Thai restaurant shut down by false dog meat rumors to reopen

A restaurant in the Central California city of Fresno will be reopening under a new name after vicious and fake rumors forced it to close.

ABC30 reports construction is underway at a new location with the opening of Love and Thai likely just months away.

“Once we open, I want Love and Thai to just represent and reflect how I believe community should be that no matter what, we should just show the love and support,” said owner David Rasavong.

Trouble began for Rasavong when the owners of the home next door to Rasavong’s former restaurant, Tasty Thai, were accused of dog abuse. Shortly after, rumors began percolating on social media that the Tasty Thai owned the home and that the restaurant served dog meat.

Social media users began to lash out at the Tasty Thai.

“We did receive a lot of hate and backlash; we also received a lot of support and love from the community. And that meant a lot to us, it made us get through a lot of tragic times and some of the tough decisions we made, so love just seemed to be a big factor in everything that happened, and the biggest factor in us being able to pick up everything and move forward,” he added to the Fresno Bee.

He’s received messages from around the world asking how they could support him. He is overwhelmed and says he wants to dedicate his new restaurant to his parents.

“They’ve given me so much, not just me, but obviously our family and my siblings… I couldn’t let what happened be the end of it.”