Supporters of Toi on Sunset were rallying Friday to save the nearly 40-year-old Hollywood Thai restaurant amid financial struggles that threaten its future.
An Instagram post this week urged Los Angeles residents, rock music fans and customers to patronize the restaurant at 7505 1/2 Sunset Blvd. or contribute to a GoFundMe campaign intended to help the business.
“They are struggling, and they need our support,” according to the post by Michael Holdaway, who identified Michael and Jackie O’Brien as the restaurant’s owners.
“Toi isn’t just a restaurant. It’s part of the fabric of the Sunset Strip — incredible Thai food surrounded by decades of rock ‘n’ roll history, attitude, music, and memories. There’s nothing else like it,” Holdaway wrote.
The post did not specify the nature or extent of the restaurant’s financial difficulties.
Toi on Sunset opened at Sunset Boulevard and Gardner Street and developed a reputation for combining Thai cuisine with a rock ‘n’ roll-themed atmosphere, according to the restaurant’s website.
The restaurant describes its food as Bangkok-style homestyle cooking, with a menu that includes curries, noodles, seafood and vegetarian and vegan options.
Toi has also drawn attention beyond its food during its four decades in Hollywood.
A 2005 Los Angeles Times article described it as one of the original rock ‘n’ roll-themed Thai restaurants on Sunset Boulevard and noted that it had been operating on the block since 1986.
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino also cited Toi on Sunset as a favorite in a 2007 Los Angeles Times article, saying he had been going there for 15 years and would sometimes spend hours at the restaurant writing.
The campaign comes amid continuing concern about the loss of longtime independent restaurants and businesses in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles has already lost far too many independent, one-of-a-kind places that made this city what it is,” Holdaway wrote. “We cannot let another iconic LA establishment disappear.”
As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $8,000 toward its $150,000 goal.
Supporters who cannot contribute to the fundraiser were encouraged to dine at the restaurant and spread word of the campaign.
Toi on Sunset remains open for business, with the restaurant’s website listing daily service.