When Sumontita “Tammie” Disayawathana opened Sisters Thai in January 2013, she wasn’t chasing a restaurant empire. She simply wanted a place where she could serve food she loved, stay close to her 1-year-old daughter, and share something beautiful with her community. “I wanted to be able to hold my daughter in the restaurant,” she recalls. “So me and my husband said, ‘let’s create something that feels like home.’”
The result was a cozy, kid-friendly space filled with bookshelves, communal toys, and warm lighting—quite different from the typical Thai restaurant decor of the time. So different, in fact, that customers were confused when they walked in the door, and many walked out thinking it was a coffee shop based on the “living room café” vibes and decor.
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“I think the biggest hurdle initially was taking that leap of faith and trusting my own taste and vision,” she says. “Putting something out there that is so personal, something you love, and not knowing if it will resonate with the general public is always a risk.”
Disayawathana didn’t take the traditional path to the restaurant industry. She has a degree in communication arts and started her professional career at Hyatt, where she learned the ropes of customer service, catering, and people management that would later help her down the road when she opened her restaurant.
The real seeds for Sisters Thai and Flore Café—her newest French-Thai dessert concept offering a Thai-inspired high tea experience—were planted during her graduate school days when she worked in various Thai restaurants.
“I began to see opportunities for a different approach, a way to elevate the dining experience,” she says. “I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the arts and beautiful interior design, and the simple act of being in a bakery, creating something lovely, truly makes me happy. My vision was to create spaces where guests could share that same joy. It started small, with a little bakery, cakes, some Thai street food, and has evolved into the high tea dream you see today.”
Today, Sisters Thai has grown to five locations across the D.C. metro area—and despite its regional success, it remains independently owned and operated under the leadership of Disayawathana and her husband, Jaturon “Drew” Srirote.
The brand’s success, Disayawathana says, comes from staying true to her original vision. “Everything in the restaurant is my personal taste,” she explains. “Nobody told me what to do. I just thought, maybe if I want to do this, I have to create this.”
The design—from Home Depot chandeliers in the first location to $10,000 light fixtures in the newest—has always been a central part of the storytelling. She and her husband use visual elements like vintage movie theater signs, dramatic bookshelves, and oil paintings of Thailand to make each space unique but connected.
“My husband, Drew, is a true partner in this vision. He has a wonderful eye for art and good design. We believe that creating a welcoming and aesthetically pleasing space offers real value to our customers, who often share our appreciation for design,” she notes.
“For us, it’s never just been about the food; it’s about crafting a complete and memorable experience. We’ve really tried to pioneer something different in this area, daring to blend a bakery concept seamlessly within a Thai restaurant,” Disayawathana adds.
The menu weaves the brand story together with authentic Thai dishes written in Thai script on chalkboards, sparking curiosity and conversation with guests. Early on, Disayawathana used her handwriting as decor—a way to recreate the experience of walking down a street in Thailand. “It was another form of communication,” she says. “People would ask, ‘What is that Thai special menu?’ and it gave us a chance to talk.”
This commitment to thoughtful hospitality and design has fostered remarkable guest loyalty and consistent high traffic across all its establishments. As Disayawathana has grown her independently owned concept to multiple locations, she still remains closely connected to her guests. “Even with a big restaurant, I’m still your local owner. You can catch me walking around, greeting people,” she says. “That’s different. People love that.”
She also credits her team and the restaurant’s family-style culture for helping scale the brand without sacrificing its spirit in a work environment built on mutual respect. “Interestingly, staffing has never been a significant issue for us, even during the complexities of the COVID pandemic,” she explains. “We’re proud of being known for treating our staff very well. Now, as we’ve grown, the challenge lies in meeting the high expectations and ambitious goals I’ve set for a restaurant of this scale.”
But for her, success isn’t measured in revenue or unit count. Instead, success is “deeply rooted in the connections we’ve built within the community. Seeing long-time customers follow us as we’ve grown, and having the fifth location become a place where I can reconnect with so many familiar faces, is incredibly rewarding,” she says. “It’s also about being recognized by our local community, especially the Thai community here in D.C. The fact that the Thai Embassy consistently chooses our restaurant and sees us as cultural ambassadors is a tremendous honor. Creating jobs for local individuals and fostering a happy and growth-oriented environment for our staff is also a key measure of success. It brings me so much joy to see our team members develop professionally after working with us.”
Looking ahead, Disayawathana and her husband are exploring different culinary avenues, like a Japanese Omakase experience and a listening bar. They’re also passionate about sharing Thai culture beyond just cuisine—which is why they founded Sisters Entertainment, a company dedicated to bringing talented Thai artists and performers to the U.S., with the vision of becoming the premier concert booking and promotion agency in this space.
Sisters Thai has become a beloved and enduring staple of authentic Thai cuisine in the D.C. metro area, consistently delivering exceptional flavors and a uniquely warm, inviting atmosphere across its locations in Old Town Fairfax, Old Town Alexandria, Cabin John, and now Tysons. And even as her restaurants grow in size and sophistication, Disayawathana’s ethos hasn’t changed. “Sisters Thai still wants to be your neighborhood restaurant,” she says. “Even if we get big, we’ll always be your local spot.”
