Still Sharp After Twenty Years

- Name: Ching Yen
- Location: 1207 Columbus St Bakersfield, CA 93305-2009
- Cuisine: Americanized Chinese food, Mandarin Cuisine
- Capacity: 200
- Offers: Dine in, Banquet room, Take-Out
- Signature Dish: Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Orange Chicken, Salt Shrimp
- Drinks: Beverage, Wine, Beer, Tea, Coffee, Milk, Juices
- Year of establishment: 1987
- Phone: (661) 871-5292
- Owners:  James and Susan Wang
 
Mr. James and Mrs. Susan Wang, the owners of Ching Yen, have been in the restaurant business for over twenty years. Their restaurant is an eclectic Asian restaurant that serves both American Chinese food and Korean-favorite Chinese food. Their restaurant is firmly knitted to local community, and they have been blessed with a great business and a loyal customer base. Now, James and Susan live not only to better the lives of their customers, but to their fellow Asian restaurant owners.

The Scene At Ching Yen

Ching Yen is located in the northeast part of Bakersfield, CA.  Situated in a residential area, the foot traffic for the area is fairly consistent despite its distance from the downtown area. Ching Yen is a dine-in establishment with over four thousand square feet of dining space and able to accommodate two hundred patrons.

The restaurant is decorated in bold shades of red, a traditional color denoted luck in Chinese culture. Rosewood is used in the construction of the tables, chairs, and walls.

In addition, the red painting scheme, Chinese paintings, wooden carvings, lanterns, paper cuttings, calligraphy prints, embroideries, and many other cultural artifacts decorate the area. These create a natural and welcoming ambiance. One embroidery in particular stands out among the rest. The “One Hundred Birds” is so vivid that many customers have given compliments regarding the piece. The Chinese Drag & Phoenix Embossment is also prominently displayed and well-loved. There are also numerous potted plants hung from the ceiling to help create a peaceful ambience that is further enhanced by the green leaves and red flowers that are scattered throughout the room. Soft warm lighting enhances the romantic feeling of the establishment while customers enjoy the enticing food.

Ching Yen offers a spacious banquet party room for special occasions. The big round tables in the party room can accommodate eight people. White table linen adorns the top of each table as does a lazy susan that ensures it’s easy to reach the dish you want. In contrast, the rectangular tables in the main dining area can seat four people at a time.

The big party room is ideal for up to one hundred people and is most often used for birthday celebrations and meetings. The spacious room is fantastic for parties and well-adorned with decorations.

While the owners admit that the location is not ideal, they also do not think it is essential for their business: “Actually, we don’t think the location itself is very essential for a restaurant that has a goal of doing long business. We are very confident that we can succeed in any kind of location, because of our irresistible food.”

The Food

Ching Yen offers Americanized Chinese food, and traditional Mandarin Cuisine. One of the owners, James, has been cooking for over forty years. He does not feel constrained by any one school or cuisine, and instead has developed his own style of cooking. James is confident in his cooking and their restaurant, and has eschewed conventional advertisement methods for more a more neighborly approach: “I am very confident that once you visit Ching Yen, you are bound to return again and again, for our irresistible food. We win the heart of our customers by word-of-mouth as each person who visits us would recommend Ching Yen to their friends.”

The most popular dishes on the menu are familiar to Chinese food customers: Kung Pao Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Happy Family, and Orange Chicken are among the top sellers. Happy Family is a combination of shrimp, crab, scallops and vegetables. It’s prepared with the house’s special home-made sauce. Other items are very popular with the customers, and some even choose to drive a couple of hours to enjoy Ching Yen’s food. The owners believe that it is due to their personal touch that customers keep returning: “We prepare each item with our sincere care.” 

Customers who are seeking a more health-focused diet will enjoy Ching Yen’s wide selection of healthy dishes. Vegetables with shrimp, vegetables with beef, and other mixed vegetables entrees are quite popular. They are prepared with one half vegetable and one half-meat to ensure a balanced nutrition. “We are very concerned about our customers’ health, and pay attention to their specific requirement,” explain the owners.

One interesting aspect of the cuisine that many customers may overlook is the attention to presentation. Each dish at Ching Yen is garnished with carved flowers; Chinese cuisine is particular about color, aroma and taste. Serving the customers with much enthusiasm, the staff at Ching Yen prepares each dish responsibly and gratefully. It’s normal that the customers come back for these same dishes again and again. Also, the staff isn’t surprised that the customers recommend their friends to visit the restaurant. “What we want is to make the customers enjoy themselves in our restaurant,” beams the proud owner.

The Service

The staff at Ching Yen is the lifeblood and the catalyst of the restaurant. Without the dedicated staff, the restaurant would grind to a halt. They are amiable and passionate about their work and know that each customer should be treated as a friend. “In our mind, visitors are not just our customers, but also our friends. We strive to let the customers feel happy and satisfied with our service during their whole dining experience, customers really enjoy the genial feeling here. Some people even said [that] it’s our top-notch service that attracts so many people to dine in our restaurant.” Originally, the restaurant was not open for a break during midday, but customers would wait outside until they opened again. Now, the restaurant provides service the whole day.

 “Many of our customers tell us that they visit Ching Yen, not just for the food, but to see old friends. Actually, they like us and our food. The friendship between us is [strong],” explained the owners. 

James and Susan have stated simply that their goal for service is to “1) Let customers always feel warm and amiable in Ching Yen and 2) prepare each dish with sincere care.”

Owners

James and Susan originally took over their family’s restaurant in South Korea. They immigrated to the United States to seek broader horizons, and learned to master American restaurant ownership and Chinese cuisine.  In 1987, they opened the restaurant Ching Yen. “Our common interest and persistence made us determined to engage in this field, and we never regret our initial decision [to move to the United States].”

The owners believe that in order to succeed, you have to become a responsible person, a person who is a professional at all times. Next, you must be dedicated and persistent in your work. They love their job and so enjoy keeping at it, day in and day out.

In the future, James and Susan hope to share their vast knowledge of running a restaurant with others in the Chinese restaurant community. They believe that Chinese restaurants in America should be organized as an independent entity so that each member has a chance to communicate with others, learn from each other, and cooperatively improve the general level of quality of all Chinese restaurants.  “We just need a platform to link all Chinese restaurants together,” James explains. With such a vast experience and knowledge, they may singlehandedly be able to help their compatriots and comrades.