Everything Upscale at Jin Jin 88

Interviewed by Cuiyin Zhang  Written by Pam McElroy

People are raving about Jin Jin 88—and it’s not just the locals. The upscale dine-in restaurant has been nominated the 6^th annual awards of “Top 100 Healthy Menus,” “Top 100 Asian Fusion,” and “Top 100 Overall Excellence.” Everyone is talking because of the breath-taking ambiance, mouth-watering food, and timely service provided at the restaurant. Jin Jin 88 is about 800 square feet and is located in a shopping center with other upscale businesses just two blocks from the beach.

It’s obvious to Jin Jin 88 customers that the owner, Jimmy Li, not only excels in cooking and restaurant management, but that he also has an eye for architectural and interior design. The restaurant’s wall and floor colors, linens, dishware, and silverware were all designed or chosen by him. The interior of the restaurant was designed elegantly with bursts of thoughtfully chosen color throughout, giving the dining room a graceful setting. The tables are topped with white china condiment containers and steel silverware and the chairs are covered with regal velvet fabric.

The interior elements all come together to give the restaurant a very modern, fashionable, and romantic style. Additionally, candles adorn the walls and tables and a soft background of Western music can be heard, giving the restaurant a final, intoxicating ambiance. This attracts more and more young couples to hold their wedding banquets here.

Innovation Wows

While the upscale dine-in restaurant serves typical Americanized Chinese and Japanese cuisine, the kitchen doesn’t follow tradition Chinese cooking methods—the menu at Jin Jin 88 is quite innovative. They do research and learn from other upscale Asian eateries in Manhattan and let their own creativity take over from there.

According to Jimmy, he gets compliments from customers all the time regarding the food. Some have even told him his restaurant is the best in the state and that they travel long distances to dine here, especially for the fried rice. The fried rice at Jin Jin 88 is extraordinary because it is made with fresh white rice rather than day-old rice. Other popular dishes are General Tso’s Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Teriyaki Chicken, Bourbon Chicken, and Jin Jin King (sushi). All of the food at Jin Jin 88’s is prepared with the freshest ingredients and with excellent cooking skills.

Healthy dishes are also available to customers. Jimmy guarantees that all of the items on Jin Jin 88’s menu are low in oil and salt and high in fiber. The staff at Jin Jin 88’s is concerned about their customers’ health and because of this is very particular when it comes to choosing their ingredients. Everything is of the highest quality.

Top-notch Service

First-rate service should always be a guarantee when it comes to upscale eateries. Even though it is a small dine-in restaurant, top-notch service is definitely a priority at Jin Jin 88’s. Each visitor is treated like a five-star hotel VIP. “We try everything we can to satisfy customers’ specific needs,” says Jimmy. “In our concept, as a newly established restaurant, customers’ opinions or complaints are essential for growth and improvement.”

The staff at Jin Jin 88 is trained well to offer amiable and efficient service. Their customer service skills are impeccable and they are well-versed when it comes to sanitation. But according to Jimmy, timely service is even more important than speedy service. “Timely service is needed. We want to give customers more privacy and avoid disturbing them unnecessarily,” he explains.

While Jin Jin 88 only recently opened its doors in February of 2009, it’s already extremely popular among locals due to word-of-mouth. Jimmy has formed strong relationships with most of the locals and attributes some of his restaurant’s success to their loyalty. But in addition to the locals, the restaurant can also attribute some success to the many tourists from all over the world who come to visit.

According to Jimmy Li…

“Innovation is the key to livening up restaurants. Quality needs to be emphasized over quantity. And every aspect of the restaurant’s operation should meet an upscale level of standard.” There are Jimmy’s words of advice when it comes to operating a restaurant. “Always pursue perfection. Pay attention to every little detail and when facing difficulties, be sure to keep a positive attitude,” he adds. There’s always something that can be improved upon or updated. And keeping up-to-date is also a way to stay ahead of other restaurants in the area.

Jimmy immigrated to the United States in 1992 as a student. He worked at his father’s restaurant and accumulated some experience in this industry. So he decided to open his own restaurant not soon after his marriage. Together with his wife, he planned the business from interior design to menu creation to management styles. They executed everything themselves, giving the restaurant the personal touch it has today.

In the future, Jimmy and his wife plan to continue making improvements in their restaurant. The will create new and original dishes and add new design elements to cater to first-time and regular customers alike.

Jin Jin 88

• Location: 11560 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, FL 32407


• Cuisine: Americanized Chinese Food, Japanese


• Restaurant Concept: Upscale


• Capacity: 70


• Offers: Dine-in, Take-out


• Signature Dish: General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Special Rolls and Fried Rice


• Year of establishment: 2009


• Phone: (850) 235-8835


• Owner: Jimmy Li