EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS A diverse customer base is his new aim BY JAMES BESSETTE | Bessette@PBN.com
(Editor’s note: This is the 12th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each is asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success.) YEWCHANANG TAN HAS ADAPTED to many different environments over the last quarter century. Tan, who emigrated from Malaysia in the mid-1990s, has a deep passion for cooking. He first began studying in his native country to earn a diploma in hotel management and worked at hotels in Singapore. But then he developed an interest in being in the kitchen and then made his way over to the U.S. to study culinary at Johnson & Wales University. Tan recalled spending long hours in the kitchen perfecting his craft and knowing that the extra work would one day pay off. “If you want to learn something, you don’t mind staying longer just to learn it,” Tan said. “I think for any career, it all depends on the passion [that you have].” While attending JWU, Tan would frequently visit his favorite Asian barbecue restaurant on Central Street in Providence, New Wing Kee Barbeque & Poultry, to feast on the establishment’s signature duck offering in between classes. As fate would have it, Tan managed to digest more at New Wing Kee than just its delicacies. After the national restaurant chain Panda Express sponsored him to get a working visa and he briefly worked as a local restaurant manager for the company, Tan a few years ago began cooking for New Wing Kee and applying his craft in the meals that he regularly enjoyed as a college student. Near the end of 2019, Tan got a deal of a lifetime, he said. The restaurant’s owner retired, and he took over New Wing Kee as its owner. With a wife and family, Tan was ready to have his new career as a restaurant owner take off. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020 and left Tan’s future uncertain. “It was brutal. Sometimes, it was a lot of unknown. You just took it over and don’t have a lot of money. You just try to hang in there. It was just a very worrisome time,” Tan said. “You want to start to have your own business, but this thing happened, and you don’t know how long it’s going to take.” Business was slow during the pandemic. He recalled some days where he would, at most, sell one duck per day. But Tan said he worked hard to stay open. He created a Facebook page for the restaurant, informing customers on social media and by word of mouth to advertise that New Wing Kee was still open. Tan said business at New Wing Kee has improved slightly and some customers have returned. Even so, Tan had to dip into some of his savings to keep the restaurant afloat. Additionally, Good Fortune Supermarket – a market that specializes in Asian foods – opened in Providence in 2018, creating competition for New Wing Kee that had not been there previously, Tan said. Still, Tan is optimistic about the future. Tan said a growing and diverse customer base is something he hopes can keep New Wing Kee as a neighborhood staple after the pandemic fades. “The more people get vaccinated, the more people will go out. Also, social media and the website will start to help because we’re starting to have non-Southeast Asian customers,” Tan said. “Caucasian, Hispanic and others. Other people are trying things out. I have very good hope [for the future].”
Yewchanang Tan New Wing Kee Barbeque & Poultry owner SIGNATURE OFFERING: Yewchanang Tan, owner of the New Wing Kee Barbeque & Poultry restaurant, located at 39 Central St. in Providence, hangs some of the fully cooked ducks for display. PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
1
Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? I don’t see it. I think Rhode Island is pretty good compared to other states. I’ve seen Hispanic stores opening. I think the people in Rhode Island are very open. Every once in a while, you have a bad apple, but generally it’s fine.
2
How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? Before COVID-19, we didn’t put on our website and Facebook [about our business], so we relied solely on Southeast Asian customers. Since then, we’ve put our business on a website and Facebook. During COVID-19, all of the Chinese restaurants closed. So, we wanted to let people know that we were opened, so we put the word out on our website and social media.
3
What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? I think a little funding will help a bit. We’re trying to hang in there. During this pandemic, a lot of
businesses have been suffering. They have to keep on paying bills, like gas and electricity, but the business has been down so much. It’s been piling up. Maybe some advertisements in a magazine [to help promote us]. We cannot afford those big advertisements as a small business.
4
Have you had to turn somewhere other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions treat minorities fairly? No, I haven’t. I try to not owe so much [money]. I try to hang in there and do it by myself. You borrow and then you don’t know how this pandemic is going to go with all these new variants. As far as places treating minorities fairly, I think they do.
5
If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn for support for their business, where would you direct them? I think with the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition or the Center for Southeast Asians. The center has always been helpful. They helped me with paperwork stuff and computer things. They helped me understand rules and regulations. They have been very helpful with that. n
I try to not owe so much [money]. I try to hang in there and do it by myself. www.pbn.com | PROVIDENCE BUSINESS NEWS | AUGUST 6-19, 2021 | 15
