Buddhist blessing at Rosa’s

A trio of Buddhist monks blessed our new Rosa’s Thai restaurant at Chantry Place!

Monks from the Wat Arun Norfolk Buddhist Temple in Weston Longville held a ceremony on the restaurant’s first day of opening, including a series of chants, prayers and rituals.

Saiphin Moore, founder of the restaurant group which now has 41 outlets around the UK, said “Each time we open a new restaurant we invite local Buddhist monks to come to bless the restaurant. We call it ‘making merit’, which means to cast away any bad luck and welcome good luck in.

“It’s traditional in Thailand when you move into a new house, buy a new car or get married. We make offerings to the monks of gifts and food; they pray and pour water as an offering to the spirits.”

“It’s important to me that we always do this when we open a new restaurant as it’s a huge part of my culture and my upbringing.”

All team members who participated in the ceremony were given a beaded bracelet, to act as a constant reminder of the blessing and the positive karma created by the ceremony.

Sally Darwood, general manager of the Norwich restaurant said “It’s the first time that I have been involved in any kind of Buddhist ceremony, and it was really moving. It was such a good way to bring all of the team together ahead of the opening, to remind us that we are here to support each other and help us to create a warm and welcoming environment for all of our customers.”

Following a soft opening period between now and Sunday 6th October, Rosa’s Thai Norwich opens formally on Monday 7th October. Online booking is recommended, via the website at https://rosasthai.com/locations/rosas-thai-restaurant-delivery-takeaway-norwich