Bida Manda Sold to Heirloom Owners Amid Triangle Halal Openings

A landmark changes hands

A lot happened in the Triangle food scene in early October. A big downtown restaurant changed hands, halal and international spots opened in the suburbs, a rooftop bar opened in a new hotel, and the fall festival calendar filled up. The biggest story is the ownership change at Bida Manda, the Laotian restaurant on Moore Square that has been one of downtown Raleigh's best-known dining rooms for 14 years.

Anna and Chuan Tsay, who run Heirloom Brewshop, announced the week of Oct. 9 that they had bought Bida Manda at 222 S. Blount Street.11 In their announcement they thanked co-founder Vanvisa Nolintha for building the restaurant. They also said they would keep the business running as it has, and that they would listen to and learn from the staff without changing what regulars have come to love.11

Later reporting added the money and the motive. Chuan Tsay told The News & Observer the deal was worth seven figures, counting the restaurant's existing debt plus a cash payment. He would not give exact numbers.25 He said the agreement came together in a five-minute phone call with Nolintha, who now lives in Laos with her newborn daughter. He added that the couple contacted her because they understood she was looking for a new steward.22 Chuan is of Thai descent and Anna is of Lao descent, and both described Bida Manda's 2012 opening as proof that a restaurant built on a little-known cuisine could succeed in North Carolina.23

Continuity or reinvention? The coverage pulls in two directions

The early reports send mixed signals about how much will change. The first announcement focused on continuity and keeping things as they are.11 A week later, the Tsays were telling The News & Observer about building improvements and a menu refresh planned for early next year.22 Triangle Business Journal went further. It reported plans to hire more staff, bring back lunch service and look at growth, and its headline said the owners are considering a second location.24

These accounts don't really contradict each other. Our reading is that they describe a staged plan. For now the owners are watching and learning, a phase Chuan Tsay called "learn and listen mode."23 Changes to the building and menu come later. The signature dish that made the restaurant's name, a pork belly soup made as a coconut curry with rice noodles, seems certain to survive any refresh.22 Bringing back lunch and possibly opening a second location are bigger bets. They suggest the Tsays want Bida Manda to be more than a dinner-only destination.

The couple also wants a different crowd. Chuan Tsay said he hopes the restaurant stays a romantic date spot but also draws more families and children. He tied that to the couple having recently become parents, which gives the name, Sanskrit for "father and mother," a new meaning for them.23

The past the new owners inherit

The Tsays are taking on more than a lease and a recipe file. In 2020, Bida Manda and its sister brewery, Brewery Bhavana, faced sexual harassment allegations from several staff members, including allegations of improper conduct by co-founder Vansana Nolintha. He then divested from both businesses. That left Vanvisa Nolintha as sole owner of Bida Manda and brewer Patrick Woodson as sole owner of Brewery Bhavana.22 Chuan Tsay addressed this head-on. He said the scandal happened before the couple's time, but that understanding it and earning back public trust is now their job.22

One aggregated account says the Tsays now carry Bida Manda's legacy "alongside" Brewery Bhavana.21 That wording can mislead. The News & Observer reports that Woodson is the sole owner of Bhavana, and nothing in the coverage says the Tsays bought the brewery.22 For now, the two businesses share a wall and a history, not an owner.

The neighborhood is part of the story too. Tsay said diners need to feel safe walking through Moore Square, where the city has considered spending $1.8 million on a playground to bring families back.22 Reporting compiled by Hoodline cites a summer police and state alcohol-enforcement operation in the area, with dozens of arrests, and says the city closed a nearby pedestrian tunnel.21 In our view, the Tsays are betting that downtown is due for a comeback, and that a family-friendly Bida Manda can help bring one about.

Another name from Bida Manda's past turned up the same week. Frederique Leonard, named CEO of Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana in 2020 after an independent workplace investigation, according to past business reporting,21 is now a partner in Café Royale, an all-day café that just opened at The Exchange in Raleigh.11

Halal-friendly growth beyond the Beltline

The second thread in October's news is halal and international dining spreading into the suburbs. Limra Mediterranean Restaurant has opened at Peterson Station in Holly Springs, serving a fully halal menu of flame-grilled kabobs, wraps, bowls and platters.11 Meat & Bite is a halal-friendly fast-casual spot across Hillsborough Street from NC State's main campus that mixes Mediterranean, American and Tex-Mex flavors. It announced a second location on Davis Drive in Morrisville, with no opening date yet.12 Holly Springs is also getting Malli, an upscale Indian restaurant from founders Arunkumar Vijayakumar, Rajesh Arumugam and Bharath Pepaala, set to open this fall.11

These openings build on a longer trend. Albaraka Market and Grill, a combined halal restaurant and Middle Eastern grocery, marked 20 years in Raleigh this spring. Its owners linked their growth to the region's growing and diverse Muslim community.3 The New York chain The Halal Guys opened its first Triangle location in Cary in 2025.7 The pattern in the new openings is that they are in Holly Springs and Morrisville rather than downtown Raleigh. That suggests operators are following population growth into the suburbs and near university campuses.

Hotels lean into food and drink

Hotels are also part of the October news. The Hotel Indigo Raleigh, the round tower downtown, has opened High Ground Lounge on its 20th floor. The lounge pairs skyline views with upscale Southern food, and its menu puts a modern spin on North Carolina dishes alongside craft cocktails.1112 In Durham, the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club hosted "An Evening in Seoul" on Oct. 15. The one-night dinner had a Korean fusion menu and was tied to the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending, playing at DPAC Oct. 13–18.12 Tickets cost $225 plus tax and service.1 Both are examples of hotels selling food and drink to locals, not just to guests.

A crowded fall festival calendar

The festival lineup shows how much demand there is for ticketed food events. The North Carolina State Fair runs Oct. 15–25. A weekday lunch pass lets visitors come between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. without paying regular admission. On Oct. 29, four chefs will hold a "Yellowstone Dinner" at Holl & Stone Farm in Garner: Sera Cuni of The Root Cellar, Bill Hartley of Postal Fish Company, Ryan Butler of Smoke Ropers and Lynn Wells of Thyme Well Spent. Each will run a station with a menu built on smoke, fire and Southern ingredients.12

The 2026 Chefs for Change gala, which benefits Families Moving Forward, is on Nov. 5 at The Cookery in Durham. Chefs on the lineup include Matt Kelly, Chris Garrett and Aaron Benjamin.12 Two days later, the third Rawleigh Oyster Fest comes to Raleigh Iron Works with the theme "Smoke & Shuck." For the first time, North Carolina pitmasters will join the festival's usual chef-and-oyster-farm pairings.12 The festival's track record explains the excitement. Its November 2025 debut sold all 550 tickets, a spring 2026 edition sold out in five days, and the two events together raised about $12,500 for charity.11 On Thanksgiving morning, the Trophy Trot 5K marks its 10th year at Dorothea Dix Park. In 2025 it drew nearly 3,000 participants and gave about $60,000 to Healing Transitions.11

The other side of the ledger

Not every story this month is about growth. Ziggi's Coffee will close its Clayton location on Oct. 31, and The Bomb Bar, a smoothie shop in Raleigh's Gateway Plaza, closed just before its second anniversary.11 Dampf Good BBQ, the Michelin-recommended Texas-style barbecue truck run by brothers Nick and Bryce Dampf, dropped plans for its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Durham.11 The News & Observer framed that decision as following community resistance.25

Put together, October shows a market that is maturing. One of its landmark restaurants is passing to a second generation of owners who promise both continuity and change. Halal and global cuisines are moving into the suburbs, and hotels and charity festivals are competing for diners' evenings. What happens to Bida Manda next, especially whether lunch and a second location work out, will be one of the clearest tests of whether downtown Raleigh's dining scene can rebuild.