Owners of historic Millbrae dim sum restaurant spoke out against rumors of closure
By: Han Li
Tags: Bay Area, Restaurant, Millbrae, Dim Sum

The Hong Kong Flower Lounge has been in business in Millbrae for 31 years. (Photo: Han Li)

Running a restaurant isn’t easy in the Bay Area. Here comes an additional challenge: fighting rumors.

One of the oldest dim sum places outside of San Francisco Chinatown, Hong Kong Flower Lounge(香满楼) in the city of Millbrae, has been a popular spot for Chinese family gatherings and big wedding parties for decades.

But the rumors since early 2019 on the neighborhood social media Nextdoor saying the restaurant will soon be closed to re-develop for residential condos, have haunted the restaurant owners repeatedly, forcing them to speak out.

“I have never heard anything myself. No such things of building condos here”, Alice Wong, the founder and owner of the restaurant building clarified to the reporter. “My mom loves this building architecture so much. How can I say yes to demolition?”

Wong built and opened the restaurant in 1989 as both the landlord and business owner, but later she sold the restaurant and now remains as the landlord.

Currently, the restaurant business is co-owned by Albert Yau and Eric Lau, who both denied the “closure” rumors. In addition, Anders Fung, the chair of the Millbrae Planning Commission, confirmed that the city has not received any re-development applications for the address of the Hong Kong Flower Lounge.

From left to right: Hong Kong Flower Lounge business owner Eric Lau, Albert Yau, property owner Alice Wong, Millbrae planning commissioner Anders Fung, and architect Johnny Darosa. (Photo: Han Li)

According to Nextdoor, one of the first posts describing the restaurant closure rumors originated from You You Xue, a 22-year-old Millbrae community activist.

Xue explained to the reporter that he heard the rumor from “a construction person” in the Millbrae construction industry, and insisting that it’s a “reasonable rumor” during the time because of the influx of condo development projects into Millbrae.

Right after Xue learned that the Hong Kong Flower Lounge has made clear statements that the rumor was false, he deleted the post in April 2019.

But the restauranteurs felt their business is being hurt by the rumors till now.

“Plenty of customers calling in for reservations, like big dinner events planned for later this year, all feel suspicious of whether we will still be in business at that time”, said Yau. He also pointed out that people will hesitate to host wedding banquets with a restaurant if they think the place will soon be shut down, which symbols a bad sign.

A legal letter was sent to Xue by the restaurant in May 2019, threatening a potential lawsuit against the rumor starter.

“I did receive a letter from their lawyer”, Xue said, and “am surprised of how defensive they are ”, referring the restaurant is being “overreacting”.

For now, the frustrated owners only want the rumors terminated. And for dim sum lovers, this landmark Millbrae restaurant remains open as an option for traditional Cantonese cuisine. The owners also revealed that they plan to spend tens of thousands of dollars on interior renovations this year, insisting on a steady business situation.

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This story was originally published in Chinese language by the World Journal on Jan. 15, 2020.