The Great Wall – Eye and Mouth Candy

· Name: Great wall Chinese Restaurant
· Location: 1505 N Bishop Ave Rolla, MO 65401-2154
· Cuisine: Americanized Chinese food
· Capacity: 100
· Offers: Buffet
· Signature Dish: General Tso’s Chicken, Chicken with Broccoli, Crab Rangoon
· Year of establishment: 1979
· Phone: (573) 341-9922
· Owner: Mingsheng Gao

What matters more, eye candy or tasty morsels? Is it fair to surmise that artful decoration plays as important a role in the summation of what defines deliciousness? Well, Mr. Gao, owner of the Great Wall seems to think so. He is, in fact emphatic about a good design sense, not at the cost of good food yet side by side it's an expense he most certainly will make, to beef up the atmosphere and conviviality of his customers.

When you enter the Great Wall you walk into traditional China. A dream you stopped dreaming. A dream you never encountered. The ambience allows you to fantasize about how it would be if you actually were in China. What would the color red symbolize to you?

Mr. Gao extends his cultural knowledge with some down to earth explanations.

“Red, is the theme color that can be seen all around the restaurant: red chairs, red floor, red lanterns, red ornaments, etc. It represents happiness, passion, and intensity in Chinese culture. Besides red, gold is another spotlight; the golden ceiling pendant is really eye-catching, interspersed with a delicate revolving scenic lantern in the center that is at once elegant and luxurious. Red and golden are the two lucky colors in Chinese culture.

“Several Chinese paintings decorate each of the walls. These pictures mainly feature nature scenes with a red-crowned crane which brings auspiciousness in Chinese culture. Besides, Chinese style fans, paper cuttings, silk-like pendants are all visible around the walls. You can appreciate the aspects of Chinese culture that make it splendidly appealing through our decoration, while enjoying our irresistible food”, he eagerly effuses.

When Mr. Gao first considered opening a restaurant he paid a great deal of attention to it's design, layout and interior decoration. Traditional Chinese culture, especially that of the ancient royal palaces is fully depicted in Great Wall. Mr. Gao wanted to meld the classical, elegant elements into a harmonious setting which he succeeded in accomplishing

When you step into Great Wall, you definitely feel the strong sense of Chinese culture. Enticing food is just one part of your total enjoyment, the ambience of classical Chinese culture is the part that makes your visit worthwhile. The essence of Chinese culture is fully demonstrated in the artwork, artifacts and music wafting in the background.

What about those Tasty Morsels?

Great Wall seats up to 100 hungry patrons in a cavernous space of 3800 square feet. You can dine at the all you can eat buffet salivating over Americanized Chinese favorites such as General Tso's Chicken, Crab Rangoon that is crisp on the outside while maintaining it's juiciness and tenderness on the inside or Chicken with Broccoli. Sautéed Beef with green peppers and Hot & Spicy Soup is very popular with Chinese customers while Egg Drop soup is a perennial delight of the Americans.

To add to the allure steamed brown rice and tofu are made fresh for the health conscious customer. Of course steamed vegetables and foods prepared with less sodium and oil are integrated in the cooking process to achieve healthier results. An enormous variety of Oriental dishes are served at the sumptuous buffet table with cooking styles to match: stir-fried, steamed, boiled, broiled, sautéed in sauces, grilled and others. Mr. Gao is the keeper of the flame here functioning as head chef as well as owner/proprietor. He thus has a keen interest

in managing the food side of the business as well as the customer side.

To this end he is particularly unceasing in his quest for freshness at the buffet. Proper temperatures are maintained at all times otherwise the quality would be sacrificed and that is something Mr. Gao is completely unwilling to do. There are no compromises allowed.

Mr. Gao reported to ARN on his rotation of dishes. The menu is updated on a regular basis in order that customers feel we are keeping up with the latest market trends meaning, following their needs. I need to keep an open and innovative mind in oder to keep my business competitive he admits. Mr. Gao often consults and communicates with his close circle of friends who are experts in the culinary arts. They inform him about popular items or the latest recipes selling well. Not just from Great Wall mind you, rather from the overall market.

Past to Present

The Great Wall was the very first Chinese restaurant in the Rolla community in the state of Missouri over thirty years ago. Until 1979 there was not a single Asian or Chinese restaurant servicing the population. It is therefore no wonder that Mr. Gao has taken up the role as cultural translator and minister. Because what he brought to this small town was not just the food of his native China. He brought a way of life. Until that time no one there knew what a wok was or what stir frying even meant.

A local restaurant that can rest on its laurels after three decades says a lot. There are some obvious reasons for Mr. Gao's continued success. Having taken over the restaurant in a down economic cycle in the seventies, Mr. Gao's confidence never waned. He was and is positive and persistent. Key ingredients for longevity in a business that sinks or swims with the tides of the public.

The customers are treated kindly and with respect by the staff and that's why they return year in and out. The environment is spic and span from the kitchen to the restrooms, the dining area to the entrance. Mr. Gao proudly boasts about how there are no noticeable marks or blemishes on the tablecloths as in other establishments. The utensils and tableware are not chipped or marked in any way. The outer shell or exterior is treated just like Mr. Gao's own home.

Yet it can also be said in all honesty that the interior or inner core is also like Mr. Gao's home. Harmonious relationships abound with staff and customers alike. Mr. Gao's full heart is in his business and it is his “home away from home”.