Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Lau.
Hi Sophia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My mom and stepdad opened their first restaurant together in 1988 when I was just seven years old. The restaurant was my second home; I spent weekends, holidays and summers there. At a young age, I didn’t know I would get into the restaurant business. I grew up wanting to be a fashion designer. After taking some fashion classes in college, I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I didn’t actually know what I wanted, but I felt obligated to follow in the family business (that’s just kind of what you do, growing up in an Asian household). I ended up going to Cal Poly Pomona to study Hospitality. After I graduated, I took over the San Gabriel location and tried to streamline what I could since it was really run like a mom and pop shop. These days I don’t work as much because I had three kids and it keeps me busy. My stepdad is retired but my mom is still working.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When we moved into our current location in San Gabriel (down the street from the previous location), it was like opening a new restaurant. It was also the first time we used a point of sales systems since everything was handwritten for the past 20 years. During break time at the old location, we would send the front of house employees to the new location to practice on the POS system. Most of them were older and Chinese was their primary language, and I couldn’t read Chinese, so it was hard for me to show them what to do in English when they needed to see it in Chinese. Our first few months at the current location was such a struggle. It has gotten better, but holidays are extra busy, so busy that our kitchen is completely slammed.
As you know, we’re big fans of Newport Seafood Restaurant. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Newport Seafood is a family-owned and -operated restaurant, started by two passionate founders with humble beginnings: a self-taught chef and a restaurateur. Unlike traditional Chinese restaurants, our cuisine brings together a fusion of many Southeast Asian flavors including Chinese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Thai elements. We are famous for our Newport Style Lobster and French Beef. Our restaurant is the perfect place to grab a casual lunch or celebrate a birthday with your friends and family. We are open everyday, including holidays, except during these Covid restrictions.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I’ve learned that while there are many people who quietly support you, there are a lot more people who will publicly criticize. Our first holiday was Mother’s Day weekend and we didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly was not what we experienced. We didn’t think it would be busy but it was madness. I felt like such a failure after that weekend, with all the feedback, because food took up to 2 hours for customers to get their food, not knowing that every restaurant, even the big chains, all experienced the same issues. I learned that we can only try to do the best we can in the given situations.
Contact Info:
- Website: newportseafood.com
- Instagram: newportseafood_sangabriel
Image Credits
William Wang, Tetsuya Kadono
