The Oldest Restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown Faces the Coronavirus Shutdown | The New Yorker

"A few Saturdays ago, I was surprised to find at least a dozen people milling around outside, taking pictures and waiting for tables — the dim-sum parlor, celebrating its hundredth anniversary this year, still holds bragging rights as the oldest restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Situated on Doyers Street (once known as the Bloody Angle), Nom Wah draws tourists who line up for dumplings and its famous “OG” eggrolls; its retro-chic vibe comes from preserved, dated diner décor and a once-red awning faded to dusty pink. The restaurant’s revival is largely the work of Wilson Tang, a telegenic former investment banker who took over in 2010 after the place had declined; he upgraded the kitchen, shifted from cart service to a made-to-order à-la-carte menu, and used Instagram—even posting “There is no coronavirus bs here”—to drum up attention and turn Nom Wah into an Instagram darling and event spot (it hosted a Met Gala pre-party in 2015). Family history runs deep—Tang’s uncle Wally started there in 1950 and bought it in 1974—and Tang has since expanded with outposts in Manhattan, Philadelphia, and Shenzhen. When dine-in was ordered to cease in March, Tang chose to offer takeout and delivery from the Nolita location but not the Chinatown storefront because many Chinatown employees live in intergenerational households and feared spreading the virus; to-go revenue wouldn’t cover the labor but helped use up inventory while he sought to “wind down slowly and stop the bleeding.” Merchandise and gift-certificate sales have ticked up, and because his uncle owns the building he’s less vulnerable to eviction; Tang planned to continue paying salaried staff at least through April and hourly workers through the end of that week, saying “we’ll play it by ear. We’re in survival mode,” while remaining cautiously optimistic about the resilience of small immigrant-run businesses and noting that the Shenzhen outposts, closed earlier, have reopened and are improving week by week." - Hannah Goldfield