Controversial Tank Noodle Opens Second Location in Old Irving Park | Eater Chicago

"Since opening in 2002 at the busy Argyle and Broadway intersection in Uptown, Tank Noodle filled a niche for Chicagoans wanting Vietnamese food and helped open the door for other Vietnamese restaurants, though many have arguably surpassed it. Over the past two years the Ly family courted high-profile controversy after images circulated of ownership team members traveling to the January 6 rally, and federal authorities later forced ownership to pay nearly $700,000 in back wages to 60 workers after a Department of Labor investigation found the restaurant failed to pay some workers direct wages (compensating them only with tips) and that management siphoned off a share of the tip pool; subsequent reporting revealed multiple failures by city and state officials to enforce labor laws. For some in Chicago’s Asian restaurant community this underscored feelings of invisibility, as chef Palita Sriratana observed, and the family now says all staff members are being paid "correctly" as they seek to move forward." - Naomi Waxman