intro-7Avenue

Hi, Everyone, Welcome to our web and blog, and nice meeting you here. It is my pleasure to take this chance to introduce myself, my partners, and my new restaurants, hoping to establish a platform to interact and interchange with all of you.

My name is John Zhang, just call me John. In the past, people would see me work mostly in one of the Grand Sichuans, which is located at 24th street and 9th Ave., but now you seldom catch me up there since I have been a “flying man” who flies forth and back between New York and Beijing very often to take care of one restaurant in Beijing. More than 11 years ago, I figured out the business name and opened the first Grand Sichuan in Chinatown to dream of my own restaurant. After 11 years, I still have a dream of establishing an international mini chain of Chinese restaurants. Besides being busy with restaurants and traveling, I am also busy with my online learning. Having picked up a MBA in Texas, I am now planting my ultimate degree on business management and leadership. So many things keep me busy and I feel so sorry that I don’t have much time to welcome you at the front of the restaurant. Alternatively, writing blogs probably is an effective way to communicate with you.

I am proud of introducing my new partner, Jenny Fu, who used to work at Grand Sichuan at 1049 2nd Ave as a cashier. She is nice and smiling, working hard and seriously. At the first glance, you would be curious that she has a bachelor’s degree in Law and a master degree in computer science in USA, but embraces restaurant business with her heart and love. However, I do believe in that hobby and love would help reap success. With her professional knowledge, she redesigned our web and added the function of blogging, and I am so glad that I have an easy way to talk to you even I am writing this welcome letter in Beijing now. She will work at the 7th Ave. restaurant as a manager, and I am eager to image how she will work friendly and nicely for you in the near future.

I am happy to introduce another new partner, Tao An, who is mature and experienced man. More than 10 years ago, he had a restaurant in Beijing and accumulated a great deal of experience. More than that, he is an “art” man who ran a gallery in middle-town of Manhattan for years, and is still in painting business. According to the west village’s unique culture feature, he plans to exhibit interesting paintings in the 7th Ave. restaurant, even inviting artists to display their original works! Do you think it is a good idea? In the future, he will work as a “supervisor” in the 7th Ave. restaurant.

Two chefs from the old Grand Sichuans have joined us as partners for the 7th Ave. restaurant and Jersey City restaurant, and I will introduce them here sometime later. However, chefs are under a lot of pressure and doing brainstorm to figure out new version of Sichuan food. Hopefully, you would talk to chef directly and tell them what ideal Chinese food you want.

Why do we open these two new restaurants in New York area and one restaurant in Beijing ? We do feel the “crisis” and wish to try something different to get out of the crisis a little bit. Recent years, we have seen American food, Japanese food, Tai food, and others are flourishing, we have seen more Chinese restaurants closing than opening in Manhattan, we have seen many great restaurants like Per Se, Jean Georges, Nobu, and others, but no single Chinese one on the list of the greatness. Chinese restaurant business is experiencing a very difficult time and needs new thinking, hypothesis, theory, technique, skill, ingredients, and tastes, and so does Grand Sichuan.

Ten years ago, I felt so happy and excited when I heard that the first Grand Sichuan was rated for one start by Ms.Ruth Reichl, but I don’t feel the same now. That review was a keen encouragement and motivation to me and did not mean I had already made the great food and restaurant. I am still researching how to run a good restaurant with good food. I place my hope in theses new restaurants that are intended to upgrade Sichuan food.

At the same time, I know I cannot achieve it myself, Jenny cannot do it, An cannot do it, and chefs cannot do it, either. If we really want to upgrade our restaurants, we must rely on our New Yorkers, our patrons and customers who watch our existing restaurants objectively and justly, know our goodness and badness, and are knowledgeable about food, design, and service. So I place my hope on you and definitely believe in that with your help, we would achieve these good new restaurants, even go from good to great.

We will post all information about our new restaurants here, let you know them from the very beginning, and listen to your opinion, suggestion, and even criticizing. For example, Jenny will post our first restaurant design for the 7th Ave and be glad to hear your comments, absorb your insight, even give up our plan and adopt yours if yours would be really great! Then we will post our menu, receipts, prices, service style, and management structure here, and listen to your feedback. Certainly, we will post information about Jersey City restaurant and the restaurant in Beijing . We firmly believe that these restaurants are not only built by us, but also by you.

Again, we are looking forward to your participation and great ideas!

John, Jenny, and An