A-1 Cafe Restaurant
Mr. Hu: I moved from Mainland China to Hong Kong. I have more than ten years of working experience in big restaurants in Hong Kong. After I moved to the United States, I worked for two years in a restaurant before opening my restaurant "A-1 Cafe."
Irene： Do you remember when you came to America?
Mr. Hua: I went to Hong Kong in 1979 and worked for 10 years and then came to the United States in 1989. Then I worked for two years before my restaurant opened.
Irene: Why did you choose to open your business in Chinatown?
Mr. Hua: Because there are many tourists in Chinatown, and the population is concentrated.
Irene： Can you tell me a little bit about your restaurant? Is there any hometown specialty?
My restaurant mainly serves Hong Kong taste food. We all do hot dishes, and it is an authentic Hong Kong-style restaurant.
Irene: Is there anything unique about your restaurant?
Mr. Hua: The most popular dish in my restaurant is the “Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings.” My dishes are authentic Cantonese cuisine.
Irene: What was your original purpose for opening an A-1 Cafe restaurant?
Mr. Hua: The original purpose of opening a restaurant is to make money and maintain a living.
Irene: And I know right now everything in your restaurant is made by yourself.
Mr. Hua: Right! I do everything such as preparing and serving food by myself.
Irene： Why don’t you hire anyone?
Mr. Hua: Due to the epidemic, the business is unstable. Sometimes there are many people, and sometimes there is no one at all. If I hire someone, I can’t afford the salary. I don’t have extra money to pay the wage.
Irene: So, you mean there were employees before the epidemic?
Mr. Hua: Yes. I had hired someone before Covid, but I had no choice but to do it all alone now.
Irene: Wouldn't that be too much work? Stress?
Mr. Hua: There is no other way because the current situation is like this.
Irene: So, what are your goals and expectations for the future of your restaurant?
Mr. Hua: I hope my restaurant has better business to help my life.
Irene： What kind of future do you want to see in Chinatown?
Mr. Hua: I hope that Chinatown will be full of people like before, and more tourists will come to Chinatown to make every restaurant have good business.