Quality Comes First

Located in Hibbing, Minnesota, Hong Kong Super Buffet serves only the freshest food—even during these tough economic times when high quality ingredients are very expensive. The restaurant offers a variety of Americanized Chinese cuisine, focusing mainly on Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese cuisines and customers can get their fill of the buffet for only $11 during dinner hours. Hong Kong Super Buffet is the restaurant to visit for customers looking for a great meal that won’t break their budgets.

Authenticity at Its Best

The hardworking miners who reside in Hibbing, Minnesota, recognize the dedication and hard work that the owners, Peter and Shelly Lo, put into Hong Kong Super Buffet. The owners have created a warm atmosphere, filled with authentic Chinese décor. The color scheme is comprised of creamy and earthy colors, to help the customers relax. The 9,000 square foot restaurant is very reminiscent of Chinese culture; the windows are very delicately engraved, red lanterns and Chinese knots are hung throughout the dining room, and Chinese inspired paintings and calligraphy, along with a large Chinese fan, compliment the walls. The lighting is kept soft to further enhance a feeling of relaxation. In addition to the main dining room, there are also three secluded rooms available for private parties or meetings with advance reservation.

“We decided to keep the décor simple in order to create a clean and comfortable dining experience for our customers—just as if they were at home. We don’t rely on a luxurious atmosphere to attract our customers, our main attraction is our food,” explain the owners.

Guaranteed Fresh

Hong Kong Super Buffet serves everything from soup, salad, and appetizers to meat and seafood entrées, and even dessert. Most of the dishes are prepared by stir-frying with very little oil and salt. The top three selling dishes are the General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, and the Coconut Shrimp. According to Mr. and Mrs. Lo, these dishes are so popular because the experienced chefs only prepare meals using the freshest ingredients with high quality taste and vibrant textures. For example, the popular Coconut Shrimp consists of shrimp that have been immersed in coconut juice before being lightly battered and cooked then tossed with a creamy coconut milk sauce. The combination of flavors please every customer. And for the health conscious diners, the kitchen at Hong Kong Super Buffet also prepares plenty of steamed and vegetable dishes. “As a buffet restaurant, our dishes are not made to order, but we do our best to satisfy every customers as they would expect,” say the owners.

While there are over 100 items available in the restaurant’s buffet, the menu at Hong Kong Super Buffet is ever changing. The restaurant offers seasonal items throughout the year and the kitchen is always experimenting with new dishes to replace the unpopular ones. And when a new item is introduced, the chefs thoroughly work out a recipe and ask customers for their opinions and suggestions before permanently adding it to the buffet.

As for the freshness of the ingredients, this feat is not always a simple one. The owners only use distribution companies that they fully trust and that offer substantial stock on a regular basis. The owners carefully check each order when it arrives and always send back ingredients that are not up to their standards. Additionally, the kitchen prepares smaller portions of each dish so they can be changed quickly ensuring colorful and fresh dishes while at the same time significantly reducing the waste. At the end of the day, the leftover food is always discarded. As a buffet restaurant, leftover waste is inevitable, but it must be thrown away to preserve the customers’ health and the restaurant’s reputation.

Customer Service on the Ball

While the restaurant is a buffet restaurant, that doesn’t mean customer service can be overlooked. “We have requirements on how the staff should interact with the customers and they do a good job,” say the owners. The staff is courteous and quick to respond to customers’ needs and enjoy friendly conversations with the regular customers when they are not too busy.

The staff is also responsible for keeping the restaurant clean, in addition to the frequent professional cleaning. Hong Kong Super Buffet always receives high recognition from the health bureau.

Perseverance Reaps Rewards

When Hong Kong Super Buffet first opened in February of 2008, the local residents were hesitant to give the new establishment a try. There was also much competition in the area. The owners worked hard to advertise the restaurant and send out sample menus. Overtime, word of the delicate and delicious food spread, and the growing buffet restaurant now has a large regular customer base. 

“Each restaurant has its own characteristics and its own customer base. Restaurant owners need to convince customers that they will get their money’s worth at their restaurant.”

The Lo Family

The Lo Family first came to the United States in search of fortune. After working in the restaurant industry for many years, the couple decided to take the leap and open a dine-in restaurant—and a little while later, after a lot of research and remodeling, they opened Hong Kong Super Buffet in February 2008.

Unfortunately, just a few short months later, the downturn in the economy took the world by surprise. Everyone, including Hong Kong Super Buffet, felt the negative impact. However, the Los’ buffet restaurant is still afloat, in part because of the clever specials they offer. The high-quality dinner buffet for $11 has been a very big hit.

Hong Kong Super Buffet