Amid the modern-day challenges in the famous street food district like Bantadthong, ‘Long Leng’, a legendary fish ball noodle shop for over 41 years, proves its resilience and strong growth. GrabFood presents the story behind the success of the second-generation heir who has navigated the family business through every challenge. The core of their success lies in their commitment to quality and sincerity, passed down from generation to generation, combined with a vision for digital adaptation. This includes expanding to delivery platforms with Grab even before the COVID-19 pandemic and embracing new marketing methods with the platform to build on their success. This demonstrates that a traditional business can grow sustainably in an era of change.

A 41-Year Legacy in Suan Luang-Bantadthong

‘Long Leng’ is a long-standing fish ball noodle shop in the Bantadthong area with a history of over 40 years. It is now passed down to the second-generation heir, Ms. Mookrawee (Mook) Wangphuasuk. The business began with her mother’s family before she established her own shop in the Suan Luang market area, later moving to the current location. The signature dish of Long Leng Noodle is the jumbo fish dumpling, notable for stuffed with a savory filling, thin wrapper, and daily fresh preparation. Other popular menu items include Yentafo with egg noodles, Clear soup with fish noodles (Kao-lao Sen Pla), Long Leng’s Crispy Fish Skin and deep-fried pork-filled wontons.

Subsequently, a second branch was opened on Rama IV Road, a short distance away, primarily to expand the kitchen space for producing fish balls. Despite receiving numerous inquiries, Ms. Mook emphasizes, “We have no plan to franchise because we want to maintain the highest possible quality control to preserve the shop’s standards in the long term.” Instead, she has chosen to expand the business onto delivery platforms and offer off-site catering services. The customer base consists mainly of repeat customers who appreciate the restaurant’s consistent taste and quality.

Quality and Sincerity: The Secret Recipe

As Bantadthong becomes a popular check-in spot for food lovers and tourists, heightened competition is inevitable. However, as a long-standing establishment, ‘Long Leng’ uses this as an opportunity to present the charm of truly local street food. The shop’s decor and atmosphere retain their original character, but details and the overall experience have been improved to cater to a diverse clientele.

What allows Long Leng to stand firm is commitment to quality. “We want customers to enjoy a delicious meal and get a taste of the street food atmosphere at a price they can afford every day, starting at just 65 Baht per bowl. They can also sit comfortably in our air-conditioned room. This has turned walk-in visitors into regular customers and led to word-of-mouth reviews, resulting in our shop being featured on food review pages and international platforms without any marketing efforts on our part.”

Upgrading the Business to Handle Every Change

Over the past four decades, Long Leng has proven to be an adaptable business, navigating everything from the growth of the Bantadthong area as it transformed from a residential community into a famous street food destination that attracts tourists, to handling the COVID-19 crisis which caused a sharp decline in in-store sales. However, thanks to Ms. Mook’s vision in encouraging her family to adopt delivery platforms even before COVID-19, that decision became crucial preparation. It allowed the business to rely on the delivery channel immediately when the lockdown occurred. This shift also led to rebranding and developing new packaging suitable for delivery, which not only catered to new customer groups on the app but also provided convenience for long-time regular customers buying takeaway. As a result, Long Leng was able to retain its existing customer base while simultaneously expanding to new ones.

At the same time, the shop continues to actively engage with the delivery channel, for instance, by participating in free delivery campaigns with GrabFood, which received a better-than-expected response, boosting sales by 40%. Even with fierce competition on the platform, Ms. Mook sees significant opportunities for more growth. She is ready to learn and update with new technologies, such as using marketing tools on delivery platforms to build upon the restaurant’s strengths. This is particularly true on GrabFood, which offers a variety of flexible marketing tools suitable for the restaurant’s timing and scale. Ms. Mook is interested in using tools like Search Ads from GrabAds due to its user-friendly, straightforward, and clear results in increasing visibility and driving traffic to the shop. She believes that by learning and utilizing these tools, she can further build on Long Leng’s success and significantly increase sales through the delivery channel.

“What keeps us going is the joy of carrying on our family’s legacy, and the determination to build a business that lasts,” Mook reflects. Her message to fellow entrepreneurs is one of encouragement: “Every business moves in cycles, this is simply our test. Let’s meet it with our best effort, patience, and resolve. Refuse to be discouraged by hardship and never stop adapting. We will get through this, and be more capable than we ever were before.”

The story of Long Leng Noodle shows that consistent quality, sincerity passed down through generations, and a willingness to evolve are the true ingredients of resilience—enabling not only survival, but sustainable growth through every challenge.