Meeting Asia Across the Buffet Table

                                 Photo by Michelle Cramer

• Name: New China Buffet
• Location: 2734 S Campbell Ave. Springfield, MO 65807-3506
• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese food, Japanese food,  Korean food
• Capacity: 150
• Offers: Buffet, Take-out, Party Room
• Signature Dish: Cashew chicken, Rainbow Roll, Oyster, Crab Rangoon
• Drinks: Beverage, Wine, Tea, Coffee, Milk, Juices, etc.
• Desserts: Cake, Ice Cream and more
• Year of establishment: 2008
• Phone: 417-883-9581
• Owner: Mr. Lu
  

An oxymoron of a name, New China Buffet is far from Chinese. This buffet restaurant, with take-out possibilities and a party room eschews it's Asian neighbors to the north. Serving up Japanese as well as Korean goodies, this spanking new eatery offers the locals of Springfield, Montana just about any taste they have most likely never experienced in one central stop n' shop.

Nearby, in the business district downtown and next to the huge Wal-Mart complex are a host of other restaurants: Mexican, Japanese etc. making the competition fierce. Mr. Lu, the owner of New China Buffet shrugs at the challenge. He's confident of his choice of combination Chinese and Japanese cuisine in one setting; offering the best of both worlds, five buffet bars contain an enormous amount of stealthy dishes. The best sellers of which are: Sushi, Teppanyaki, Coconut Shrimp, Fried Shrimp, BBQ Chicken Wings, Rainbow and Eel rolls, Oysters, Crab Rangoon and Cashew Chicken to name just some of the favorite eats. Food is prepared in several ways: stir frying, grilling, steaming and raw. Flavors are balanced, color and presentation is key to create an appetizing desire. Customers praise the offerings at buffet bar. The healthy dishes are steamed and boiled and are served without MSG, little oil and salt. What's unique about the bar is that the food is exchanged every two hours, keeping it spanking hot and fresh.

The Inviting Interior

It's not just for the food that patrons visit New China for. The 5000 square foot space is colored milky white. Booths are green and separated by mid-sized screens per table insuring privacy.

Tiled floors surround the buffet area as is apt to be messier than the carpeted dining room. Red highlighted lighting warms the atmosphere creating a first-rate dining mood. Chinese, Japanese and American music waft in turns, creating a multi-cultural ambience.  Inside the Japanese decorated party room, accommodating 20 persons, business meetings, gatherings and events offer guests a calm serenity.  Overall the ambience is cozy and warm.

The Friendly Service

Four chefs and four friendly serving staff work at New China. Each are well trained in the art of dine-in service and management of customers. Needless to say, return customers are a mainstay of the business and thus service to please the satisfied customer becomes a priority. For instance explains Mr. Xiao, “when customers first come in, one staff member goes forward to offer a warm welcome greeting the guest with a genuine smile. Another example of stellar customer service is when the staff can refill a customer's drink in time without a complaint from the diner. Or being cautious about their personal hygiene. Lastly, awareness of customer's needs while being service oriented.”

“The management” admits Mr. Xiao “treats all employees like brothers and sisters”.

“Frankly, it's simple; employees help us earn money so they deserve to be treated well. On the other hand when they feel well and are treated with respect they are motivated to work harder.”

The staff are disciplined and each has a clear line of responsibility plus a job description. Food, service and hygiene are integral parts of success and must be balanced accordingly. Each element needs to be perfect, insists the owner.

Challenges

When he first began, business was not too good as the restaurant was a takeover of another. Instead of feeling frustrated and dejected, Mr. Xiao says he and his staff tried to find out what the problems were to address them in a timely fashion. The solutions ranged from improvement in food, hygiene and service. Finally he says, they won the trust of their customers. Those customers are now regulars.

Another major challenge was the transition from China. It was a major culture shock from Mr. Xiao. The local environment, the language, customs were all reasons for misunderstanding yet he didn't give up. Eventually he took the lowly job of busboy and worked his way up to chef at another Chinese restaurant, then to manager. Finally in January of 2008 he took over the current location and redecorated it while providing authentic Chinese & Japanese cuisine.

If it weren't for the support of his family Mr. Xiao would be at a loss. His wife and children are the source of his momentum. He values family and tries to spend as much spare time as possible with them. When he has time for rest and relaxation he likes sports and cars. He enjoys doing research about cars.

What Does the Future Hold?

Mr. Xiao's secrets of success are straightforward: persistence, confidence and strenuous efforts plus a dose of hard work. Be rationale, not emotional over problems he says. He always tries to find out the reasons behind the problems, analyzing countermeasures. His insistent happiness brings joy to him daily in a career he likes immensely.

That is why he is planning to open up more branch restaurants throughout the country if conditions allow.