Several of the new hotel developments in Chinatown are owned by the Chus and Jonathan Chu sits on the Board of Directors of the Museum of Chinese in America.Īccording to Jing Fong, during the pandemic, the restaurant’s sales drastically declined by 85 percent and the restaurant lost nearly $6 million. The Chu family, which owns East Bank, is one of the largest and most powerful families in Chinatown. Undeterred, workers and their supporters circled around the bank several times chanting “Save Jing Fong, Save Chinatown!” and “Shame on Alex Chu!“Īlso Read: Pearl River Mart Was Never Just a Store. Workers attempted to hand-deliver a letter stating their demands but were denied entry by bank employees with the assistance of the NYPD. On Tuesday, over one hundred people gathered outside East Bank on Canal and Centre Street, to demand Jing Fong’s landlord Alex Chu and his son Jonathan Chu keep the restaurant’s dining room open.
The newly renovated space has architectural elements from the 20 Elizabeth Street location, capacity for 125 seats, and is often transformed into a unique venue for weddings, birthdays, special events, corporate and holiday parties.Workers at Jing Fong are refusing to go down without a fight. In December 2021, Jing Fong re-opened in Chinatown at 202 Centre Street. At the same time, construction was starting at the new location. In May 2021, the 20 Elizabeth Street location shuttered as it was impossible to sustain the 800 seats restaurant. Truman was determined to keep his grandfather's restaurant running, even if it meant relocating and downsizing. With all gatherings paused and tourism non-existent, the giant ballroom had to rely solely on take-out and delivery.
Located on the corner of 78th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the 2,000 square feet space also has an outdoor patio.īut due to the 2020 pandemic, all Chinatown businesses struggled. In 2017, Jing Fong opened a second location on the Upper West Side. Truman, third-generation of the Lam family, has been at the helm since 2010 – modernizing the experience and making it accessible to a wider audience. In 2007, Shui Ling Lam passed the restaurant on to his son Ming Lam, who soon passed it to Truman Lam. This location was the largest dim sum and banquet hall in Chinatown for decades. With the new grand dining hall, Jing Fong was able to offer the traditional Chinese dining experience ̶ a social gathering meant to be shared – to many more guests. In 1993, the restaurant moved to 20 Elizabeth Street, a massive 25,000 square feet space with capacity for 800 seats. He was able to save the restaurant, which served as an important hub for the community. In 1980, the owners negotiated a deal with their master plumber, Shui Ling Lam - in exchange for forgiving their debts, he would become the restaurant’s majority shareholder. The first location in Chinatown was at 24 Elizabeth Street and had capacity for 150 seats.īut in a still developing Chinatown and amidst wider economic uncertainty, the original owners fell upon difficult times. Jing Fong has been a New York institution since 1978, specializing in dim sum and Cantonese cuisine.
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