A new restaurant may be moving into the former home of Rincome Thai on Columbia Pike.
A business going by the name “Yoi Yoi” has applied for a permit to serve alcohol at 3030 Columbia Pike, according to Virginia ABC records. That was until recently the address of Rincome Thai, which occupied the corner space inside the Days Inn for nearly four decades. It closed in February due to the owners retiring.
Currently, Rincome signage remains up at 3030 Columbia Pike, and there are chairs, tables, and a bar still inside the space.
Details about Yoi Yoi and when it might open remain spotty. The individual listed as the owner of Yoi Yoi also appears to own a noodle and sushi restaurant in D.C.’s Tenleytown neighborhood called “Absolute Noodle.”
ARLnow has reached out to the owner several times but has not heard back as of publication.
Employees at the Days Inn that the restaurant is connected to were also unaware of any details about the restaurant moving in. Rincome Thai’s former owner did confirm to ARLnow that another eatery was taking over but didn’t know any other information beyond that.
Whatever is moving into the Columbia Pike space will have big shoes to fill. Rincome Thai was well-known and popular for the better part of nearly 40 years. Owned by two Korean-American sisters, the restaurant fused two cuisines together creating a unique menu that had a loyal neighborhood following.
But the owners felt that it was time to retire earlier this year.
“My sister and I can still walk and enjoy going on vacation,” co-owner Mihee Pansiri said. “I don’t want to quit when I can’t walk. Then, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”