Typhoon! Restaurants Close Saturday, Feb. 4

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - Feb 5, 2012) - After 17 years of serving classic and elegant Thai cuisine in the Pacific Northwest, Typhoon! Inc. restaurants dished up the last of their specialties on Saturday, Feb. 4. All four locations in Oregon -- including Portland, Beaverton, Gresham and Bend -- and the Redmond, Wash., establishment closed their doors at 9:00 p.m.

"Opening Typhoon! was a lifelong dream come true, but it was a venture that I didn't begin alone," said Bo Kline, president and executive chef of the restaurant group. "As many in the community are aware, I lost my husband, my business and life partner, Steve, last year. Without his energy, support and commitment, operating Typhoon! has required much more attention than I am able to give and has begun to take a toll on my health."

Typhoon! Inc. has grown to employ approximately 200 in its Oregon and Washington locations. "We realize that our restaurant closures will present a hardship to our many loyal employees," continued Kline. "We are prepared to fulfill all of our contractual agreements with our staff, both U.S. and Thai nationals."

Kline, a native of Thailand, opened her first Typhoon! Inc. restaurant in Northwest Portland in 1995 and quickly gained acclaim as one of North America's premier chefs of Thai cuisine. The hallmark of the restaurant was recruiting chefs directly from Thailand to keep the menu, and its execution, true to its roots.

"We've enjoyed many years of bringing authentic Thai dishes to the Pacific Northwest, drawing inspiration from both the pushcarts and the palaces of Southeast Asia." Kline explained, "In addition to offering classic Thai cuisine familiar to our customers, we wanted to expand their understanding of Thailand's culinary landscape with nouvelle preparations faithful to native ingredients and taste, and with rediscovered dishes that were historical favorites." As a result, many diners enjoyed the classic Thai experience combining touches of hospitality, flavor and elegance.

In addition to garnering culinary accolades throughout its history, Typhoon! Inc. was also recognized as a fast growing business among local and national media. The company's success also enabled it to give back to the community through donations to local schools and nonprofit organizations, as well as through sponsorship and support of local farmers' markets.

For more information about the Typhoon! Inc. restaurant closures, please contact Angie Galimanis at 503.546.7871 or angie@lanepr.com.