Restaurateur returns $12,000 found in old tool chest to previous owner

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: A local restauranteur’s honesty paid off — for both him and the previous owner of his restaurant — after he found $12,000 in cash and tracked the rightful owner down live on television.

Sak Yiengjuntuek, owner of Lemongrass Pho & Thai Cuisine in Myrtle Beach, discovered the money while clearing out old tool chests left behind by the man who sold him the restaurant.

He was about to toss the chests when curiosity got the better of him. Inside one was an ordinary sunglasses case. “I saw the sunglasses case and then, you know, of course, when you see something like that, you want to open and look,” Yiengjuntuek told TODAY. “I was so shocked. I knew right then that it belonged to the previous owner.”

The case was stuffed with stacks of $100 bills totaling $12,000. Yiengjuntuek immediately tried calling the previous owner, but the number he had was disconnected.

Not knowing what else to do, he reached out to local NBC affiliate WMBF to share his story on air in hopes the owner would see it.

It was during the live interview that Yiengjuntuek remembered he had another number for the man saved under a different name. On camera, he pulled out his phone and called it.

The relief was clear when the man answered. “I have some good news for you,” Yiengjuntuek told him.

WMBF later learned the previous owner has been dealing with a significant health problem, making the return even more meaningful. The Myrtle Beach community has since praised Yiengjuntuek for his actions.

He hopes his story encourages others to do the same. “I just want to say: Do the right thing,” Yiengjuntuek told TODAY. “Don’t give up honesty.”