The family business behind America’s largest Chinese restaurant
Kowloon grew from a 40-seat family restaurant into the largest Chinese restaurant in the U.S. Now, the family behind the New England institution is planning for what comes next.
Kowloon co-owner Bobby Wong joins Asking for a Trend host Josh Lipton to discuss how his grandparents started the restaurant in 1950, how the business expanded to 1,200 indoor seats and an outdoor entertainment venue, and why Kowloon has continually changed its menu and experience as customer tastes evolved.
Wong also discusses food inflation, labor challenges, changing consumer behavior, and the family’s long-term plans for Kowloon. Those plans could eventually include downsizing the original restaurant, developing apartments on the property, expanding through satellite locations, and giving longtime employees an opportunity to participate in ownership.
Kowloon is also the subject of the award-winning short film “Kowloon!,” selected as a finalist for Yahoo’s Nonfiction Hotlist.
Watch the “Kowloon!” documentary on Yahoo’s Nonfiction Hotlist.
👉 https://youtu.be/ruP4gwjSsN4?si=77xs_8GIJ3bAB-ds
Timestamps
00:00 How Kowloon grew from 40 seats to 1,200
01:02 Why Kowloon became an entertainment experience
01:50 How the restaurant keeps changing with its customers
03:02 Why Kowloon has raised menu prices
03:51 The restaurant industry’s labor challenge
04:39 How GLP-1 drugs are changing dining habits
05:22 Kowloon’s plan for the next generation
06:25 Could longtime employees become owners?
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