When Americans think of Chinese food, images of late-night delivery and take-out food likely surface. Jane and John Wang, owners of Szechuan Pavilion, were originally intent on opening a sit-down, “high-class” type of restaurant. But it quickly become clear that a “super” buffet, where hurried diners can see what they are ordering, was going to be necessary to succeed.
“For some reason, people have a very deep thought when they think of Chinese food: They think of chop suey, chow mein, fried rice, faster, faster, faster. Everything want to be so fast,” says Jane, who handles the restaurant’s managerial tasks.
“We had to sacrifice a little bit, but we do offer high-quality and fast serving, and not many restaurants can do that,” she says.
It wasn’t the first sacrifice the Wangs have made, however. When they came here from their native Taiwan in the mid-70s, neither spoke English, and they had only the art of cooking with which to make a living. But it didn’t faze them.
“John said: No problem! No sweat!” Jane recalls. “Very easy, all you do is smile and nod the head.”
“John love the United States because he feel that this place offer people chance to have their dream come true,” she says.
The Wangs eventually settled in Dallas in 1980. They opened the original Szechuan Pavilion (now under new ownership) at Northwest Highway and Preston in 1989, and also had locations in McKinney and in Richardson. Three chefs and many of their regulars have followed them to their current location in Casa Linda Plaza.
“We make balance with the food,” Jane says. “Americans like more deep-fried food, and the oil does make the meat more tender. So we moderate the dishes a bit, but we also have a lot of vegetables.”
