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Jing fong11/6/2023 “The sad reality is, while the pandemic has made this even more obvious, this extremely large space was not sustainable for Jing Fong’s business. Phillips of the PR firm Edelman, said “Nobody wanted Jing Fong to succeed more than the Chus. We are saddened by this pandemic and the unemployment that has resulted from inadequate federal, state and local support for workers and small businesses.” ![]() My family has been loyal patrons of Jing Fong for decades, standing shoulder to shoulder with employees on holidays and during important life events. Jing Fong’s base rent has remained the same since 1993 – and the restaurant hasn’t paid any rent for the last 12 months. “Nobody has tried harder to keep Jing Fong in this space than we have. “The owners of Jing Fong decided that this type of extremely large space is no longer sustainable for their restaurant,” said Jonathan Chu of Chu Enterprises in amNY. Last week, a rally in Chinatown was organized by 318 Restaurant Workers Union and Youth Against Displacement to press Jing Fong’s owner and landlord, The Chu Family, to work together to keep the union staff employed there. The usual large amount of seniors and families in the restaurant were absent as they have likely been through the pandemic. A majority of the patrons were middle-aged. The chaos and traffic of dim sum carts of the once fully packed restaurant was absent. There were no waiters with matching jackets to be seen. Light staff was visibly hustling dishes to their patrons or taking orders. Half the restaurant towards the main stage was closed. NgĪt 1:30pm, Jing Fong’s indoor dining with its spaced out tables appeared to be doing well, but not well enough to remain open. Half of Jing Fong is sectioned off from their main stage to the center of the restaurant to meet the city’s maximum of indoor dining at only 35%. Money had already begun to be distributed and the remaining funds may not be enough to support Chinatown. Kong feared back in January that it may be too late to amend the eligibility for the loans. The committee board members sought to fix the issues and base eligibility for PPP loans on Census Track Data, as suggested by Yin Kong, Director of Think!Chinatown. The wealth of the residents in 10013 negated the eligibility of small businesses in the area. This criteria for the PPP loans in the zip codes were based on income of residents and not small business profitability. “Using our faces, using our businesses, using us a backdrop for your supposed advocacy for minorities.” I don’t understand how you can leave out Chinatown because you’re using us in your publicity for your office,” Lee said. “The loan is designed for minority communities and minority businesses. ![]() In the Gothamist, Jan Lee, of the Chinatown Core Block Association, noted the loan program was framed as beneficial to communities of color in the agency’s initial announcement. Staff sorts out containers of food on a food cart on the last day of Jing Fong’s indoor dining. In a January community board meeting, advocates, residents and small business owners protested the omission and demanded to know how and why that happened.Īccording to the city, 10013 includes the wealthy areas of Tribeca and Soho, where many high net worth residents live in luxury high-rises, lofts or remodeled turned of the century tenement walk-ups, thus making businesses in this zip code ineligible, which included parts of Chinatown. Small businesses in the Chinatown zip code of 10013 suffered when somehow they were omitted from eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Jing Fong, like many other small businesses, suffered economically from two tragic blows, the pandemic and xenophobia towards Asians. It’s too bad, but at least we’re here eating one last time.” He likes the shrimp rice roll, turnip cakes, and the “loa sah boas”, with the “lava salty egg yolk bun.” Justin from Long Island was dining on the last day with a friend. A table and cashier has been placed inside against the front glass panels as a makeshift take out order counter for pick-ups. They do have an elevator if you need to use it. Once inside, a healthy pair of legs would require you to ascend on the steep escalator that has been turned off for an unknown amount of time and reasons. A robust outdoor dining for Jing Fong as they close their indoor dining on March 7. ![]() Staff took a constant flow of take-out orders at the front entrance. Patrons filled their recently opened outdoor seating to capacity. Several people waited in line for indoor dining in the early afternoon.
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