House of Xian Dumpling
Irene: Which city in China are you and your family from?
Mr. Luo: I am from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province in China.
Irene: When did you come to America? How long have you been in Chinatown?
Mr. Luo: I came to New York in 2011, and I moved and lived in Chinatown in San Francisco for 8 years.
Irene: Why did you choose to open your restaurant in Chinatown?
Mr. Luo: It is more convenient for me to open a restaurant in Chinatown because I don’t understand English, and the environment here is quite good. Also, there are a lot of customers and tourists here, and there are many institutions that can help me. So, I chose to open my restaurant here to make me less worried about other things.
Irene: Can you tell me more about your restaurant? What are the characteristics of your hometown or cultural heritage?
Mr. Luo: The specialty of our hometown is our northern dumplings. They are all handmade, and the fillings are also adjusted by us. There are also some spicy delicacies such as Szechuan Hot & Spicy Fish Fillet, Szechuan Hot & Spicy Beef, Chili Oil Wonton, and Spicy Pork Dumplings. All those dishes are features from my hometown.
Irene: What was your original purpose for opening this restaurant?
Mr. Luo: The main purpose was to make money because I don't understand the language, and I can’t make money if I go out of state or to other places. San Francisco is very suitable for my needs.
Irene: What setbacks did you encounter at the beginning of your business?
Mr. Luo: My restaurant opened in March 2020 and closed on 3/15 just before the epidemic. Due to Covid 19, my business should be closed. At that time, I didn’t have any profit and only had a loss. Fortunately, the Feed and Fuel program from CCDC helped me tide over the difficulties.
Irene: What is the biggest difficulty you face now?
Mr. Luo: Business is still not very good now.
Irene: What do you hope to see for the future of Chinatown?
Mr. Luo: I hope that Chinatown will be more prosperous to drive the development of some small businesses.