The Scene

Customers have no difficulty finding North China Garden restaurant and they’ll have no difficulty returning, either. North China Garden is a spacious restaurant on a spacious street but is by no means impersonal- instead, North China Garden offers the intimacy and comfort of a bustling Chinese home. Kwan Yee, the owner, is a self-made man who has climbed his way up the culinary ladder to the management of his own restaurant. He’s a dedicated and introspective man who has turned his young business into a major draw for local customers.

• Name: North China Garden　


• Location: 2303 6TH AVE TACOMA , WA 98403-1050


• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Food, Szechuan, Mandarin, Hunan


• Restaurant Concept : Casual


• Capacity: About 70


• Offers: Take out and dine-in


• Signature Dish: Mongolian Beef, General Tso's Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken


• Drinks: Beverage, Wine, Beer, Mild Wine


• Year of establishment: 2004


• Phone: 253-572-5106


• Owner: Kwan w. Yee

The Scene: Intimacy and Size

Offering both take-out and dine-in options and over 1700 square feet of dining space, the restaurant can accommodate the local community’s demand for quality Chinese food. The dining area is decorated in a simple blue and green color design while the tables are covered with elegant green linen protected by a carefully cleaned glass plate. Each quadrilateral-shaped table seats four people while the bigger circular tables fit eight to ten diners at a time.

Chinese pictures and oil paintings depicting ancient figures can be seen on the wall around the dining area. The Chinese cultural aesthetic is fully personified by these ornaments.

The carpeted floor makes for a warmer atmosphere, as do the cozy lamps scattered throughout the room that offer their soft lighting. The owner explains the basic premise behind the decorating scheme: “Simple, natural, and cozy… these are the main effects we expect to achieve when we decorate our restaurant. As a take-out restaurant, of course we also offer a dine-in area…as a Chinese restaurant, the element of Chinese culture must be emphasized.” 

The owner, Kwan Yee, selected the location especially for the restaurant. The property cost was low in the area and so the price of the land was a good investment. A previous restaurant stood on the site, but the current owner believes that the reason the previous restaurant failed was not due to location, but a poor choice of food selection. Finally, after surveying his competition, the owner feels confident he can offer something no one else can.

The Food

North China Garden restaurant offers a bounty of the finest in Chinese dishes across a variety of culinary disciplines. Szechuan, Hunan, and Mandarin dishes are all well represented on the menu. Just as the cooking styles are diverse, the methods adopted in the preparation of the dishes are equally varied to ensure the utmost in customer satisfaction. But as varied as the culinary traditions are, like many Chinese restaurants the dishes fall into two distinct flavor categories: sour and spicy.

There are several signature dishes provided by the dedicated chefs at North China Garden. On a typical night, two chefs work in the kitchen, producing such old favorites as The General Tso’s Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Orange Chicken. The Mongolian Beef, along with the spicy Kung Pao chicken, are the top sellers at the restaurant and have won the admiration of many rival chefs and have won over the favors of many customers.

But Chinese classics, while tasty, often have a reputation as being fatty and otherwise unhealthy. Any competitive Chinese restaurant these days knows that they need to prepare healthy dishes in order to meet the demands of the people. At North China Garden, healthy dishes include the Buddhist Delight, Chicken with Broccoli, and Tofu. Mostly all the stir-fry dishes cater to healthy alternatives as the chefs use little or no oil and instead are stir-fried in a light sauce. To the owner Kwan Yee, “A healthy dish means little salt, little oil, and no MSG… our chefs are considerate about customers’ health in each of their preparation details.”

“The customers’ taste is the guidance of our food preparation. We must cater to local people’s preference. The reason why the previous owner failed to continue the business is that he didn’t understand what exactly the local people want.”

“As for the quality and freshness of food, that’s what I am most proud of. We pay much attention to guarantee the freshness. Customers needn’t worry about the food quality. They may set their mind at rest.”

The Service

Good service is not just about style and smiles, but about preventing dirt and keeping customers healthy and safe. Often, it’s the tasks that are the least glamorous that provide the best service to customers. At North China Garden, the staff is trained to ensure the best of hygienic conditions at a restaurant.

They are also, of course, trained to offer polite greetings, and sincere manners, to the customers. The customers’ needs are the first priority, always.

The owner has spent a considerable amount of time and money to make sure the restaurant is as welcoming as his friendly staff. “We refurbished the restaurant three years ago to make it more visually appealing. Meanwhile, we pay great attention to sanitary condition. Every day after lunch time, our staff cleans the dining room, ensuring customers a spotless dining environment. And the kitchen is cleaned several times a day. Besides daily cleaning, the restaurant is thoroughly cleaned once every week.”

The staff is gracious not only to the customers, but to the management of the restaurant itself. The owner believes that the staff and management share a great working relationship and they feed on each others energy. “Our staff…who are all Chinese… are very self-disciplined, we don’t need to push them to work or to pay attention on the service. No special rules are set for them, because they all know how to conduct their daily work and cooperate with each other.”

The owner has a simple working philosophy that consists of maintaining a down-to-earth attitude and a logical, step-to-step working method. Kwan Yee keeps seeking to improve his restaurant in every element and optimize the resources for the best. He also strives to view things from the perspective of his customers but also has a great deal of self-reflection. He asks himself how he could be making the experience better for customers and how he can turn around business during slow times. He takes customers reviews very seriously. Thankfully, the praise has been nearly universal. One diner said: “Food is consistently good and service always courteous, prompt and friendly. Dining room is clean and comfortable if not well-appointed. Good take away service.” Another added: “…remodeled and very good food. Our new favorite in Tacoma The service is friendly and prompt. It is great food for the price and you can eat in, order out, or have it delivered! Try it out!”

Owner

Kwan Yee came to America in 1991. He had to adapt himself to a brand new environment and initially found the experience difficult. He went to high school for two years and owing to his limited knowledge of English, had to go work at local Chinese restaurants to make a living. He worked himself up from a busboy to a chef, doing basically every job in the restaurant at some point in his career. Little by little, his situation improved until he had the strength to manage his own restaurant. In 2004 North China Garden was opened and he realized his dream and became truly a self-made man of accomplishment. Despite his focus on his goal, he has not lost an appreciation for what else is important in his life. He does not believe one should sacrifice family time for work, and one has to maintain balance in one’s life.

Quote from the owner:

“I just want to maintain the current stable stream of customers, because it’s still a new establishment, it needs more time to accumulate customer foundation. I believe we will become more and more successful in the future.”