A new food truck offering authentic Thai street food has opened in Sioux Falls.
Thai Dakota owner Meneegan “Meg” Brauer was born in Rayong, Thailand and moved from town to town growing up, including Bangkok. In each city, she regularly ordered meals from street vendors, watching her food prepared by the vendors for years and eventually learning to cook on her own.
After moving to the United States in 2014, marrying her husband a year later and moving together to Sioux Falls in 2020, the 32-year-old wanted to introduce her neighbors to Thai cuisine and bring a taste of home to Sioux. Falls.
“Since I’ve been in the United States, I’ve seen a lot of food trucks and it makes me miss Thailand a lot. Thailand has street food on every corner,” Brauer said.
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Pad Thai is a staple on the menu, as are Thai tea and matcha green iced tea. Its first week of opening, Brauer also served Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry, Thai Basil Stir-Fry, Chicken Red Curry, and Thai Spicy Mozzarella Sticks.
Her second week, she serves chicken satay with peanut sauce and massaman curry. Every week, she plans to change her side entree and curry. Customers can request certain dishes via the Thai Dakota Facebook page.
Brauer started the food truck business this summer as “something fun” to do. She is a third-party seller on Amazon and also owns an Airbnb in Sioux Falls.
But since opening, she has enjoyed using the food truck as a way to meet new people and find other Sioux Falls residents of Thai background, connections or interests.
“Before, I felt very lonely. I thought there weren’t many Thais here,” Brauer said. “But now I’ve found a community in Sioux Falls.”
Brauer doesn’t want to eventually own a restaurant. She would just like to have a seasonal operation that doesn’t require as much investment or capital as a storefront would.
Thai Dakota will be at the ACE Hardware parking lot in Harrisburg every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. On Fridays, she will be at Dollar Fresh in Tea from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
It will add more locations throughout the summer, informing customers of its Facebook page.
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