Business notebook: China Palace marks 20th anniversary

Longtime China Palace customer Dave Heise said he thinks he probably has tried everything on the menu over the years, although he usually sticks with sesame chicken these days.

But for him and his wife, Jeanne, it's more than just the food that brings them in several times a week.

"Everyone that's here is so cordial and so helpful," Jeanne Heise said.

China Palace owner John Cai said he considers the Heises and other customers like them friends.

And after 20 years in business, Cai has plenty of friends.

John Cai, owner of China Palace in Cape Girardeau, speaks Nov. 17 with patrons and friends, Jeanne and Dave Heise. (Laura Simon)

"You're best to look at your customer, not just directly ... for the food," Cai said, "(but) for the service and the relationship."

China Palace opened Dec. 1, 1995, in a small building near Broadway and Perry Avenue. When Southeast Hospital expanded five years later, Cai moved his restaurant to 2123 Broadway, its current location.

Cai, who worked in the hotel and restaurant business in China, got his start in the Cape Girardeau restaurant world working for his cousin at Golden Dragon. After working there for a couple of years, he decided it was time to begin his own business.

"It did scare me, the first couple months," he said.

Cai could not speak English when he came to the United States, so he hired an English tutor.

He said one of his proudest moments was becoming a U.S. citizen.

"I feel America is a great country and great people," Cai said. "In America, they're looking for trust. They're looking for, '(Are) you honest?' That's why ... I am standing here, got so many friends."

Cai said he often sees former customers who have moved away when they come back to visit. He said some eat at the restaurant each time they come through Cape Girardeau, even if they've been away for several years.

"It's amazing, you know?" he said.

The restaurant has a loyal clientele, with some, like the Heises, who have been customers since its opening.

But even if Cai doesn't remember a name, he always remembers faces -- and occasionally knows a person by their order.

"You know, 15 years, 10 years, five years?" Cai said. "That's [an] old friend."

MU Extension offers small-business course

The University of Missouri Extension is offering a small-business financial management series in December.

The three-part series, sponsored by Montgomery Bank of Cape Girardeau County, will be Dec. 3, 7 and 10 and cover the topics "Understanding Financial Statements," "How to Control Cash Flow" and "Predicting Future Cash Needs."

The series is limited to 30 people. To register, call (573) 243-3581.

More Christmas shoppers go mobile

If the beginning of the holiday season is any indication, it could be a merry mobile Christmas for shoppers.

For the first time, there's expected to be more people visiting retailers' websites through their smartphones than on desktop computers or tablets during the first weekend of the holiday shopping season that began on Thanksgiving Day, the Associated Press reported.

Mobile traffic during the five-day start to what is typically the busiest shopping period of the year is expected to reach 56.9 percent of total traffic, up from 48.5 percent last year, according to IBM Watson.

And although everyone who "window shops" on their phones isn't going to buy, mobile sales are jumping, too. Mobile sales are expected to account for 36.1 percent of online sales, up from 27 percent last year, according to IBM Watson Trend.

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3642