Owner Robert Baliva in the newly renovated Thaigga restaurant. Photo: Adam Drummond.
Robert Baliva has been counting the days until he can welcome customers back to Thaigga in Fitzmaurice Street – and so have local lovers of Thai Fusion.
The good news is, the wait is over. Thaigga reopened its doors today (7 March).
“Thaigga’s definitely different,” Robert said.
“They’ll probably notice the new floors and the new chairs where the customers sit, but then if they look further down, they’ll see everything else has been changed.
“I think many of them won’t realise the changes until they venture to the bathroom or come further to the front of the shop.”
Thaigga had been closed since late December 2022 so renovations could be carried out.
The renovation works started with plans to move the above-ground plumbing underground, which required the closing of the restaurant.
“Since everything had to be removed, we thought, ‘well, why not make other improvements?'” Mr Baliva said.
“The past weeks have seen an expansion of the bar services and new seating installed for customers, as well as several back-of-house updates.”
Thaigga now has a glass washer, shelving for alcoholic drinks and other infrastructure to make bar service easier.
“And we do have more drink options that we’re looking at doing, like cocktails and so forth, but that’s just going to take some time to get off the ground.”
In addition to the aesthetic changes their customers will be able to see, Mr Baliva said the renovations will also make it easier for staff to provide quick and quality service.
“Our staff deserve the best possible kitchen that we can provide them.
“We used a lot of their feedback and input to re-do the kitchen design and layout that we have now, and we think it works really well – it’s definitely going to make us more efficient!”
The stressful process of renovations was made easier by working with a quality builder, Mr Baliva said.
“We had a fantastic builder – Anthony Wisely Constructions – who connected us with tradies and helped us navigate the renovation process.
“It’s the first time we’ve done works to this scale,” he added.
The renovations have been on the cards for a while as the team at Thaigga looked towards the future.
“After the past few years, we just realised that it was going to be a necessity, so we’ve been saving up to do that.”
Mr Baliva said the renovations were an essential long-term investment in the Fitzmaurice Street restaurant.
“Basically, from the kitchen back is all brand new, and that’s going to help us serve customers faster, be more efficient, be better for our staff and help us trade into the future.”
Thaigga is located at 107 Fitzmaurice Street in Wagga Wagga.
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