At Bo Ling’s Restaurant, it’s Chinese, Please! (1/2)

Tips from a Top 100 Chinese Restaurant Bo Ling’s Restaurant in Kansas City has been a very successful enterprise, and is a favorite destination for locals as well as travelers and guests from all over. It is the dream of Richard and Theresa Ng, who have over the years focused their energy and talents toward making Bo Ling’s a truly wonderful culinary treasure. Today, you can find a Bo Lings in Kansas, Missouri and even Florida – five establishments in all. We recently interviewed Owner and Chef Richard Ng for his views on what it takes to create the type of food and environment that has makes Bo Ling’s one of the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the U.S. My wife Far ling’s (Theresa) parents owned a Chinese restaurant in Downtown Over Park, Kansas and we both worked there. She waited tables and I did cooking after school. After we got married, and were working together. It was our dream to open a restaurant and run our own business. Far Ling’s parents helped us start our first restaurant. We were both teenagers when we came to the U.S. We both worked in the restaurant after school. I attended a two-year hospitality management class in a junior community college while working. I worked in the kitchen while Far Ling worked the front. We just did what we knew - and, we’re still doing it. We were fortunate to open in a growing suburb, in a new strip mall. Chinese food was the new trendy food. We were the new corps of Chinese restaurant at the time. There were fewer restaurants in general for our area. Our break came when the area newspaper did a write-up about the restaurant. People like Chinese food for many reasons: habit, taste, value, freshness, convenience, etc. As more people travel, and new immigrants arrive, Asian food is getting more popular. We regularly travel and research for taste, so we serve food from all regions of China. Spicy dishes are more than chili, fresh spice, herb, ginger and garlic - the cooking process creates its unique flavor. Many of our customers like to drink beer with their meal. Wine is also very popular with dinners. For spicy dishes, Gewürztraminers and Rieslings match well. They are usually higher in acidity and fruit with low or no tannin. It finishes with a refreshing taste in mouth. We usually work with customers to plan their menu. I will suggest a couple light appetizers, couple fish dishes, poultry, and meat and noodle dish. Our restaurants were opened at different time; location and we did not to build a chain, so each one looks different. Patrons will find each store having the same menu, similar service and workflow. What is unique is the atmosphere and personality. Our website is the last piece of the image package. Our graphic designers came up with several ideas in the beginning until they saw the old pictures. We focus on the family theme and tradition with new ideas and color. We say that, from the start of life, Chinese children learn there is art in food preparation. They cultivate an appreciation for the finest of ingredients, flavors and fragrance. The web site has helped us send new specials, promotions, as well as provide service as an information media, i.e. menus, locations, phone numbers, etc. We also get requests for banquet information through our web e-mail. It is an on-going part of the overall marketing plan. It needs maintenance, updates and management. We feel its has served our goal. 12. How have you boosted your sales efforts in each restaurant? We hired a marketing company to help us with promotion. They help us with plans, executing, news releases, e-mailing promotions and many other advertising projects. They have really been a great help to our company. We can spend the time running the business.