The plan would make Jing Fong, one of the few unionized restaurants in the city, a high-profile example of a collectively-owned business. “We don't want to just run a restaurant, we want to make the Jing Fong experience even better,” said community organizer Don Lee in a phone interview. Part of the decision was driven by their inability to pay rent on the space - Eric Phillips, a PR representative for the landlord Jonathan Chu, has said the restaurant owners hadn’t paid rent since March 2020.
The restaurant owners said they plan to continue delivery and takeout service as well as outdoor dining at its Elizabeth Street site. The workers’ union and other supporters have called for saving the workers' jobs since the owners, the Lam family, announced last month they were closing its indoor dining service after 43 years, citing the pandemic-driven loss of revenue and the inability to pay rent on its 20 Elizabeth Street lease. At its pre-pandemic height, Jing Fong was drawing about 10,000 customers a week, according to union representatives. They also see this as a chance to support the local Chinatown economy through tourism generated by the appeal of a popular restaurant.
At a press conference outside Jing Fong’s multi-story space at 20 Elizabeth Street Friday, organizers from the restaurant’s union and from community groups said their plan would help save the jobs of roughly 100 employees who could stay on at the new restaurant.
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