Boston Chinatown restaurants are some of the worst-hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several places have closed down without knowing if they will reopen again. What many businesses had thought would be a temporary closure a year ago still remains today. Douzo Sushi Owner Jack Huang said, “Asian restaurants actually took a big hit. In general, the hospitality industry has been destroyed.” Despite that, Huang’s business has persevered, and he shared in an interview with Sampan how they managed to stay open.
Huang described the pandemic as devastating to witness. “I think that 99% of people would never really believe in a million years that the pandemic will last that long. […] In the US, it was almost like, from a Great Gatsby party, and the next thing you know it became the Great Depression. Everything was locked down. So the [impacts] are huge,” he said. “For our company, we went from a million and a half in revenue to suddenly dropping down to $500,000.”
Early in the pandemic, Huang also temporarily shut down his restaurants. “We had to shut down and deal with all the problems we had, and we did not know what was going on. … At first, I was very optimistic that hopefully this will go away in a couple of months, or a couple weeks, becoming a couple months, a couple months became a couple of years.”
This is a completely novel experience for Huang. Having been in Boston since the late 80s, he said nothing compares to the impact of the pandemic. Huang said, “Boston is a very dynamic market. No matter what, you always have approximately 300,000 students and staff as consumers contributing to the economy. But not this time.”
With some of his restaurants still closed today, Huang said they are operating at half the production and revenue-generating capacity compared to before. “From 250-300 [employees], we downsized to only 84 people. The people who didn’t want to work, we really didn’t force them because everyone has different expectations,” said Huang. “I’m dealing with uncertainty with all my employees as well, I have no clue.”
Those who chose not to work during the pandemic were encouraged to apply for unemployment benefits while others switched to working part-time. Those paid on a salary, including managers, “we fund their salary 100% throughout, including bonuses, allowance, whatever that needs to be. Basically […] I’m trying to make this as normal as possible even during the pandemic,” said Huang.
Moreover, he has chosen to take the time to prioritize the wellbeing of his employees further. He said, “The first thing I thought is: What can I do to make them feel a sense of security?” When employees brought up the concern about taking public transport, Huang decided to subsidize their trips via rideshare apps. In addition, with some help from PPP loans, he has been able to pay for 100% of his employees’ health benefits since the pandemic began.
“Our philosophy of operating business is a principle of family. So you ask me, who am I? I’m the head of household. I’m the father,” said Huang. “I always believe the wellbeing of my employees is my responsibility, not the government’s. Because they are in a much better, happier place, guess what? Their productivity becomes better.”
Most importantly, Huang believes that they can get through this by adapting to the situation as they change. “It’s really how you adapt to situations. So throughout this time we correct ourselves to state and local government guidelines, laws, and then how to have our people comply with it,” he said. “The point is, the one who is able to survive us today you will come out better and stronger. So my advice is I think that everybody needs to reinvent themselves, and adapt to the situation and hang in there.”
To read this article in Chinese (Traditional), please click here.
