At the time when he opened his restaurant, Chinese Americans typically worked by or through the Chinese food business. Speaking on the Chinese food business then versus now, he mentioned that while new restaurants come in, there has been a positive shift in the types of businesses Chinese Americans open in Greensboro. The menu featuring Szechuan and Fujian dishes alongside the American Chinese dishes. He also differentiates his restaurant by using better oil that leads to less greasy food, a factor in food that is crucial to the typical customer. High efficiency and eating food as soon as it’s cooked are things that are oftentimes different between home food and food served at the restaurant, but especially important when running a take-out restaurant. He warns in the clip below that the typical American would return the food saying it’s too sour or spicy, so many of the dishes they prepare are accustomed to the American taste. The American taste requires more sweet and salty, prevalent by the inclusion of duck sauce and soy sauce packets. Dragon Express does, however, offer some Szechuan and Fujian dishes on the menu to accommodate for people who want to try something new as well as Chinese customers. While he prefers traditional Chinese food, he says that the difference in taste of the typical American palate results in confusion if he served the dishes he enjoys outside of the menu.
The food at his restaurant is a little bit different from the food his family eats at home. “The whole family working together” was the prime reason she can attribute to the business’ success.
She acknowledges that her family is very invested in the business, so it’s impossible to separate the restaurant from her life. Raymond’s daughter, mentions that she and her brother would often work weeknights and sometimes weekends to help after their schoolwork while her parents worked everyday during her childhood. His wife’s help in the restaurant was integral in the developmental phase to accrue what was important in running a long-lasting business. “We just started and stayed here for 25 years” School study desk turned work space. Raymond explains how the limited job opportunity and his responsibility to provide for his family resulted in his endeavor through the restaurant business as both an employee for 16 years to an owner for 25 years. As he mentions, “when you own a business, you can’t take your life out of the business.” Bringing up both his family and restaurant was simultaneous and fluid, leading to success and prosperity on both fronts. In the clip below, Mr. It was only until then that they decided to start their family and settle in North Carolina. All the while, his wife was still in China until he had properly established the restaurant a few years later. Soon after buying the property, he moved over and began his endeavor as a restaurant owner. Greensboro was just starting to develop a Chinese food scene when he heard about a property opening in a new strip mall on Randleman Road. 16 years later, he moved to Raleigh after hearing about a friend’s new restaurant and began saving money to open his own business. Starting in a common area for restauranteurs, he worked in a multitude of jobs relating to the restaurant in the Northeast. Raymond’s journey to his 25-year-old establishment has been a long one starting from the time he immigrated to America from Fujian, China at age 17. His motto for hard work is emphasized in the clip below, in that the amount of work you put in directly relates to the rewards your work provides: “I had to depend on myself” While it does require a lot of work to put in, he thanks his restaurant for providing back to his family. Like many Chinese family restaurant businesses, the kids would help out after finishing their homework on the school work table beside the kitchen. Looking back, he mentions how taking care of a restaurant for 25 years, with only around 25 true off-days, was very consuming and a family effort. Raymond, especially in his recount on the amount of work that went into making the restaurant successful. This same hard work ethic and dedication to their business is evident in my interview with Mr.
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