Chinanews, August 5th. According to a report from the American Overseas Chinese News Network, on July 29, at the southern end of Mott Street, a public dining platform with a capacity of 120 people opened. The platform was designed by the Rockwell Group construction company and painted by local artists and public school students. Anyone who finds an empty seat can sit down and choose one of the dozen or so shops opposite to buy food, including two restaurants, Hop Kee and Wo Hop, which are generations of New Yorkers and A place where tourists taste Chinese food in Chinatown for the first time.
This non-profit project had an immediate ripple effect. After seeing it, the owner of Peking Duck House started to build a dining platform for his restaurant.
On the evening of July 28, Hwa Yuan Szechuan (Hwa Yuan Szechuan) provided the first meal since March that was not packed in a takeaway box. Customers sit on the side of East Broadway instead of dining in restaurants, because New York City still prohibits indoor dining.
Chien Lieh Tang, the son of Huayuan’s founder and current chef, said in a telephone interview that he has always refused to eat outdoors and he lobbied the city government to allow indoor service.
"Chinese restaurants are different because we have a lot of plate service." He said, "There are appetizers, soups, rice, there are many things, and there are many sauces, so it is not easy for Chinese restaurants to put these things outside."
Mr. Tang persisted for a month before giving in. "We have no choice." He said, "We must survive."
Chinatown has other challenges. The tourists are gone. Although some courts in the city center have resumed their jury duties, many office buildings are empty. For banquet halls and dim sum shops that can accommodate hundreds of people at the same time, there is no difference between dining indoors and dining at tables on the sidewalk. Shops like Jing Fong and 88 Palace do not accept outdoor dining.
Narrow sidewalks and streets make it difficult for some restaurants in Chinatown to take advantage of the new outdoor dining regulations. Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement District (Chinatown Business Improvement District), said that the thrifty spirit of local business owners helped them through difficult times and also made them reluctant to spend money on outdoor seats because these seats The chair may become garbage in a few months.