Hot Wok Gets Hotter in Louisiana Hot Sauce Country

Louisiana is famous for its hot sauce, tobacco and piquant red and yellow orange hot sauces beloved by the nation. Yet a hotter concept these days is Hot Wok, in Praireville, which sends the locals into seventh heaven. Not least because with over one hundred items to choose from, there are plenty of “hot” selections.

Hot Wok was recently recognized as the recipient of a “Top 100 Healthy Menu” in the 6th Annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in USA Awards ceremony, held in The Venetian in Las Vegas, this January. Presented by Chinese Restaurant News, this award recognizes, cultivates and reserves the high standards in the Chinese and Asian restaurant industry.

Gaining more recognition and prestige with every passing year, the 6th annual Top 100 Awards successfully covered more restaurants in many exciting categories. Sponsored by National Restaurant Association (NRA), Healthy Dining, Coco Cola, Lee Kum Kee, Kikkoman Corporation, Yanjing Beer, and Palazzo Las Vegas, this national event provides an ideal platform to exchange ideas and has brought the winners to the spotlights, which grabs raving accolades from media across America.

The best sellers at this take-away include the ubiquitous General Tso’s Chicken, Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Seafood Delight and Sesame Chicken. The sauce is delicately prepared by Mr. Xiao who has over 10 years’ experience in Chinese cooking. The mingling of different seasonings is one of the chef's common methods to make his special sauce. Another key point is the portion and consistency of the sauces, neither too thick nor too thin. Different sauces accompany the various main courses such as brown, white, garlic, Szechuan and Hunan. Szechwan and Hunan Chicken are two seemingly spicy dishes which are matched with two sauces: Szechwan sauce and Hunan sauce (much spicier and with more chili oil). The big difference is the degree of spiciness, the Hunan Chicken.

There are many healthy dishes which are cooked with little oil or salt to prevent food allergies or hypertension. Sautéed Mixed Vegetables, Shrimp with Garlic sauce, Curry Shrimp, and Boneless Chicken have been given a thorough nutrition analysis and authorized by the Healthy Dining Finder.
 
Character Traits

The main trait of Hot Wok is its variety of dishes served and speedy delivery times. Usually a customer has to wait no longer than 10 minutes from the time of ordering before being served. Hot Wok was opened by the couple in early 2005. At the beginning, they happened to find the current location ideal because there were few if any competitors. Several years down the road big franchieses such as McDonalds and Pizza Hut moved in the town, which really brought more customers. That enabled the Xiao's business to become more vibrant and appealing to those out of the area who would drive by.

The Xiao's worked in many different restaurants and understood the advantages and disadvantages of opening a take-away, dine-in, casual and other combination restaurants. Because of limited capital, they decided to open a take out restaurant. Says Mrs. Xiao, “It is much easier to run than buffet or dine-in establishments.”

The Xiao's best traits are in their own words, “Self-discipline.” Says the owner, “I rely on the staff to do the routine job: cleaning the tables, floor, and kitchen equipment and cooking”. “Luckily, they are cooperative, and I never place too much pressure on them”.  He knows service, food and sanitation are all equally important, but it's easier said than done, “to manage” that is. Mr. Xiao considers management as dedication to details.

When customers are lost in the dazzling array of items on the menu, we give them some suggestions, or some combinations that would do good to their health.” Any special requirements are catered to. We are polite and friendly to them and also provide free samples so we get a feeling for what customers like and dislike. Besides customer service by telephone is critical. Here the owners recognize customers' voices and can call them by name without seeing them. They understand the lingo, the accent and can relate to their clients as friends. This warm touch is seen as quite special in a sea of faceless restaurants across the land.

Message from the owner:

I really appreciate the continuous support of our staff team and the loyal customers who stay with us throughout these years when our restaurant opened. Thanks to their support, we could obtain the hard-won awards. I hope we could do better and provide the customers with more exciting offerings and friendly service.

Location: 36519 Oak Plz. Prairieville, LA 70769-3276
Phone: (225) 677-7879
Offers: Take-out, Dine-in
Cuisine: Americanized Chinese cuisine
Signature Dishes: General Tso’s Chicken, Lo Mein, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Seafood Delight and Sesame Chicken
Year of establishment: 2005