Blooming in Tar Heel Territory
Restaurant: Red Lotus Asian Kitchen
Address: 239 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone Number: (919) 968-7778
Interviewer: Madison Bencini
Interviewee: Kevin Zhu
The Red Lotus is a fine and respected addition to the Chinese cuisine available in the Chapel Hill area. From its pleasing
menu to its transition from day-to-night decor, the Red Lotus has an inexplicable charm about it. I was able to sit down with the restaurant’s owner, Kevin Zhu, to hear more about his success with juggling a busy family life and running a thriving business. Additionally, I gained a deeper perspective of Zhu’s outlook on the Chinese-American niche in restaurant work today and his philosophy on his own migration to the United States from the busy city of Shanghai.
How It All Started
Zhu was able to recount for me the process of establishing his restaurant in the summer of 2006. Additionally, his excellent tale of how he developed a taste for both cooking and running a restaurant proved to be instrumental to developing Zhu’s skill at managing the Red Lotus. Zhu originally worked in kitchens while living in Shanghai, building the knowledge base that he would need later once his family moved to the States.
While his parents were originally Shanghai bankers, Zhu explained that the poor living conditions in the heavily populated city of Shanghai forced them to set their sights elsewhere. His father was the original momentum behind the business, as he was a self-proclaimed worshipper of food and easily picked up the restaurant trade. Zhu’s parents still help out in the restaurant, as they pride themselves on their ability to call the Red Lotus a “family-owned establishment.” Click below to hear the Zhu family’s motivation for leaving China with nothing and what they’ve found to be true here in the States.
Shanghai Cuisine in the Piedmont
When asked what his most popular dish was at the Red Lotus, Zhu brought up their blending of both a traditional Shanghai menu and Chinese that registers with the average American’s palette. While not all customers come for both, the Red Lotus’ loyal clientele are eager for their traditional Shanghai cuisine time and time again. Zhu describes the dishes of Shanghai in the clip below.
Chinese Food Off Duty
Surprisingly, Zhu doesn’t cook Chinese food at the home and only bringsleftovers from the restaurant. The exhaustion of the restaurant makes bring extras home cheap and time efficient. Also, his children have not fully transitioned to enjoying 
the traditional Chinese palette due to their young age. With an American spouse, Zhu usually eats more Americanized food that his family has been raised to enjoy. His time in the States has adapted him towards American cuisine, as dictated in the clip below.
“We don’t cook at home, we bring cooked food to the house.”
Daily Life of a Chinese Restaurant Owner
Upon requesting what the daily life of the manager looks like, Zhu painted a picture of a day full of work and family responsibilities. 
While balancing three children under the age of six, he still maintains a balance between home and work life. The Red
Lotus is closed every Monday and for a short period during the day in order to give the Zhu family time to connect with their families and take care of family duties. One of Zhu’s goals with his restaurant was to be able to maintain a living while not having to work seven days-a-week, as most Chinese restaurant owners do. Listen to Zhu’s perspective on the longevity of running of a Chinese restaurant in today’s economic climate.
“There were a lot more Chinese restaurants five or ten years ago than there are now.”
Finding a Balance
Zhu’s managerial duties include overseeing the production of food and service of customers, as well as purchasing the necessary supplies for the restaurant to function smoothly. From his description of his everyday schedule, I found myself both amazed and humbled by his hard-earned achievements and tenacity for making a living in a difficult business. Upon developing a balance between work and home life from years years of no days off, Zhu has constructed an understanding and appreciation for the restaurant business in America. Take a listen to hear his perspective on life as a manager of a successful Chinese restaurant.
“I choose to do the restaurant because I like the restaurant business.”
Making it in America
One of Zhu’s most adamant and final claims in our short time together was the ability of anyone to come to America and make a living. Learned from experience, Zhu described his journey from coming to the States with nothing to founding and running a booming Chinese eatery of the Triangle area. His claim to fame is the power of perseverance and work ethic. After many years of creating a foothold in the Chinese restaurant business, Zhu can afford to take a step back from the taxing lifestyle of running a business to develop a healthy balance of work and family. His ending statement that can be played below really struck me as a lesson that is useful in the transitional time as a college student.
(Courtesy of Yelp; Food was so good I forgot to take a picture!)
A Special Thank You to Kevin Zhu and His Family for Their Time and Cooperation!