According to The New York Times, citing data from Yelp, the share of Chinese restaurants has dramatically fallen across major US metropolitan areas in the last five years.
Yelp data shows the share of Chinese restaurants in the top 20 metros has been in free fall since about 2014.
Five years ago, 7.3% of all restaurants in the top 20 metros were Chinese, compared with 6.5% today. The declining trend has resulted in over 1,200 fewer Chinese restaurants while these metros added over 15,000 more restaurants.
The Times notes that the oldest Chinatown in the US is located in San Francisco, and even there, the share of Chinese restaurants shrank to 8.8% from 10% in 2014.
Mass closings of Chinese restaurants show no signs of abating, Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese restaurants continue to hold a steady market share or increase nationwide.
One big reason for the rash of closings “seems to be the economic mobility of the second generation,” said The Times.
“It’s a success that these restaurants are closing,” said Jennifer 8. Lee, a former New York Times journalist. “These people came to cook so their children wouldn’t have to, and now their children don’t have to.”
The children of Chinese immigrants have integrated into the economy and are less likely to take over their parent’s restaurant.
While the wave of closings has been underway for at least a half-decade, some restaurants, instead of closing, are selling operations to incoming first-generation immigrants who want the chance to cook Kung pow chicken to an overweight baby boomer.
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“One big reason for the rash of closings “seems to be the economic mobility of the second generation,” said The Times.”
Am leaning more towards the Health Department is doing its job.
With these closings, cats and dogs across America are rejoicing!
I’m sure it had nothing to do with quality and cleanliness.
I traveled from one end of this country to the other for over a decade and ate in plenty of restaurants during that time. One commonality in Chinese restaurants was substandard fare and cleanliness. Dirtiest restrooms on average, and the greasiest, most bland offering of choices anywhere, and that’s saying a lot in America. And I love Chinese food. Not saying there weren’t excellent ones- Peking Joe’s Duck House in Philly’s China Town- but on average they were epicurean hovels.
My kids love Chinese food so we taught ourselves how to make a couple of dozen dishes like hand made dim sum that blew away anything we ever had in a Chinese run establishment.
I always thought they were more an underground railroad if illegal immigrants than anything else.
We no traffic drugs and people through American Chinese restaurant network, round eye!
An underground railroad for illegals, just like the proliferation of Chinese foot massage businesses. And, if those closed Chinese restaurants were successful, they never would have been closed by the first generation, they would have been sold and the name retained.
when you look at the lack of volume many of these restaurants do it’s hard to believe that they are making $,even if it is mostly family labor–
i’ve believed 4 quite awhile that many of them are a front 4 something–maybe it’s what you guys stated regarding immigration,drugs,etc.–
another possibility is that many of these restaurants were set up by participants in one of the visa programs–there are visa programs wherby one can get a green card & get on the road to citizenship by starting or buying a business & investing x amount of $ in the us 4 a certain amount of time–
I’ve noticed a lot of ethnic restaurants around military bases that almost never have customers, while other restaurants can be packed to the rafters and still go out of business. I’ve always assumed those little ethnic dives were covers for access to soldiers for intel collection.
Years ago, someone clued me in that many of the mom and pop places often cook the food not for customers, but for their extended families. All the food walks out the back door at the end of the night and the food is a tax write-off. Other ethnic joints have their own thing. In Norfolk, I’ve seen little grocery places that took food stamps for beer. I walked into a Philippino place and I managed to get a look into the back room. The entire place was racks of scores of VCRs making pirate copies of movies.
Maybe there is a cat shortage.
and dog shortage as well????
Over half of the chinese restaurants here have closed here in the last three years. Only one of the remaining is all you can eat. So many of the clientele are over 300 lbs that I suspect their gastric volume put many out of business.
“Oww sign say All You Can Eat at Numbuh Wun Chinee Buffay.
Dat mean one meal.
You been hea four hours!
You go home now, large man!
You make-a my wife scaired,
an my cook angwee. Bye bye. Now!”
There were some good Chinese restaurants here in Minneapolis. Over the years they have closed, to be replaced by ‘hole in the wall’ joints, that don’t make anything that resembles Chinese food. Several send me ad’s all the time. I’ve noticed the menu’s are all the same. Must be some kind of cheap Chinese franchise.
“There were some good Chinese restaurants here in Minneapolis”
In that bastion of progs and muslims maybe they’ve been over taken by somali and muslim restaurants?
Last time we had to, unfortunately, drive through there (as fast as we could) somalis were rampaging on the freeway.
Is it true whites no longer go to mall of america?
What a shit hole.
Is that why rat infestations are increasing in major metro areas? Rat Lo Mein was always one of my favorites.
Anybody else notice the sexual innuendo in all the signs?!?!?
Yet, sadly, the so-called Chinese restaurants in north Idaho somehow remain open. Quite the mystery.
When I was in junior high I lved in Co. Sprngs.
Got a job at a Chinese restaurant there I was only 13yrs. old they paid me cash under the table. They would reuse rice that came back in off tables then a couple of yrs. after I had moved my buddy sent me an article from the paper one of the owners got busted with slave laborers at his farm I was pretty sure most of the line cooks were indentured servants while I was working there
Covered my ex-lax short position
As for me ; I would rather have a Chinese resto, and attendant Asian persons, than a Somalian (do they even have restos?) or a ny varient of African every-fucking-time.
The Chinese work hard, are respectful, mostly non-violent, and generally make very good citizens last time I checked. Same with Koreans, Thais, Philipinos, Cambodians, yeah, pretty much all the East Aisan peoples. And there is that great cuisine.
If you are so concerned about cleanliness as an American virtue you will be sure to warn visitors planning to dine in San Fransicko, L.A. many restos in South Florida and of course Camden.
It’s easy to make money selling Thai food. Get people to pay money for Irish food and I’ll be impressed.
Never mind…
Chinese food in America, is American. There are very few restaurants with authentic Chinese Cuisine. But, if you are ever interested in the real deal, try some restaurants in Flushing, Queens. (no pun intended, I think.)
I know of one chinese restaurant that closed when the owners son completed his medical internship.
And, I have a friend who services restaurant equipment. He refuses to eat at any chinese restaurant.
The good Chinese Restaurants here have Mexicans as cooks! I had a favorite place that was open for many years and went under. This is in Arizona, the owners were from New York. I don’t get why a busy successful business would close, I figure they could find people to run these places.
Headline: Wave Of Chinese Restaurants Close Across America
Am I supposed to celebrate, or what?
I used to like Chinese buffets when I was younger and poorer until one day when I entered Super King Buffet on my bro’s advice. It was big, roomy, huge (former Chi-Chi’s building), with a massive 3-sided buffet. It was generally clean, aside from worn seats. The dinner crowd hadn’t started yet and it was empty, aside from 3 other people. The waiter sat me across from 3 of the fattest people on Earth. That ordinarily doesn’t bother me; it’s not my business. What bothered me was the gusto with which they were shoveling down their food.
You would think they were being paid to eat it or in a contest. They were making all sorts of noises. It was disgusting. Then, one of their phones rang, and I got to listen to the gasping, desperate exhalations as the owner said, “aachhach aachach… (breathy, gaspy mouth-breathing noises) Ah cahnt talk… aachhach aachach aachaach…. Ah gawtsta eeat…. aachach aachach.” It was so disgusting to behold, I got up and moved my stuff across the restaurant. I rarely eat at a buffet ever since. Maybe 1-2 times a year, especially if I’m on a business trip or otherwise far from home. I don’t want to end up like my 3 role models at Super King and I don’t want to see their ilk again if I can help it.
One downvote? What, was it you? If it was, I recommend you chew with your mouth closed. Actually, chewing before swallowing is highly recommended, too.
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Please note: ALL YOU CAN EAT is not intended as a direct challenge.
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Maybe cryptocurrency has eliminated the need to launder illicit funds through a restaurant front operation?
Chinese restaurants are probably going under due to competition from the burgeoning wave of English restaurants. People are going crazy for beans on toast and kidney pie. Then there’s the new marketing campaign: “Scones – they’re not as bad as they taste”.
Here is my guess as to one reason this is happening.
Those restaurants rely on free slave labor from the kids. Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and kids all pitch in at the family shop.
But the kids are assimilating, and they will be increasingly saying fuck that. And hence the restaurant becomes non-viable without the free labor. Also, the oldies get older, and eventually cannot keep going.
That is my guess, anyway.
I prefer good Mexican by a mile over Chinese anyway. Good riddance.
We went to a Japanese hibachi grill Christmas Eve and they had mexicans cooking at the tables. There were only 2 of 5 orientals making sushi, as well.
The 60 something Chinese couple that bought my Mom’s house in NJ in 2015, who owned a Chinese Restaurant, whose 30 something son was a Real Estate Agent (he was raised here) brought almost $300k in cash to the closing…in a suit case.
No joke.