At Sabai, family and community are central pillars for success. The restaurant celebrated its 14-year anniversary this January, and after over a decade of operations, Sabai continues to thrive as a lively hub for good food and a great atmosphere in Eugene.

“Sabai means to be well, to be happy. It’s like a greeting,” Tim Murff, part owner of Sabai, said. “So, there’s really this sense of healthiness at Sabai.”

Murff co-owns Sabai with his wife, Mon Sutthiwari, and the business blends Murff’s experience in media and design with Sutthiwari’s Thai heritage. Murff and Sutthiwari initially met through Murff’s son, who frequently visited Eugene Thai restaurant Chao Pra Ya, where Sutthiwari worked.

Sutthiwari later began working at Ta Ra Rin, where Murff and his grandchildren would dine every Friday. Over the years that Murff visited Ta Ra Rin, he and Sutthiwari became closer, and three years after they met, the pair decided to open Sabai as co-owners.

Before entering the restaurant industry, Murff worked in media on documentary films. But after 35 years in the field, changes in the media landscape pushed Murff to make a career shift.

“I was spending so much time learning new editing software,” Murff said. “I just wasn’t getting to tell the stories that I really loved.”

Sutthiwari was also looking to transition to something new, and Murff’s experience in design and media helped them find a location to open Sabai.

“I put together her whole business plan and everything, and she asked if I wanted to do it with her,” Murff said.

Murff was drawn to the restaurant industry by his love of cooking, inspired by his mother and late wife, who he said were both incredible cooks. Sabai has allowed Murff to combine his passions of storytelling and cooking. Today, he continues to seek out stories from within the restaurant.

“Each table is a story. Each table has a background,” Murff said. “It’s a stage in which we’re able to accommodate; there’s so many subplots going on.”

For Murff and Sutthiwari, their business partnership is part of their love story. Murff oversees the business’s logistics, from hiring servers to ingredients purchased at Sabai. While Murff brings the team together and acts as a “coach” for the restaurant, Sutthiwari ensures accuracy in every small detail, from presentation to the number of spices in a dish.

Murff said a mutual love of food, teamwork, and hospitality is a big part of his and Sutthiwari’s working relationship.

“It’s really a very uncomplicated marriage,” Murff said. “When you throw in the fact that I’m a lot older than she is and she’s from Thailand, there’s all of that complication, but surprisingly, we’re on the same page a lot.”

Sabai’s dishes are influenced by countries along the Pacific Ocean, primarily Asia and the islands in that region. Sutthiwari’s Thai heritage from the Isaan Valley in Northeastern Thailand also influences the cuisine.

“Food is really a bridge. Sometimes it’s your first experience of another culture,” Murff said.

Brooke Thalacker, a student at the University of Oregon, celebrated a friend’s birthday at Sabai. Thalacker said the menu included many quality dishes.

“The menu item you can’t stay away from is the pockets of love,” Thalacker said. “They’re some of the best crab rangoons I’ve ever had.”

Thai dishes combine lots of ingredients, so Sutthiwari thrives on being detail-oriented. The curries at Sabai use around 15 spices, and there are three chefs working entirely on prep work in the kitchen every day. Sabai’s red, green, and yellow curries can use up to 20 different dried chilies. On average, Sabai prepares 800 items daily.

Sabai channels attention to detail into every dish they prepare. Murff and Sutthiwari love their Vietnamese wings, but Murff explains that they are fabulous because they are done with the right technique.

“If they’re done too much, then the caramelization is kind of burnt,” Murff said. “There’s a very narrow window there.” The attention to detail allows guests to praise the bartenders and servers who provide warm service within Sabai. The owners harp on having tough love with their staff, saying that to be consistent, it takes being tough sometimes.

The owners harp on their commitment to consistency as what makes them unique. Murff says that the care they provide in service allows guests to focus on who they came to share their experience with.

“We’re trying to make all those transitions from the time you come in, to the time you go seamless,” Murff said. “So you can talk to your friend or partner, and you’re not thinking about it.”

Murff says that he and the entire team take a holistic approach to service by being consistent and offering affordable dishes. Sabai’s servers considering the whole restaurant system is what Murff says has guests admire the staff along with feeling satisfied with their meal.

While Sutthiwari focuses on perfecting the dishes, Murff’s design and film experience help to create a warm atmosphere at Sabai. The dining space is open, and the lights don’t crowd on top of each other. Murff’s favorite feature is the individual wood boards at the bar, which he says he framed like a picture. Murff’s passion for interior design led them to do a majority of the renovations themselves.

“We’re not trying to be the greatest restaurant in the world,” Murff said. “Our concentration is always being really good at what we do.”

By creating an environment where health and well-being thrive, Murff and Sutthiwari have kept Sabai successful for 14 years.