Chan's Restaurant pauses on restaurant orders to encourage social distancing

Every day since Chan's Restaurant closed last month, Yang Shao and her husband, Bi Xing Liu, spend a few hours cleaning the restaurant so it's ready when customers are able to visit the restaurant once more.

On March 20, the couple decided to close Chan's doors to the public temporarily to protect customers from the spread of COVID-19. While it wasn't an easy decision, Shao said it was essential to preserving the health of the community.

Social distancing is a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to slow the spread of COVID-19; individuals are asked to remain at home whenever possible and avoid gathering in large groups in public spaces, such as dine-in restaurants. On March 21, a day after Chan's closed, Gov. Mike Parson announced a statewide social distancing order that would require restaurants to only serve food through carryout or drive-through means.

Shao -- known by customers as "Kiki" -- has been working at Chan's for 15 years following her emigration from Fuzhou, China, where her parents still live. Bi Xing Liu began working at the restaurant before her and has worked his way up to owning the restaurant.

Her parents were the ones who first warned Shao it may be a good decision to temporarily close the restaurant, she said. They emphasized the seriousness of the virus and the need to protect customers from gathering in groups. Her parents living in Fuzhou are healthy, Shao said, but communicated to her the difference between COVID-19 and the yearly flu.

"A normal flu doesn't hurt your business," Shao said. "This coronavirus hurts your health and your business." She said it's difficult for any business to close for an indefinite period of time, but it's something she said needed to happen.

Shao said it's also important to remember COVID-19 is a global pandemic, affecting individuals from countries all over the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Sunday that 1,133,758 cases worldwide.

Chan's Restaurant has been in business for more than 30 years, and Shao said she has received support from customers. Recently, a couple gave Shao a card including $100 and a kind message for the restaurant, and she receives several calls a day asking whether the restaurant is open and when normal business hours will return. Loyal customers are what makes Shao love Chan's, but customer safety was ultimately the reason to close, she said.

Now, the couple visits the empty restaurant daily to wipe down surfaces and prevent the buildup of dust and grease. Shao folds dollar bills into origami that says, "Stay at Home, Save Lives," and "Stay Calm and Stay Healthy." They're careful to not touch anything or stop anywhere during the commute to the restaurant, Shao said.

They end the day early to spend time at home with their 12-year-old son and look forward to the day when Chan's will once again open its doors to hungry customers, she said.

"We look forward to reopening Chan's restaurant soon," she said. "We're thinking of our friends, customers and our neighbors."