PENDLETON – Thongploei “Kwan” Bridge still dreams of opening a regular, sit-down restaurant.

For now, though, her Thai food trailer at the corner of Southwest 12th Street and Court Avenue is doing pretty well.

“Hey, you’ve got to start somewhere, right?” said the small, energetic 42-year-old, leaning against the counter in Kwan’s Thai Kitchen.

Bridge tried to open a sit-down restaurant, but banks wouldn’t give her a loan because she didn’t have enough credit. She didn’t even get a loan for a trailer.

A friend who runs a Thai food trailer in Bend, however, was upgrading to a larger one. Bridge bought the old trailer from her for $11,000, putting the initial $3,000 payment on her credit card.

“I said, ‘This is it. I’m going to do it,'” Bridge said.

Running a trailer costs less than a regular restaurant, and there is less overhead, Bridge said.

But in two years, she wants to try opening a sit-down restaurant again. It’s her dream, after all.

Kwan’s Thai Kitchen, which opened in January, is Bridge’s first venture into the food business, and she said she just cooks like she does for her family.

The restaurant is getting a stream of regular customers, as well as first-timers looking for more exotic dishes to stimulate their taste buds.

Pad Thai Chicken, a mix of the poultry, pan-friend noodles, bean sprouts and vegetables with ground peanuts, is the favorite meal.

“That’s No. 1. On Friday, I see people coming back just for that,” Bridge said. “It’s only $5, too.”

The restaurant features three different dishes on the days it’s open, and customers can order one or a combination. Portions are generous. Bridge is trying to add new items to the menu as well, such as summer rolls in peanut sauce, a Thursday menu offering.

In the summer, the Thai kitchen will offer Thai barbecued chicken and a picnic area for eating.

Bridge left Thailand for the states in 1992. She came to Umatilla County because her husband got a job in Hermiston.

She still misses Thailand, and her mom.

“Thailand’s going to be there, but my mother’s not going to be there too much longer,” Bridge said.

Kwan’s Thai Kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.