Palo Alto has a new fast-casual restaurant specializing in Thai cuisine and protein-maxxing.
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Most chicken and tofu items on the menu promise at least 40 grams of protein per meal.
Holy Shred, which opened along El Camino Real in mid-August, is the third location of the growing chain; the first opened last year in San Francisco, and they’ve since opened a catering-only cloud kitchen in South San Francisco.
Behind the concept are three adults in the 30-and-under crowd from Thailand, co-founders and friends Jinny Akkaratatta, a recent Stanford graduate; Pete Mukyangkoon, a former edtech founder in Thailand; and Jackie Jatuphattharachat, a former software engineer.
Interested in creating a Thai restaurant concept that could be a chain — in contrast to the more common mom-and-pop, sit-down Thai restaurants found throughout the U.S., Akkaratatta said she and her co-founders ultimately decided to combine a fast-casual concept with the high-protein craze.
“I love going to the gym as well, and I realized I couldn’t really find any high-protein options, even though Thai food is pretty protein-heavy,” she says.
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The menu is built around a mix-and-match template, with rice, noodles or salad as a base, and shredded, charcoal-grilled or Hatyai crispy chicken — as well as Bangkok pepper tofu — for protein options. Customers can also pick from an array of sauces to round out their meals, and prices range from around $13.50 to $17.
They’re working on expanding their menu, and hope to expand to additional locations in the San Mateo area and deeper into the South Bay, she says.
“Pete’s mom flew in from Thailand to help us recipe-test,” says Akkaratatta.
“Doing this has helped me realize that people actually love Thai food so much more than I thought,” she says. “It’s also helped me realize how intense the protein craze is.”
Details: Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays and 12-9 p.m. weekends at 3924 El Camino Real, Palo Alto; holyshred.co.
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