Golden City- Committed to Keeping Customers Healthy and Sated

Golden City- Committed to Keeping Customers Healthy and Sated

Fact Sheet:

- Name: Golden City
- Location: 14 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016-5002
- Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Cuisine 
- Capacity: 55
- Type: Dine-in
- Signature Dish: Grill Pork Chop, Sautéed Beef Cubes, Rice Noodle w. Beef Bowl Soup, Shrimp w. Walnut, Mongolian Beef
- Year of establishment: 2008
- Phone: (212)683-2779
- Owner: Yufeng Lee

Food is not just filler when you're in a hurry or on your way to a business meeting. Even in the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan, where thousands rush around you causing ringing in your inner ear, there is a time to slow down. Even for a little while. A half hour can make all the difference in perspective. That is why when you come upon Golden City, down the block from the Empire State Building, all who enter can find a sliver of peace and a healthy plate of Americanized Chinese cuisine.

An Array of Choice

Healthy dining is deeply rooted in the minds of most people. At Golden City, owner Mr. Lee makes no exceptions to this trend. A dedicated section of the menu consists of  “fourteen different vegetables with bean curd, six diverse sauces and several options [such as shrimp, scallops, chicken, beef or pork) from which customers can choose. Combo orders consist of four vegetables, one healthy sauce and one white meat.”

“In a word, we hope to widen customers’ choices," boasts the owner. An example of a combo choice is Chinese broccoli, bean curd, Chinese eggplant and asparagus, with ginger brown sauce and chicken breast meat," offers Mr. Lee. The healthful method of preparation employed is boiling before stir-frying. That eliminates much of the fatty residue.

Skilled Chefs on Hand

ARN asked if the chefs had any special training? If so what their specialties were.

“Our chefs are all skilled veterans with more than twenty years experience” boasted Mr. Lee. “Their time-tested abilities absolutely guarantee repeat business. Some specialize in Chinese and others in southeastern Asian style cuisine, like Thai.” It's probably fair to say the ratio between Chinese to Asian cuisine is 2:1.

Golden City offers diverse and healthy sauces, which is another attraction for luring customers into the web. “Our sauces are all home-made with an emphasis on health and nutritional values. This works hand-in-hand with the entrees” boasts the owner. “Our ginger brown sauce is one of the most popular choices. Garlic, oyster, lobster and spicy wine sauce follow closely as finalists.
Customers find the food toothsome.

Signature dishes abound at Golden City. Shrimp with Walnut, Mongolian Beef, Grilled Pork Chop, Rice Noodles with Beef flavored Soup and Sauteed Beef Chunks win the day.  Believe it or not these dishes have a lightness in flavor, low fat count and contain few calories. Stir-frying still leads the pack in preparation methodology followed by boiling, grilling, steaming and deep-frying. “Healthy dining is not an empty slogan but the genuine reflection of our guarantee and confidence”, says Mr. Lee knowingly.

Ambience Creates Calm

Although Golden City is a large 2,500 square feet it feels cozy because there is only room for 55 diners. That's not too large or impersonal. With it's soft white lighting and symphonic piano music heard overhead. Located in a well maintained business center, Golden City strives to create an ideal place of relaxation for office workers who are pressed by their tedious jobs. The sky blue colored ceiling is essential for creating a natural environment.

If you are enthusiastic about Chinese culture you'll find traditional antiques, tea pots and Chinese paintings featuring seasonal flowers interspersed all around the cozy dining area. To Mr. Lee, his design concept is based on  “simplicity and nature”. Eating here, he hopes, will reenergize diners so they can go back to work fully sated and refreshed mentally.
Cleanliness is an art not often taken into consideration as part of a room's total ambience. If walls are dirty or unpainted and chipped, if carpeting is ragged and fraying, that sends a clear signal. When the toilet and bathroom are not kept

The Customer is not King but God!

Mr. Lee elevates his customers to the status of a heavenly being. They're not just kings, here they are treated like Gods. “Our customers are never wrong. Ever!” he emphasizes.
“From their point of view, they demand (and rightfully so) high quality food that is worth eating again and again. They also expect a comforting and rewarding dining experience and immaculate service”, says Mr. Lee.  The staff members at Golden City are all well trained in customer service. Upon entering the eatery, the waiters present amiable smiles. Greetings are genuine. The staff are professional and efficient. No matter what a customer wants or needs, the staff will do their utmost to accommodate their wishes. If a customer complains, which doesn't happen all that often, Mr. Lee and staff will take every comment to heart, discussing it in detail so that the matter doesn't occur again. 

A Friendly Management Philosophy

“I always treat my staff as friends” admits Mr. Lee. This is a common Chinese trait yet in many cases it is pure lip service. How friendly do employees and employer need to be to get the feeling as if they are treated with respect and empathy? The friendliness Mr. Lee refers to is a relationship that enhances efficient communications. He implements it through listening to the staff. They in turn listen to his ideas. He says he never yells at his staff, instead, any difficulties and differences of opinion are solved through collective efforts – talking it through, bargaining, going around in circle hearing everyone's opinion, etc.

Suggestions and criticisms from staff members – whether about customers or themselves are always considered seriously because improvements and  progress cannot be made without changes. When those changes are deemed necessary to the profitable and successful running of the restaurant, and that effects all parties working there, those changes are made.

A Harsh Beginning Leads to a Hopeful Future

Looking back on his past with a history of struggling in the restaurant industry, Mr. Lee seems unperturbed yet he can be emotional. At the end of 1992, when he first landed in America, he faced a brand new environment, one in which his expectations met with life in the real world. The two concepts collided and the twain did not meet.

However, with determination to find his foothold in this competitive society, he rolled up his sleeves to start a job as a busboy in a restaurant. The daily grind was tedious but he didn’t give up. To the contrary, little by little, he learned from his hardships. Blessed with an ability to seize the opportunities presented from his hard work, Mr. Lee grew rapidly in the restaurant field.

In 2002, he had his first chance to run his own restaurant. Several years later in 2008, Mr. Lee sought out additional ventures then opened Golden City. Now, the brand new establishment runs smoothly under Mr. Lee’s efficient tutelage.