Bida Manda Raleigh Sold to Chuan and Anna Tsay in Seven-Figure Deal

Chuan and Anna Tsay have acquired Bida Manda, the Laotian restaurant in downtown Raleigh, in a seven-figure deal that combined a cash payment with prior debt the restaurant carried, according to EIN Presswire. The husband-and-wife team behind nearby Heirloom took over daily operations at the restaurant, which had its first ownership change in its 14-year history.

The Tsay Acquisition of Bida Manda

Chuan Tsay phoned co-founder Vanvisa Nolintha and the two struck an agreement in a five-minute call, the report said. Nolintha, who co-founded Bida Manda with her brother Vansana in 2012, now lives in Laos with her newborn daughter. The restaurant's name draws from Sanskrit words for mother and father, and when it opened on South Blount Street it was one of very few Laotian restaurants in the country.

Chuan Tsay is of Thai descent and Anna Tsay is of Lao descent. The couple previously opened Heirloom as a tea and coffee shop serving pan-Asian dishes in Raleigh's Warehouse District, and stepped away from running it a few years ago to raise their children, handing daily operations to Anna's sister, Thai Phommavong.

The new owners plan building improvements and a menu refresh early next year, along with expanded staffing and a push to bring back lunch and brunch service, and they are exploring a second location. "We have a duty to understand the restaurant's past and earn the public's trust," Chuan Tsay said, adding that he hopes to earn back community trust and restore Bida Manda's former status.

In 2020, the restaurant and its sister venue Brewery Bhavana were at the center of sexual harassment allegations from multiple staff members, with co-founder Vansana Nolintha accused of improper conduct. Vansana divested from both restaurants that year, leaving Vanvisa Nolintha as sole owner of Bida Manda while local brewer Patrick Woodson became sole owner of Brewery Bhavana. That restructuring followed an independent workplace investigation led by attorney Denise Cline, after which the two venues appointed Frederique Leonard as CEO.

Bida Manda's Single-Site Operation

According to akta.pro company records, Bida Manda, LLC operates a single-location Laotian fine-dining restaurant in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, serving traditional Lao cuisine, craft cocktails, beer and wine during evening hours. The same records list a headcount range of 11-50, a revenue estimate of $1 million-$5 million and a valuation estimate of Under $10 million, with Vanvisa Nolintha as founder. The records also show the restaurant has operated one location since founding, with evening dinner service only and no lunch service, and that it launched online take-out and pickup ordering through the ToastTab platform, introduced a digital gift card program via ToastTab, and added a private events and reservations service.

Moore Square Safety and Downtown Plans

The ownership change lands as Raleigh Police and the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division arrested 35 people in a joint investigation into illegal alcohol and drug activity around Moore Square, seizing alcohol, fentanyl and crack cocaine, with the square recording the highest concentration of drug violations in the city over the preceding five months. That summer 2026 operation produced more than 130 felony charges. Raleigh officials closed the pedestrian tunnel connecting Wilmington Street to GoRaleigh Station to curb loitering and illicit sales near the square. City leaders have also considered spending $1.8 million on a Moore Square playground. Chuan Tsay said diners need to feel safe and comfortable walking through Moore Square, and that he and Anna want more families and children to visit Bida Manda.