San Francisco’s historic Sam Wo restaurant in Chinatown is back open for business.
The more than 100-year-old restaurant is once again serving up its popular dishes, including the famous BBQ pork rice rolls.
Sam Wo closed in January after the chef and co-owner retired. Now, a new team is behind the operations moving their community forward in a neighborhood they grew up in.
The past few weeks have been busy inside Sam Wo, with staff working on kitchen renovations and figuring out food and supply deliveries. Former owner and chef Mister David Ho is back in the kitchen. But, he’s not coming out of retirement.
“He’s training our staff. I’m so happy. I even took a couple pictures with him,” said Norris Song, who is one of the new partners. “He’s the chef I grew up with.”
Song grew up in Chinatown and ate Sam Wo’s food.
“It’s more like preserving the legacy, the cuisine of Mr. Ho,” Song said.
Song said the legacy will continue with most of the menu staying the same. He said he’s also keeping the tables and chairs.
For the past year, co-owner Steven Lee did a nationwide search in hopes of finding a new chef. Lee said he was “ready to just throw in the towel.”
Just as he was about to give up, Song and his cousin, Ming, two kids who grew up in the neighborhood, approached him to save Sam Wo.
“Norris was the one saying, No, Sam Wo needs to be saved,” Lee said.
The other thing Lee hopes to accomplish with this new reopening is to tell people Chinatown is open for business at night. Small businesses have struggled the past few years and close early because of lack of business. Lee wants to change the narrative.
“What we want to do is send out the message that Chinatown is going to be open again, after 9 o’clock, right? We’re going to go ahead and invest the time and try to be open on the weekends at least to 11 or 12,” Lee said. “We’re going to invest the money into the community by opening late again.”
The co-owners signed a two-year lease, as a trial run, to see how the new partnership will work.
San Francisco’s famous Sam Wo Restaurant has closed its doors after a 115-year stint. Gia Vang reports.
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