Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
The Youngs have been widely admired during their 39 years of business. (Photo courtesy of Janice Young)
“The basic story of this restaurant is-one, they will never go hungry again. Second, they can hire their family when they come.”
Van and Ella Young’s daughter Janice Young explained that she opened Young’s restaurant in the White Center in 1982. Young people work tirelessly to make their American dream a reality-now, 39 years later, it’s time to hand the torch to the new owner. The new owners Satri and Chan Toekaew will open Young’s after New Year’s Day with their son Bobby and his wife Bow Chunhasuntorn. They promise to provide the same menu and excellent service.
Bobby has already worked in the kitchen with Van, his age is the same as when Van first opened Young’s after moving from North Carolina to Seattle. Youngs are Vietnamese refugees. They floated on the sea for three days, stayed in a camp in Malaysia for a year and then came to the United States. According to Janice, the “country life” in North Carolina is not attractive, so they moved here. On the suggestion of a friend, they decided to open a restaurant.
Van and Ella Young stood in front of Young’s restaurant in their early advertisements. (Photo courtesy of Janice Young)
“The area they have been focusing on is the White Center. Because of the’wave’, they decided to make Chinese food,” Janice explained, referring to the influx of Vietnamese immigrants at that time.
“They said,’Let’s learn Chinese and do something different.'” This family is also inextricably linked to Chinese language and culture.
“They are from Vietnam, but they mainly speak Chinese. When my grandma came to the United States, she only taught us Chinese, so when I grew up, I thought we were really confused. Are we Vietnamese or Chinese?” Janice smiled.
The Yang family chose a Chinese menu, paired with American dishes. They lived in their original location for five years, and then in 1987, when a larger existing building became available, the Yangs said, “Let us seize the opportunity.” As with any effort, including the difficult times during the pandemic, The ups and downs have always existed, but Young’s continues to operate due to payroll protection program loans, sound financial advisors, its customer base, and their own professional ethics.
Van and Ella Young (left) stand with new owners Satri and Chan Toekaew (right) and their son Bobby. Bobby will work in the restaurant with his wife Bow (center). (Photo courtesy of Janice Young)
Van and Ella (also called Binh) did most of the work by themselves, as well as relatives and Ella’s “left-handed”, preparing chef Suphee Termwut.
“My parents did it all,” Janice recalled. “Breakfast at 6 in the morning to dinner at 9 in the evening, a long day. They hired a lot of people, my uncle, their friends, for two shifts. My dad would go home and sleep for a few hours…they play together .”
Janice herself worked intermittently in the restaurant after graduating from high school and started working full-time around 2011. She talked about her great love to meet customers and sit down with them to ask about their day.
Earlier this winter, Janice announced on Facebook that Young’s would transition to new ownership.
“After 39 years of business, we decided it was time to pass the torch to another hard-working family,” she wrote. Youngs strives to make changes as easy and relaxed as possible for everyone.
“I’ve been to a restaurant that has closed [and] This is panic eating,” Janice described. “We want to keep’business as usual.’ “
By the time of the announcement, Bobby had been working in the restaurant with his family for some time. A friend of Suphee’s, when Janice’s aunt had to go to work in her own company, he joined.
“He started working with my dad, learning Chinese cuisine…My dad showed him a lot of things he needs to do, and then my dad will taste it and say’yes’,’no’,’add some more’ … Bobby is really good. There are some things you can’t teach. But you can look at someone and you know they are great. We taught him… a few times and he learned it.”
“I heard from her mother that they are going to sell this restaurant,” Bobby told The Weekly. “I think I might take over and keep all the menus the same-Chinese food, breakfast-the same without any changes. I like customers. They are really nice… They are very happy. They talk. Big smiles. I I really like it, that’s why I think I can accept it.” The Toekaew family is from Thailand, and Bobby and Bow already have experience working in Thai restaurants. Satri and Chan reached a deal with Van and Ella in December, followed by the cleaning of Young and the installation of some new equipment. The reopening date is set on January 4, and Bobby was confident about it in an interview with The Weekly.
“Everything is done. We are just waiting for the opportunity.”
Fan and Ella didn’t want to show off the sale of the restaurant and their upcoming departure.
“My parents have always worked hard and kept their heads down.” But Janice felt that his achievements needed some recognition, so he quietly arranged a “secret event” for new and old customers, asking them to drop by and give gifts. “You can see how much they love.”
During the transition period, Youngs will continue to assist and train new owners and employees. Bobby will work in the kitchen, and Bow will be “outside”, in front. Suphee, who has worked in this restaurant for 20 years, will stay on board forever. Fan and Ella will retire and spend a well-deserved vacation, traveling and spending time with their grandchildren.
“This change is bittersweet for customers, but it will be there as a basis,” Janice assured. “They are a hard-working family… We want them to succeed.”
Kay can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
