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Jing Fong, Manhattan’s largest Chinese restaurant, is dead. When I visited on March 2, the two grand escalators ascending to the third-floor banquet hall were frozen. The restaurant could once seat a thousand people upon red carpet, beneath golden dragons and resplendent chandeliers. But last week only two of its six heaters were working, and next to the dining room’s entrance were just a handful of patrons eating out of takeout containers. After nearly three decades on Elizabeth Street, Jing Fong limped through its final days its dining room closing for good on March 7.
Restaurant Union Calls On Jing Fong Landlords To Keep Banquet Hall Open
arrow Jing Fong banquet hall in pre-pandemic times Nathalie Cone / Flickr
The impending closure of one of Chinatown’s largest and most popular restaurants is more than just a loss to the community, but a financial setback for the many employees who depend on their jobs there and a blow to the local economy, said a representative for the restaurant’s union.
Last month, the owners of Jing Fong banquet hall announced their plans to close March 7th after 49 years, citing the pandemic-driven loss of revenue and the inability to pay rent on its 20 Elizabeth Street lease.
Jing Fong Protesters Call on Landlord to Save Chinatown s Largest Restaurant eater.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eater.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.