Reviews

• Maryanne on 06/17 Sez: Kids are not special. They are people. Under developed people that rely and depend on adults to teach them proper manners. Call adults uptight all you want, but the point is that parents refuse to control or discipline their kids and you are now seeing the end result. The village is tired of using their money and empathy to raise them, so now owners need to step up and protect themselves as well as the majority of their patrons. So Tom, you want to blame uptight adults and bad managers for using kids as scapegoats for their "miserable lives"? How about start with those who feel their little angels can do no wrong, and those who believe in discipline and good behavior are the right hand of Satan? Respect is to be earned, which is what may parents taught me.
• jjo on 06/13 Sez: I happen to love Red Thai, have been going there since they opened. I have never experienced poor service or poor food, and now that they have excluded children, I will eat there more often. Kudos to the manager!
• Tom on 06/09 Sez: I dined at the Ret Thai a couple months ago and although the food was at least mediocre, the service was lousy. There were no children to blame for the experience. As a professional server in a Fine Dining Restaurants for over 20 years, I can assure you that generally speaking children are not the problem. Uptight adults and incompetent managers are. Treat children with respect and quit looking for scapegoats for your miserable life.
• Dee on 06/05 Sez: Well, I understand not wanting kids there, I do. But to kind of switch up the game mid-stream as it were? Kind of a dickish move, especially in such a small town. Yuppie gentrification, I guess. I was at the restuarant back in March while visiting my brother, and I was wholly unimpressed. Maybe I've been spoiled in Bellingham (Lemongrass, On Rice, Busara...loads of GOOD Thai)? This place is beeeeyyyyoooond mediocre. I've never been to Thailand, but I assume that peanut sauce is not supposed to taste like curried jiffy. And that vegetables should be evenly cooked, not an odd hodgepodge of mushy and undercooked with what tasted like Kikoman's dumped on it as it was rushed out of the kitchen. The atmosphere feels like they're trying a bit too hard and comes off as tacky rather than classy. The tables are horribly close together and the servers are slow. If you do go, beware the bathroom door. I got stuck in there due to a faulty doorknob that "heehee, sometimes sticks like, really bad!" according to a server (who failed to apologize, btw). Kids or no (the kids that were there in March seemed pretty dang well-behaved, so...huh, ok), this place ain't worth it. While it isn't Thai, there's a Mexican place a couple of blocks over that rocked my little socks off and had glorious muruals, great suizas sauce, and sweet servers. Also their bathroom door functioned properly.
• Laura on 05/30 Sez: I love the no-children rule, and we're going to go specifically for the opportunity to dine without kids shrieking and running around. Kudos to this restaurant! I wish more would do so.
• Tinatoed on 05/27 Sez: This no children thing is ridiculous, but that's not why we quit going. My husband and I have eaten here several times. Although we (and everyone we know) like the food at Thai Dish much better, The Red Thai Room does have a cool atmoshere, and my husband has found one -ONE -dish that he really likes. I have tried half the menu, and found most of the dished mediocre to bad. I am familiar w/ Thai food. We honeymooned in Thailand, and have eaten at many, many Thai places in the US.The service is not only bad, but also ridiculous. The owner is so confident that the way his food is served is "correct" that he will not make any adjustments to suit customers tastes or needs, and if anyone complains (about for instance the KRAB or cold peanut sauce) they are brushed off and accused of being provincial. I have spoken to so many people in who have had bad service there and been treated rudely, I can't believe the place is still in busines. The people in Thailand,are great- warm, and helpful- nothing like The Red Thai Room.
• Diana on 05/16 Sez: Sour grapes Sandra? I highly doubt you'd be saying the restaurant would shut down if not for the recent publicity.
• Glen on 05/15 Sez: People are supposed to act civil and polite when out in public. Do they always? Hell no. People can be rude, ignorant, uncaring, and self centered. However, it is DEFINITELY a restaurant manager’s job to control the environment and its patrons. Isn’t it exactly what they are supposed to do? Ensure a pleasant dining experience for everyone? I’ve worked in restaurants for 30 plus years. I’ve managed a couple and now own my own. I’ve cut people off for drinking too much, I’ve thrown drunks out for being wasted, I’ve asked parents to quite their children, and asked more than a few times for couples arguing to take it outside. To say it’s not a manager’s job to control their customers is completely ridiculous. After reading all these reviews it seems to me that the owner here hasn’t much tact or customer service skills (essential in a customer oriented business). It’s a shame the Red Thai Room feels it has ban families as the majority of people who bring their children out to restaurants are well behaved. Silverton is a small town with a small market and if the owner feels he can get away with turning people away then good luck to him…it’s his business and he can do what he wants. I for one won’t be going here.
• janice on 05/13 Sez: I've grown up in silverton my whole life and was so pleased when The Red Thai Room came. The Thai dish completely sucks, I've been to Thai land before and just loved The Red Thai Room's food and feel. Its very southern Thai and I can't get enough of it. I have been to the restaurant numerous of times and was so tired of seeing kids, drop cheerios all over the floor, crying(and mother's not even taking them outside) and ruining Our(adults)nights on the town. In silverton there are places like the Home Place to take your kids. I love that Craig has decided to make the children policy it was a great idea. The food is great and portions are just right. I don't mind paying a little extra for the experience I get.The Bartender there i believe his name is Chris has such a gift with his drinks! Another thing I love is that the servers our usually familiar faces from silverton. You get to catch up and get amazing service! Another greatness is that there is wifi and the plug ins under every booth added plus! I will continue to go there and support Craig! to Sandra below. They have already been around for 3 years and I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon. :)
• Sam on 05/12 Sez: I would not reallycare actually the majority of children at nice places are good children, so I guess it all depends on what type of people service this place. White trash usually don't have table manners.
• KC on 05/12 Sez: I would make a drive down from WA state to visit this restaurant and have a child-free dining experience!
• Sandra on 05/12 Sez: I think this restaurant will not stay open for long. Anyways the food is not authentic and the service stinks. Kids or no kids it will shut down. My prediction is by Feb 2009.
• elbear on 05/12 Sez: Brian, While traveling recently, I went to an IHOP where kids eat free. ALthough I would sooner assume that I'm subsidizing the owner's fancy cars vs. the breeder's wallet.
• Al on 05/10 Sez: Bit thick aren’t you Brian?. I’m female-no sticky-dickie honey!. And while I’m crotchety when it comes to entitlement minded assholes I am in my 30s –not quite old yet. And when I get old you will be paying jack sh1t to my support. Firstly I pay into my own pension, own my own company and support myself unlike breeders over the western world who stick their hands out demanding more off of spineless governments and whinge about how unfair it is that their misbehaving spawn are not welcome everywhere. Secondly as a Brit who happens to employ US citizens (who pay taxes to support you!) you won’t have to fork out your money for me. And yes there are quite a few places that entice breeders like you in with ‘Kids eat free’. They don’t do that for charity. The shortfall is made up from the adult prices-and that means those without kids end up subsidizing parents too mean to fork out for their precious child.
• Diana on 05/10 Sez: Not all families have children Brian. There is nothing unfamily friendly about a restaurant that takes care of it's patrons. It is not the responsibility of the restaurant owner to "control" his/her patrons. If you cannot control yourself or your kids then stay home. The "appalled" parents can whine all you want but this is what happens when someone finally puts their foot down against badly behaving kids and their badly behaving parents. Both parents and non-parents are sick and tired of having to put up with these entitlement minded twits who think that just because their world revolves around their little snowflakes the rest of society must follow suit. It is also not our job to make your job as a parent easier. Oh and I do live in Portland and I will tell you that there are very few places that cater mainly to adults that are not bars. Even then I've been rammed in the ankles by a few strollers in some drinking spots.
• Jody on 05/09 Sez: I think I am taking my twin 7 year old there. My 2 year old is way more behaved than them In fact my 2 year old has a wonderful table manners as my twin 7 year old boys are fun see you there.
• Brian 5-2-08 on 05/09 Sez: The main point of my post below was to inform others that kids aren’t allowed here and that management should address the problematic patrons and not blanket all parents. I agree with you Diane that it’s the entitlement minded parents that have ruined it for others by giving their kids carte blanche to do, act, and say as they please. I’ve seen it many times at restaurants as a patron and a server and it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating that parents let their kids act like that and it’s frustrating that the servers or managers don’t step up and ask them to control their kids for the sake of others. It’s especially frustrating that in my small town (yes, I actually live in Silverton) with an already limited amount of restaurants, that an owner would discriminate against me for something that doesn’t pertain to me, i.e. screaming, unruly children. I’ve already said IT’S HIS BUSINESS AND HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS (bolded for Al who apparently missed that in my original post). If he feels he can’t control his patrons while dining or send away paying customers in a small market when others are closing, (i.e. Fratellos) more power to him. I’m taking my business to the THAI DISH down the street. April summed it up nicely: “Silverton is a very comfortable, family-friendly town and to have an owner discriminate against children is appalling. If you want an adults-only experience please take your business back to Miami or at least Portland. For customer service, authenticity, value, and food quality - The Thai Dish right around the corner is a much better option!” As for Al, nice diatribe! I’ve bet you’ve been holding that one in for YEARS! “Free food for kids?” Where do you eat because I’ve NEVER heard of that. “Perks for breeding?” Nice. Hate the government for that one, not me. Hate to pay property taxes for schools…” I hate to pay into social security to keep alive crotchety old men who attack people for writing restaurant views. “Work my shift so I can attend school functions or laze at home with my family while others do my work”. I’m a white collar professional who runs a six acre, organic beef operation in my limited, spare time. I don’t have time to laze and NOONE has ever covered my shift or work. “Quit whining like my baby?” My baby doesn’t have to whine as she has a mother and father who love her very much, unlike some people in this world, right Al?
• Tica on 05/09 Sez: Congratulations!!!! After trying to have a nice dinner out with my husband and been hit with a crayon thrown by a brat from 2 tables down and appalled by the reaction of the parent at the table saying “Now, honey that’s not nice” with no apology in sight and a screaming tantrum as response from the offender I congratulate Mr. Gereau for implementing this rule at his restaurant. He will surely have our business!!!
• Miggity on 05/09 Sez: No kids under six? I'm making a reservation right now! That makes me MORE likely to go there!
• Miggity on 05/09 Sez: No kids under six? I'm making a reservation right now! That makes me MORE likely to go there!
• secret ID on 05/09 Sez: BOYCOTT!
• Al on 05/09 Sez: Can't wait to try it. Everyone-restaurants and their patrons included have the right to expect certain standards of behavior. Years ago children weren't automatically welcome everywhere-but when out they were expected to behave and they did. They didn't screech, throw food and have tantrums because their parents had taught them how to behave at home first. Something precious few do today. Parents are no longer parents but 'bestest fwiends". Good for this restaurant to be among the bugeoning group of companies that tell parents they have had enough of the lack of discipline and their entitlement poisoned attitudes. Want to be treated like an adult behave like one and teach your kids how to behave! And Brian who says“We went back last night (Thursday 5-1-08) with our new daughter for our first night out for dinner since our initial visit to share with them our story of her birth 10 hours after eating their great food. I was completely and utterly APPALLED by the sign in the front that says “No children under six allowed….all other children are required to sit in their seat and be quiet”. WTF!!” Newsflash Brian their place their rules. I bet you won’t complain when other restaurants offer your child free food-isn’t that discrimination or are you one of those parents who expects to have your cake and eat it too. You get perks for breeding-well how about allowing one perk for childfree adults (ie an childfree restaurant)? They pay property taxes which cover schools, income taxes etc, they work your shifts when you 'have' to attend a school play/sports game, they will do the Christmas shifts so you can laze at home with your family etc and they help to subsidise YOUR child's upbringing! It costs you nothing for a restuarant to allow only adult customers so quit whining like your baby.
• Diane on 05/08 Sez: We saw this on the news tonight and are eager to try it out. To the angry parents, you can thank the entitlement minded idiots that think their kids belong everywhere for the child banning. There are so many other restaurants that cater to kids, why does this bother you? Let us have our own places. You don't always want to go to McDonald's for family friendly fair, and we don't always want to go to bars for child free places. Fair trade. My husband and I are hoping more restaurants will adopt this policy.
• April on 05/08 Sez: I was thoroughly disappointed with the Red Thai Room. Not only is it horribly unauthentic but the food was overpriced and the portions you received were miniscule. They simply try too hard to have a "thailand - like setting" but when you have obviously caucasian high-school students as servers it defeats the purpose. I have no problem with the owner choosing to not allow children under 6 into his restaurant but I do think he needs some basic customer service training. Silverton is a very comfortable, family-friendly town and to have an owner discriminate against children is appalling. If you want an adults-only experience please take your business back to Miami or at least Portland. For customer service, authenticity, value, and food quality - The Thai Dish right around the corner is a much better option!
• Carrie on 05/03 Sez: The food and service was good, but the owner is extremely rude and unprofessional. Another customer apparently said something he didn't agree with and he immediately began cussing and screaming so the whole store could hear it. After he told the couple never to come back we heard him yelling at his cook in the back as well. I will never be going back to the Red Thai Room.
• Brian 5-2-08 on 05/02 Sez: My wife and I went to the Red Thai Room for the first time since last December when my she was 8 1/2 months pregnant, as we heard spicy food could help induce labor (an old wives tale we know, but worth a shot!). The food was good (except for the overcooked wontons) and the service was bad, even though the restaurant was nearly empty…not a deal breaker as the food was good for Silverton. We went back last night (Thursday 5-1-08) with our new daughter for our first night out for dinner since our initial visit to share with them our story of her birth 10 hours after eating their great food. I was completely and utterly APPALLED by the sign in the front that says “No children under six allowed….all other children are required to sit in their seat and be quiet”. WTF!! After waiting 5 minutes at the front door to talk to someone about it, no one even came up to us so we walked out. I don’t usually write reviews but after two bad experiences, the second of which completely floored me, I’m writing this one. I’m simply amazed that you think that such a discriminatory practice would be good for business. I’ve worked in many restaurants and had to ask customers on occasion to control their kids, no big deal! How about addressing the individual problematic child/parent and not lumping all parents into this category. How about a sign that says; “If you child acts up and you can’t control them we will ask you to take your food to go”. Hey, it’s your restaurant and you can do or say what you want, just don’t expect to see me, my money, or my friends, any more. And, as fast as restaurants come and go in Silverton can you really afford that? I’m with the other reviewer who said go down the street to the THAI DISH. The food is better and not run but stuck up, elitist assholes.
• Cory Reese on 02/27 Sez: Red Thai Doom Having been raised in Silverton I have grown accustomed to the great customer service our small town provides. It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles that I really learned what pretentious, snooty, nose-in-the-air-service was all about. That was until recently when I came back to Silverton to visit my family. We wanted to eat a nice meal so we decided to have dinner at the “Red Thai Room” BIG MISTAKE. First of all, we waited 10 minutes for a table when the place was virtually EMPTY. This annoyed me but what’s worse is that we were eventually seated at the empty table right next to where we were standing. Truly BAD customer service! After being seated, we waited literally 20 minutes longer without even a glass of water being brought to our table. Sure we see wait staff milling about but no one seemed to notice we were even there. After 30 minutes had gone by with no attempt at making our evening pleasant, we were irritated enough to get up and leave. I have never walked out from a restaurant, even in Beverly Hills, which is famous for its snooty, bad service. As we were walking out the door, the owner caught me and asked what the problem was? I politely explained, “This is the type of service that I would expect in LA, but not Silverton.” This un-nerved him deeply as he then stated that I should “F*CKING HIT THE ROAD” and as we walked down the street he then shouted after us “We are the best restaurant in the country!” HUH? Well sir, I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the country and by no means does your establishment even begin to clean their toilets. I would say your pithy restaurant is more like a stylized “Panda Express,” but with worse customer service! This incident and language was particularly upsetting to my mother who has always been proud of our little town and was quite distressed by the entire episode. After that distasteful confrontation with the owner we simply strolled the half block west to the best Thai Food in the Valley, THAI DISH. We were seated immediately even though the place was packed, and then treated like we were family. The owner (who was helping serve guests that evening) even remembered us from when they hosted our “Dress Rehearsal Dinner” for my wedding a year and a half earlier. Now that’s great service! For our family of four, we had more than we could eat plus drinks for under 50 dollars. What a deal! With such a great place less than a block away, the owner of the Red Thai Room should go over and take notes on how to treat your patrons! If you want the BEST Thai food south of Portland, with equally great service then I would definitely recommend “THAI DISH,” located 209 N. Water St exactly 1 block west of that other dive. Here you will find a warm welcome with smiles for miles and prices that leave you feeling like you got a deal for dinner . . . without the attitude!
• J.LOPEZ on 12/29 Sez: Best overall dining experience for the silverton/salem area I have had in the past decade. The attention to detail was amazing and so was the food. I was very pleased with the service and all the added extras that made this place unique from anything that salem/silverton has to offer. Was also very pleased to see that it was not very kid friendly which allowed for a pleasant dining experience. To sum it up I would say it's like having a portland pearl district dining experience minus the headaches of portland.