Orient Express: Delicious Dining in a Flash

Orient Express: Delicious Dining in a Flash

Interviewed by Cuiyin Zhang  Written by Pam McElroy

Comfort Comes First

Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Orient Express has been serving locals Americanized Chinese cuisine for twenty years. While the restaurant 1,500 square foot restaurant is primarily a take-out establishment, there is room for about 40 people to enjoy dine-in service as well.

The restaurant has a casual décor with the customers’ comfort the main priority. “The décor is not too fancy, but not at all simple,” says owner, Ms. Chung. The dining room is accented with decorative plats, a laughing Buddha—which represents luck, fortune, and happiness—and warm and bright lighting to highlight the relaxing design. And according to Ms. Chung, cleanness is also a very important factor when operating a restaurant. Every table is clean and the settings are polished. “Our aim is to provide a cozy and spotless atmosphere,” says Ms. Chung, who also states that the restaurant is cleaned two times each day.

Tasty Food With a Healthy Twist

The people of Charlotte, North Carolina find the competitive prices and the healthy cooking methods at Orient Express very appealing. The American Chinese cuisine is prepared mainly by stir-frying and little oil and salt are used. “If you are looking for Chinese food prepared with less oil, than Orient Express is the restaurant for you,” boasts Ms. Chung. Ms. Chung’s husband, Mr. Au, is also a firm believer in this philosophy as one of the chefs in the kitchen.

The top selling dishes at Orient Express are the Chicken Wings, Sesame Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, House Special Fried Rice, and the Lo Mein. Ms. Chung has even been approached by certain companies who want to buy the recipe for the Chicken Wings, however, she gracefully declined, wishing to keep the recipe for her customers.

Ms. Chung also added that there’s a new dish rising in popularity—The Korean Style Noodle Soup. Mr. Au believes that creating new and innovative dishes for the menu is a perfect way to keep regular customers satisfied.

Additionally, there are quite a few healthy options available at Orient Express. The kitchen staff only works with the freshest ingredients and use authentic Chinese recipes. And upon a guest’s request, the kitchen will be more than happy to make adjustments to the food preparation—dishes are available steamed or boiled or with no MSG, oil, or salt. In order to guarantee the food’s freshness, ingredients are purchased each day from a very reliable supplier and nothing is left out overnight.

Every Minute Counts

Orient Express can be found amongst factories and businesses and the restaurant is a popular destination for people enjoying their lunch break. “We know that our customers only have one hour for lunch, timely and efficient service is absolutely guaranteed,” says Ms. Chung. “A fresh and hot dish is served within minutes of each placed order.”

The next step in providing exceptional service is in the relationships. Smiles are necessary on the well-trained staff and they are always friendly when responding to a customer’s request. Additionally, Ms. Chung requires that her staff members never argue with the customers. Instead, she encourages them to try everything they can to make each customer is happy, no matter how difficult the situation. And the staff members aren’t the only people who follow this philosophy—Ms. Chung does as well. She has built personal relationships with many of the regular customers and communicates with them often.

To further help with the restaurant’s efficiency, a meeting is held when necessary with the entire staff. Customer complaints and compliments are discussed as well as ways to improve the restaurant’s operation. Finally, new rules and service tips are discussed.

Finding What Fits

It took a bit of time before Ms. Chung found the restaurant that was right for her. She ran several restaurants that failed for a variety of reasons before finding success with Orient Express. She favors this restaurant because its small size makes it easy to care for and its advantageous location.

While Ms. Chung and Mr. Au are very busy with the restaurant, they still find time to spend together as a family. And while they are both working, their children often help out at the restaurant.

Ms. Chung comments on her plans for the future: “While at this time, I don’t have plans of opening another restaurant, I am always eager to experiment with the latest trends and make improvements in Orient Express.”

Secrets to Success

To summarize, Ms. Chung’s secrets to success are as follows: good location, quick and excellent service, customer relationships, tidiness, fair prices, and a friendly environment.


Orient Express