably go back to working construction until we can see what we can afford," said Alan.