Family Roots at Chef Caos

With singular dedication to cooking and in pursuit of his singular dream, Mr. Cao opened his third restaurant in 2006.That’s Chef Caos. More than another simple Chinese restaurant, Chef Caos is an Asian restaurant with one of the largest menus in the country and a cornucopia of culinary delights. Mr. Cao and his brother operate the unique dine-in establishment out of Bryan, Texas. A dream fulfilled, Mr. Cao loves to cook and loves to share his creations with his customers.

Fact Sheet:

-Name: Chef Caos
-Location: 3105 S TEXAS AVE STE 500 BRYAN, TX 77802-3151
-Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Food, Thai food,  Szechuan food, BBQ
-Capacity: 150
-Offers: Dine-in, Take-out
-Signature Dish: Mongolian Beef,  Sweet & Sour Chicken, General Tso’s  Chicken Pud Kee Mow(Thai food)
-Year of establishment: 2006
-Phone: 979-779-8885
-Owner: Mr. Cao

The Scene

Chef Caos is located in the Tejas center. It is surrounding by a shopping area in the heart of a residential zone, ensuring a stable stream of customers is guaranteed due to the location.

Chef Caos offers a 2800 square foot dining area, drenched in red-a symbol of luck in Chinese culture. The furniture continues the cultural themes in the restaurant; the tables and chairs are all made of classic rosewood, an easy-to-clean but elegant material. An added touch of earthiness is embodied by the two middle-sized trees sitting in the dining area, an arrangement the owner states is designed to emphasize the restaurant’s  environment-friendliness. Of course, the trees also allow people inside to enjoy the fresh air.

The walls of the dining area lacquered with a combination of yellow and red color with the yellow stripe sandwiched between two bold stripes of red. The color scheme creates a very warm and homey feeling. Chinese paintings are hung on the walls, depicting the Chinese landscape and beautiful natural scenes. Elaborate signs adorned with Chinese calligraphy are highlighted throughout the restaurant. 

The floor is very convenient for cleaning. “Customers are all amazed by our cleanliness,” beamed owner Mr. Cao.

Classical Chinese music floats through the air in the dining area. The soft lighting is romantic and compliments the rosewood tables and chairs. “I believe that the lighting is part of our dining environment, which reflects the whole effect of our simple but natural decoration,” explained Mr. Cao.

The dining area is separated into two parts, the “A” area and the “B” area. The A area is specialized for parties and gatherings. The B area is the main dining area which accommodates most of the diners.

The Food

Chef Caos is your one-stop location for all your Asian food cravings. Americanized Chinese food, Thai cuisine, Japanese cuisine (like the teppanyaki) and Vietnamese food are all served at Chef Caos. With almost 100 items on the menu, you are bound to find something that you’ll love. The chefs aren’t limited by merely one cooking technique either, but instead Mr. Cao insures they incorporate the diverse cooking methods of the many regions they serve: “In order to provide personal service for each customer, we prepare our dishes with all kinds of methods. Of course, like the variety of our cooking methods, the taste or the characteristic is also diverse.” The top sellers for Chef Caos are the Pud Kee Mow, the Mongolian Beef, General Tso’s Chicken and the Sweet & Sour Chicken. 

Chef Caos also has a full spectrum of healthy dishes for diners on a diet or just want to eat healthier. The Koong Pla, a Thai dish, is one of the healthiest dishes on the menu and it’s prepared with no oil, salt, or MSG. The curry is also extremely popular and one of the more healthier items on the menu.  On the health-focused part of the menu, every dish is prepared with little salt, little oil and no MSG. All of the dishes are also cooked to perfection to guarantee health and nutrition. “One of the reasons why Chef Caos attracts customers is our healthy dishes,” explains Mr. Cao. 
 
The Service

When customers first enter the restaurant, it is not the smell of delicious food or the allure of a pretty decorating scheme that firsts introduces them to a restaurant. Instead, it is the smiling faces and warm greetings of the staff that first introduces a customer to a restaurant. Mr. Cao makes sure that his staff is always courteous and friendly towards customers: “Some common rules are made for the [staff] to follow, like, staff members are not allowed to chat or make a call during working in the restaurant, they must be ready to offer service for customers at all times.” Of course, they also pay attention to hygiene, politeness, and general manners when serving customers. For example, if the servers are delivering entrees or drinks to the customers, they are not allowed to speak, so that the food or items are guaranteed to remain pristine and free of their germs. The staff members are also required to wash their hands frequently. Staff members are trained to be patient towards customers’ needs, listen to their wishes, and recommend dishes to them after learning their favorites. Furthermore, if customers misunderstand the specific taste of what they order and want to exchange their item for something different, then the staff will satisfy them as best they can.

Hygiene is highly emphasized at Chef Caos. All of the dining areas are kept clean, and the restroom is well stocked and well maintained. The tables are clean and kept free of debris and leftover food. The floor is regularly scrubbed everyday. As for the kitchen, the staff members really pay attention to it- at least one hour will be spent to clean the kitchen each night when the restaurant is closed. Additionally, a large scale cleaning is carried out every week that covers the entire restaurant.

Despite the high expectations of the management, the staff members enjoy working at Mr. Cao’s restaurant. They are all loyal to one another and share a common bond, explains the owner: “We are all Chinese; therefore, we have the common sense to care for each other in this foreign country.”

In addition to being the owner, Mr. Cao is also the executive chef of the restaurant, overseeing four other chefs in the kitchen. Every day, the chefs are happy to prepare enticing food for the customers. Each chef is in charge of a different cuisine, one oversees the Japanese food, one specializes in Thai food, and Mr. Cao himself is in charge of the Chinese food. Mr. Cao feels this division of labor is very necessary to provide professional service.

Management is also very important in running a restaurant. “My brother and I have different working items, I am versed in cooking, and he specializes in the daily management. Three aspects, hygiene, food, and service are strictly managed in his daily work.” Mr. Cao meets with his brother every month or so to summarize and discuss the problems the restaurant has.

“Our business was getting down in 2007, because there were many new restaurants opened, however, we didn’t give up,” explained Mr. Cao. “We have confidence in our food and made more improvement in our service and hygiene. Little by little, lots of customers came back again, they said our food is the best comparing with other newly opened restaurants.”
         
Owner

Mr. Cao immigrated to the United States in the year of 1991. In order to make a living, he went to a Chinese restaurant to work as a busboy at the beginning. Owing to his hard working and quick learning, he became a chef in the year of 1993. And then Mr. Cao opened his first restaurant with his friends in 1997. However, his business wasn't quite good, because of his lack of restaurant management experience. He had to quit the first one to seek for another chance. After several years learning and accumulation in other successful restaurants, Mr. Cao tried again, established a new one in Texas in 1999, and it's quite good this time. With the enjoyment of his first success, Mr. Cao opened Chef Caos in 2006, which has been totally managed by his brother since then.
Aside from being a good brother, Mr. Cao is a dedicated family man. “I value my family very much. No matter how busy it is in the restaurant, I will set aside one day a week to stay with my kids,” explained the proud father. “I think I have balanced quite well between my work and family.”

“As for the secret of our success, I think confidence, persistence and solidarity with our staff has contributed to my success. Thanks to our stable and prosperous business, we are planning to open another branch restaurant within one year or two. Both my brother and I have confidence in further development.”