An Immigrant's Story

I finished up the Welcoming Economies Global Network conference in Philadelphia with dinner at Sang Kee Peking Duck House.  The owner, Michael Chow, treated us to a feast, and while we ate, he told us his story.

He was born in Hong Kong and enjoyed the career he was making for himself as an engineer.  But, “I wanted freedom. I wanted this,” he said, pointing at the ground he stood on.

So in1980, he left for Philadelphia where an uncle was already living.  He quickly found that his professional life was over.  “My degree was no good, I couldn’t speak English, couldn’t get a license.”

His uncle told him he had two choices: manufacturing or washing dishes at a restaurant.  He rejected the former out of hand, but busboy work did not appeal to him.  Perhaps he could cook.

Only one problem:  “I didn’t know how to cook.” 

In Hong Kong, his grandfather had advised him that if he were to turn to cooking, he should just cook duck.  “It’s pretty easy,” Mr. Chow said, “and it’s simple to start. You just need one oven and one table, no help.”

He practiced and practiced until he thought he had a good product.  Still, he thought like an engineer, so he decided to do a test run first.  He bought ten ducks from Long Island (“I don’t get them from there anymore, it got too expensive and the ducks all moved to Pennsylvania”).  He then went to a friend who had started his own restaurant and asked him to rent him space on his front counter so that he could sell the ducks as take out.  The friend agreed; the ten ducks flew off the table.

Now Mr. Chow was ready to open his own business.  Only one problem: “I didn’t know how to run a business.”  Oh, and:  “I couldn’t find a building.”

He continued to sell ducks to go and did other work while he searched.  Finally, he found a 300 square foot deli in a dicey location on the far end of Philadelphia’s Chinatown.  The owners were asking $18,000.  Mr. Chow had $5,000.

When he made his offer, the sellers laughed him out of the room.  He left to continue his search.  But a few hours later they called him: $8,000.  Mr. Chow still had only $5,000.

“They said to me, ‘well, if we’re going to give it to you for $5,000, we’re going to have to take out the fryer and some of the other equipment.’” Mr. Chow agreed.  Now he had a place, but no money.

He left the studio apartment he was renting and for the next six months lived in the restaurant. Eventually he bought what he needed and opened for business.  He brought on a partner to run the front of the house while he cooked.

People really liked his ducks.  They liked them so much that eventually he had the means to expand his menu to cater to the Koreans, Vietnamese, and other Asians who had moved into the area, not to mention the native-born population that loved his Peking Duck.

Mr. Chow expanded the building, then added a second level, then expanded the whole thing again.  Over the course of 36 years, he added five other locations.

“My grandfather gave me very good advice,” Mr. Chow said.