Atchara “Pla” Burarak

Founder & Creative Director, iBerry Group

Industry : Business

What began in 1999 with a fresh take on familiar Thai flavours has grown into one of Atchara “Pla” Burarak’s defining strengths: an ability to build restaurant concepts with identities of their own.

As founder and creative director of iBerry Group, Pla has developed a portfolio spanning restaurants, cafés and desserts, guided by an interest in the connections between food, culture, creativity and design. Rather than relying on a single formula, she has used the group as a platform for distinct ideas aimed at the way contemporary diners eat and socialise.

The roll call illustrates the range. Kub Kao’ Kub Pla, Ros’Niyom, Thong Smith, Fran’s, Chin Bo Dang, Rongsi Rim Naam, Crying Tiger and Zaab Eli sit alongside café and dessert concepts including iBerry Homemade, Café Pla and Ang Bao. Each has its own character, giving Pla room to explore different expressions of Thailand’s broad culinary identity.
The thread running through them is storytelling. For Pla, a restaurant is more than the food on its tables; design and concept help determine how that food is experienced and remembered.

More than two decades after starting her entrepreneurial journey, she continues to translate culinary ideas into businesses with individual personalities. In an industry crowded with new openings, Pla’s influence lies in understanding that a strong concept must first give diners a reason to care – and then a reason to return.