Q: How long has Panda House been open in Worthington?
A: Since 1988. I had worked for someone else in Montana in a Chinese restaurant; I managed the kitchen.I thought, ‘I can manage for another person, or I can own a restaurant. I quit the job in Montana and went to five or six states and found Worthington. In 1988, there was no Chinese restaurant and the population was over 10,000 people.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: I was born in China, and I lived in Hong Kong for a few years. Then I lived in California — in Sacramento. After that I went along the west coast and lived in Oregon and Seattle, and then went to Montana.
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Q: Has Panda House always been in this location?
A: Yes, we always been here on Fourth Avenue. In 2013, we (he and his wife, Mabel) doubled our space to a 99-person capacity. We also did renovations at that time.
Q: What are some of the favorites on the menu?
A: A lot of people like to order our Amazing Chicken, Amazing Beef, Amazing Shrimp — a lot of young people, not really older people. Those don’t have vegetables; only meat. Some of the older customers like broccoli, and combination plates are popular. People also like our egg rolls and wontons.
Q: What’s kept you in Worthington all these years?
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A: I like living in a mall town. I like having my own business, and also my kids are around here. I have two — one (Christipher) is in second year college in the Twin Cities. The older one, Robert, is also in the Cities. He works in the main office in Target, and graduated maybe 10 years ago.
More on Panda House can be found here .
