Owner of South Carolina Restaurant Finds $12,000 and Returns Money to Previous Owner Who Left It Behind

Sak Yiengjuntuek, who owns Lemongrass Thai Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, tells PEOPLE it was “the right thing to do”

NEED TO KNOW

  • Sak Yiengjuntuek found $12,000 in cash hidden in a cabinet while cleaning his restaurant after a fire closure
  • He tracked down the previous owner, who had left the money behind, and learned the man was battling cancer
  • Yiengjuntuek tells PEOPLE returning the money was “the right thing to do” and has received praise from his community

A Thai restaurant owner in Myrtle Beach, S.C., made a surprising discovery in his establishment.

Sak Yiengjuntuek, who acquired Lemongrass Thai Restaurant in April 2025, found $12,000 in cash stashed in a cabinet left behind from the eatery’s previous owner.

Yiengjuntuek’s restaurant had been forced to close for several months due to a fire at the neighboring Wholesale Furniture Gallery. When the power was eventually turned back on, and he was cleaning up, he found the money in a sunglasses case while moving a cabinet…

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