Fuji Chen, A Culinary Ambassador

William Cong, owner of Fuji Chen is a busy man who owns three restaurants in   Kingston and Hadley of Massachusetts. He often commutes from one store to other so that he can keep an eye on each location. Mr. Cong owns three Fuji Chen locations due to years of hard work and dedication to his career.

Over twenty years ago, Mr. Cong came not to become a restaurant owner, but to pursue his dream. After graduation, Mr. Cong found there was a huge existing market for Chinese cuisine. By opening up a restaurant he hoped to help spread Chinese culinary culture across the Eastern US.

Having worked in the restaurant industry for many different years, Mr. Cong finally stepped into the spotlight by deciding to award Fuji Chen franchises. The franchising idea comes from his observations of PF Chang’s management concept. Opening Chinese restaurants in America is a daunting task, and difficult even for a successful company like McDonalds. Fine dine-in or grand buffets are different from take out restaurants as they are high input yet yield slow returns. The thriving business of each Fuji Chen franchise location validates Mr. Cong’s decision to expand his business.

Tucked away in different food courts, Fuji Chen, with its franchises in various parts of Massachusetts, has found its own niche. The idea of “tasty food and reasonable price” keeps the ball rolling and the small restaurant chain has accumulated a large loyal cadre of fans. Sales are so high that most Fuji Chen locations enjoy having the best business in their respective food courts.

Much like PF Chang’s and Panda Express, Fuji Chen eschewed an encyclopedic menu in favor of adopting a simple menu with clear categories of soup, appetizers, entrées and vegetables, totaling nearly 20 menu items. Without a brain numbing selection of items, customers can easily figure out what to order without asking the staff for suggestions. Many giant chains, such as KFC or McDonalds take the simple menu approach to avoid complicating the ordering process.

General Tso’s Chicken is a staple in Chinese restaurants. The chefs at Fuji Chen prepare a crunchy version of this popular menu item. It is a recipe provided by a master chef with a top-grade chef rating in China. He has altered the dish so that it gives a crunchy bite rather than a crispy kick.

Bourbon Chicken and Blackened Chicken are two innovations the owner has added to try to appeal to even more customers. The Bourbon Chicken is named after the bourbon whiskey ingredients. It is in fact a Chinese interpretation of the dish made by adding a dash of cooking wine, a dollop of hoisin sauce, and a touch of oyster sauce. The result is a harmonious blend of color, taste and texture that really complements the mouthwatering grilled chicken chunks.

Mr. Cong takes a new approach to Blackened Chicken. The sauce is a mix of over 10 kinds of condiments, and the pepper gives the dish a somewhat aggressive but not overpowering taste.

Prior to launching new dishes, the recipes are tested on for up to half a year. Careful planning, repeated food sampling, and countless changes ensure that the final product is well received among the customers. It is a complex procedure that calls for great passion and patience. Some minute changes include replacing the black pepper sauce without altering the taste.

Not only having to deal with one location, Mr. Cong has two other restaurants in Kingston and Hadley in Massachusetts. For these franchise locations, the biggest challenge is keeping the consistency of interior design and taste in different stores. All Fuji Chens are exactly the same in their décor, not overly fancy but neat and clean. To maintain taste consistency, strict standards are followed. Areas receiving extra attention include sauce thickness, the color of the poultry and meats and vegetables, consistency of dressings, and crunch or smoothness.

The healthy dining concept is now “in” with health conscious customers. Fuji Chen has thus added a wide variety of healthy alternatives to the menu. When looking to order something tasty yet not too high in calories or fat try some of the vegetarian dishes. The vegetables are not used simply as garnish, but also to balance taste, color, and nutritional values. Mr. Cong stresses that meals can be both healthy and tasty. In order to create these healthy dishes, Cong uses no MSG, and little salt or oil.
 
“I hope when customers dine at each Fuji Chen that they will be impressed by our image, whether it’s in Pennsylvania or Boston, just like McDonalds,” said Mr. Cong.

There is still a long way to go before Mr. Cong can realize his great plan of building a franchise brand like P.F. Chang’s or Panda Express. However, so far things are looking good.

Location: 101 Independence Mall Way F109, Kingston, MA 02364
Phone: 781-582-8488
Offers: Fast Food
Cuisine: Americanized Chinese cuisine
Year of establishment: 2006