Thai Express owner files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Thai Express owner Patrick Netthongkome Jr., also known as Patrick Nett, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Nett's Feb. 6 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Missouri lists estimated assets of up to $50,000 against estimated liabilities of $500,001 to $1 million. The filing additionally estimates up to 49 creditors.

Reached by email this morning, Nett declined to comment on the bankruptcy filing, citing advice from his attorney.

“We will remain open and have no intentions of closing for the foreseeable future,” he said of Thai Express, which operates at 2113 W. Republic Road.

According to USCourts.gov, individuals and businesses may eliminate unsecured debts by liquidating nonexempt assets through the Chapter 7 bankruptcy process. 

Nett's filing lists 17 creditors by name, including J&L Investments LLC, Springfield Grocer Co., LVNV Funding, and Chad and Julie Schuchmann. Those four creditors previously filed lawsuits against Nett. Notices of the bankruptcy filing are now listed in the individual court cases, which are ongoing. 

J&L Investments and James Tillman filed suit in October alleging Nett and his Thai Express business have defaulted on payments owed, setting up potential eviction proceedings, according to past reporting. That same month, Springfield Grocer Co., dba SGC Foodservice, filed a separate lawsuit alleging Nett and his Thai Express and Nett Restaurant Group LLC businesses owe a sizable unpaid grocery bill. 

In September, LVNV Funding alleged Nett owed money on a debt, according to Greene County Circuit Court filings.

The now-defunct Schuchmann Meat Co. and its owners, Chad and Julie Schuchmann, sued Nett in May 2025, alleging he embezzled funds as part of a planned acquisition of the company, according to past reporting.