![]() I closed Hop Kee on March 15th - one day before the executive order to shut down all restaurants. How have you been faring with the impact of COVID? What are some things that you have been doing to stay open? When customers see pictures of him on the wall at Hop Kee, they tell me that they are really happy that he was able to try Hop Kee’s food and that they feel a sense of connection with him through our cooking. ![]() He was a very nice & well-mannered man, and I have some great memories of good, fun times with him that I will cherish. I came to learn that he was a very straightforward person & that he would tell it to you up front, but I appreciated his directness and honestly. We would just drink whiskey and talk about food and life. All three times, he stayed for a good few hours after the shooting. He came to Hop Kee a total of three times. Yes! I am very fortunate to have met him. You have been featured by Anthony Bourdain on his show No Reservations! Did you get a chance to meet him? If so, what was that like? I’m just trying to preserve what’s been working for us for all these years. However, other than these menu additions, I’ve made very few changes to the restaurant. People are not as into the old-style chow mein anymore– now, they’re into things like pan fried noodles. Since taking over the restaurant from my father, I’ve added a few new items to the menu that cater to a younger crowd: Peking style pork chops, salt and pepper flavored entrees (squid, pork chops, shrimp), etc. Before, people loved to hang out in Chinatown. Nowadays, people prefer to go to Lower East Side or a fancy rooftop bar. We’ve had to move up our closing times because the times have changed- the night scene in Chinatown is not as lively as it used to be. Then after 2000, we began closing at 1am. By the late 1980's, we began closing at 4am. The only difference is that we used to be open 24 hours a day. Could you please talk about how the restaurant has changed over the years?Įven after all these years, Hop Kee hasn't changed much at all with regards to our day to day operations. Your restaurant has been open since 1968. When I asked them how they knew about us, they said that they had heard about us from a friend. One time, we actually had some tourists from Germany who somehow knew about Hop Kee. Most of them hear about us from word-of-mouth and just decide to stop by on a visit to New York. In total, three generations of customers have been coming here.Īlthough most of our regular customers are from the Tri-State area, we have customers come from all across the U.S. We actually have many regulars who have been coming to Hop Kee for decades! Some people were kids when their parents first brought them to Hop Kee, and now they bring their own kids. We have a large and diverse customer base that includes people of all backgrounds & ethnicities. Who are your customers / what demographic do you cater to? What are some of the most popular dishes from your menu?Ĭrabs Cantonese style with black bean sauce, snails, all the salt and pepper dishes, pan fried flounder, and spring chicken. At the time, the restaurant in Hop Kee’s current location was run by my father’s cousins, so my father took over the business from them, and the rest is history. After working at Wo Hop for a few years, my father and his partners had gained enough experience working in the restaurant industry to open their own restaurant. His first job after immigrating to the US was working as a chef at Wo Hop, another Cantonese style restaurant right next to Hop Kee. What inspired you to start your restaurant?īack in Hong Kong, my father worked in the auto industry. My grandfather on my father’s side had served in the US Army for WWII and did all the paperwork for my family to move to the US. I was only two years old when we made the move, and my younger brother was only one at the time. My family (my father, mom, younger brother, and myself) immigrated from Hong Kong to New York in 1965. My name is Peter Lee, and I am the current owner and operator of Hop Kee Restaurant. Tell us about your business and who you are.
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