She battled COVID, lost husband in same year. Now Chili Thai owner isn’t sure what comes next
A tragic and challenging year for owner Rachanee Dyer has put the long-term future of her popular downtown restaurant, Chili Thai, into question.
Dyer told the Ledger-Enquirer she hopes to re-open in about two weeks for takeout only — the first time it would serve customers since May 1.
Chili Thai was closed for almost all of last month as she rested. A year ago, Dyer had a severe COVID-19 case that left her in a month-long coma, and she’s still feeling some of its effects.
The death of her husband, Glenn, following a stroke last summer has forced Dyer to handle most of the restaurant’s operations by herself. It’s a loss she says she still hasn’t recovered from, and she’s also having trouble finding help in the kitchen.
Dyer is worried about how her body and the restaurant will hold up.
“For over a year, I feel like my energy has run out,” she said. “After I lost my husband, I have no (motivation) to do business. But I do it because a lot of people still need money.”
Dyer’s last year
Dyer remembers texting Glenn from St. Francis Hospital. She was tired and wanted to sleep — a departure from her typical hyper and energetic self.
It was June 2, 2020 when she told him that her COVID-19 test had come back positive, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. When she next awoke from the hospital ICU bed, it was July 3.
Her heart stopped three times in those four weeks, and funeral plans were in the works before Dyer opened her eyes.
“I had to learn how to walk. I had to learn how to talk again,” she said.
Three weeks after Dyer returned home, Glenn suffered a stroke Aug. 11 that left him hospitalized. He died Aug. 27. The couple had been married for almost 26 years.
She remembers Valentine’s Day 2020 when Glenn surprised her with a bouquet of roses at the restaurant. When the flower deliverer came, Dyer didn’t know they were for her until she read the note. It said: “Happy Valentine’s to my wife and best friend.”
He used to buy Dyer flowers often, but she said she told him to stop because he was wasting money. That Valentine’s moment is one of her last great memories of him.
“I was just surprised,” she said. “That was a really big surprise to me.”
What’s next for Chili Thai?
This is the longest Chili Thai has been closed since it first opened on Veterans Parkway in May 2003. The Dyers moved Chili Thai downtown to 10th Street in September 2013.
When she reopens after this absence, she wants everything to be perfect. But it’s possible that she may not physically be able to run the restaurant. The to-go phase would test how Chili Thai and Dyer are able to handle traffic, she said.
But for now, the handwritten closed sign remains taped to the front door.
“I still have potential customers. Everything is my recipe. But it’s hard,” she said. “If I want to sell, I want to sell the whole thing including the building and the business.
“It’s hard work. It’s really hard work.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 1:39 PM.