Located in Bartow, Florida, Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant vividly remembers doing the most business during hurricanes as customers were desperate for food. Their parents’ restaurant was even accepting orders during Hurricane Irma in 2017, despite power outages and a visit from the army. However, Christmas was another busy period.
Connie Wu, a junior at New York University, recalls spending much of her childhood at the restaurant. Her parents owned the estalishment since 2002, working 12-hour shifts during school breaks. Christmas day would see a steady influx of orders that wouldn’t slow down until late into the evening, causing the restaurant to stay open for longer and generate about three times its typical revenue.
In spite of the busyness, Wu still regarded Christmas day as a day of relief and exhaustion. Interestingly, Christmas is one of the busiest and most profitable days for Chinese restaurants. The article also mentions that families who run these establishments often sacrifice traditional holiday celebrations with their own families. However, these families form their own traditions around necessity.
There were also practices that had to change over the course of time. For instance, Roger Liu’s Catholic family would attend church services on Christmas morning and then go on to celebrate Christmas on the 26th, spending the remaining holiday period with family.
There are success stories of children who grew up in these environments. Kenneth Wan utilized his experience of his upbringing to launch his restaurant in 2023. Despite the success, he shared that he still closes his restaurant on holidays, including Christmas, in order to spend time with his family.
Whether it’s Christmas or any other holiday, these Chinese restaurants create not just food, but a sense of community. Even though business is booming, traditions are valued, and unsurprisingly, for many restaurant owners and their children, the work done on these holidays is seen as its own unique tradition.
