Meet Pete Amadhanirundr | Chef, restaurant owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pete Amadhanirundr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pete, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is something that we take very seriously. We are always willing to take risks that we deem necessary. Opening a restaurant is already a high risk situation because of the nature of the industry. We are also doubling down by not having any major investors to share the risks of the business. We are the sole owners and operators of Puma Yu’s.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a Southeast Asian restaurant and bar focusing on local ingredients. There is no other place like us currently in Athens so we believe that’ll set us apart immediately. We started out as a pop up. It took us a very long time and a whole lot of effort to get to where we are today. Opening a restaurant post COVID is very challenging but we believe what we are doing is truly unique and it will be successful.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Favorite bar has to be The Old Pal located in Normaltown. It’s a small cozy cocktail bar that serves as a regular spot for a lot of the industry folks in Athens.

Favorite dive bar is The Rail off Mitchell bridge road. Super friendly staff with lots of pool tables and dart boards. Plus the wings are pretty good so it’s a one stop shop.

Some of my favorite restaurants include Seabear Oyster Bar, The National, The Expat, ZZ’s & Simone’s, Kelley’s Jamaican, and Los Amigos Tacos.

For entertainment I would include Cine, a small locally owned movie theater that plays old and new films and also The 40 Watt Club, a local music venue that houses some of the most well known bands in Athens.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional
recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shoutout has to be my life/business partner Ally Smith. She is the other half of Puma Yu’s and will also be in charge of the bar program. The encouragement, dedication and courage that Ally displays is the reason we are able to open our dream restaurant.

Our second shoutout is the community of Athens for their ongoing support in our ventures. The town is full of beautiful and kind people who only want success for Puma Yu’s

Website: www.pumayus.com

Instagram: Pumayus

Image Credits
Alexa Rivera