- The coronavirus pandemic has dealt an unfathomable blow to independent restaurants, forcing many to close.
- Jade Garden, a family-owned restaurant, is the only one still open on its block in Seattle's Chinatown.
- But it's struggled to stay open in the face of vandalism, price gouging, and a lack of staff.
- I went to Jade Garden to talk to the owner, Eric Chan, and to see how the restaurant has adapted to pandemic conditions and continued to scrape up a profit.
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At 8:30 every morning, Eric Chan arrives at Jade Garden, his family's restaurant, and starts packing food for delivery orders.
He doesn't go home until after 9:00 at night.
It's been this way since the stay-at-home order began on March 23, when Chan was forced to lay off all his employees. Since then, vandalism, delivery platform problems, and issues with suppliers have all dealt additional blows to the already-struggling restaurant.
Now, the restaurant is run entirely by Chan's family members - his wife, parents, uncles, and aunts - who all work long hours to keep the lights on.
Jade Garden used to be one of Seattle's most lauded dim sum spots. But now its most distinguishing feature is simply that it's still open.
I went to Jade Garden on Tuesday to speak with Chan and to see how Jade Garden was operating during the pandemic. Here's what I found out.
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