Business Spotlight: Happy Garden Palace
Dian Lin, owner of Happy Garden Palace
Happy Garden Palace
54 E Broadway
(212) 925-9888
website
Longevity Fund grant recipient Dan Lin of Happy Garden Palace, located on one of the busiest streets in NYC’s Chinatown. Their expansive menu offers both traditional Chinese cuisine and American Chinese food that tourists and native New Yorkers will love.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Dian Lin. I immigrated to America because it was easier to make a living here. I opened Happy Garden Palace in 2008.
How did Covid affect your business?
It’s been a big hit to our business, and I’m trying to stay afloat. Before covid, I had around 10 employees, but now I only have 3. I am losing around 70 thousand dollars a month. It’s difficult to make any income right now.
“We need all the support we can get to rebuild and recover.”
What changes have you had to make to try to improve the situation?
I still have a lot of customers who are regulars who have been with us for a long time, but now they mostly order take out. I work with Uber Eats to fulfill those orders.
Have you done have any outdoor dining?
No. Unfortunately there are a lot of regulations that make it difficult to be approved for outdoor dining. The government only provides 10 thousand dollars to build an outdoor space, but it’s too much labor to set it up, especially since we have so few employees. We don’t have enough customers who want to eat outdoors, so it’s not worth it for us.
“I hope once we get the pandemic under control, people will come back. Everything will improve soon.”
Have you seen any improvement in 2021?
Yes, there has been some improvement because they started giving out the vaccine. More and more people are coming outside. I want to hire back all of our employees one day.
How will the Longevity Fund help your business?
It will help us get over the hump in terms of finances. By next month we might have 35-40% indoor capacity, so we are optimistic.
Would that be enough to hire back your employees?
Unfortunately, we won’t be able to hire back all of them until we have at least 60-70% indoor capacity.
What are your hopes for Chinatown after the pandemic?
I’m hoping the government will provide more help for small businesses in Chinatown. We need all the support we can get to rebuild and recover. There are so many businesses in Chinatown that can’t afford their rent, so a lot of them moved or shut down. I hope once we get the pandemic under control, people will come back. Everything will improve soon. The tourists will come back, and there will be more foot traffic for everyone.
Chinatown establishments like Happy Garden Palace are what makes the spirit of our neighborhood. We need your support to keep that spirit alive. Please consider donating to The Longevity Fund, our small business relief fund, or help us spread the word of what’s at stake. Together, we can preserve Chinatown businesses and help keep Chinatown open for business.
Photo Credit: Fuxuan Xin
