Following , Main Street welcomed another Thai restaurant to the neighborhood this past week, as The Lemon Leaf opened its doors on the corner of Main and Landing Avenue.
Nestled next to The Frame Center, The Lemon Leaf - owned by Flushing, Queens resident Xiao Lin - settled into its third location on Long Island, behind Mineola and Carle Place.
“We have only been here for a couple days,” said waitress Jin Ho, “but we have been in the business for almost four years.”
The Main Street space - measuring about 1,500 square feet inside with another 1,600 square feet in parking - opened up after Ghengis Khan owner Eric Chang, who owned the restaurant for six years, said efforts to expand his space became too cumbersome in Smithtown Town Hall.
Ho said business has been pretty good for only being open for a short period of time. She said they seat around 10 tables per day, sometimes more. Along with dining, they offer takeout and delivery services as well.
“We get a lot of takeout and delivery business,” said Ho, “It is more popular than dining.”
A few doors down from the new restaurant is Thai House, celebrating its fourth year in business in August, said owner and chef Anon Holmquist.
While Holmquist said that the day-to-day business is so-so, she is not afraid of her new competition taking a considerable chunk of her customer base.
“We have a lot of regular customers, and we also get new customers all the time,” said Holmquist. “I do my best. I can only do what I can do to keep my business."
