Wednesday, May 20, 2009

China Garden changing ownership

We just ate there for dimsum lunch today, and noticed a sign in the windows indicating that the new owner will be "VIP Seafood Restaurants, Inc." Sorry to see the ownership change! Even with the splashier Capital Seafood opening up recently, China Garden was still my go-to place for dishes like geoduck and peking duck (no relation).

I guess the writing was on the wall, with the smaller crowds, and the new 10% discounts to try to entice diners. And it's not like the business is out of business, yet. Hopefully VIP Seafood Restaurants is the same entity that owns VIP Harbor Seafood in West Los Angeles, a second floor eatery off Barrington and Wilshire, that was similarly serviceable, if not in the same league as the outposts throughout Monterey Park and Rowland Heights.

And hopefully they try competing on quality, rather than price. Irvine's Capital is certainly more vulnerable on the quality and authenticity score.

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