Sacramento Chinese restaurant owners worry coronavirus fear is hurting business

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As coronavirus has spread to Sacramento, so too has panic over what the deadly disease might bring. That’s led to a discouraging mirroring of a national trend: fear over fried rice and dumplings.

Travel restrictions, misinformation and xenophobia tied to coronavirus have cost Chinese restaurants across the country money since late January, and Sacramento is no exception, local business owners say.

Tony Lin and his wife Winnie Liang own Tealicious, a small cafe that sells noodle dishes, ramen and boba tea at 5101 Freeport Blvd. They’ve seen sales drop 50 to 70 percent in the past few weeks as panic about the virus has spread, Lin said.

“We are seriously considering closing our doors on a temporary basis in March because business has been slow. We have not made the final decision yet, but it is a consideration,” Lin said. “At this time, I want to urge Chinese-American families not to panic. This is America, not Wuhan.”

Hong Kong Islander owner Kandy Lau said her restaurant’s daily revenue has dipped 20 to 30 percent from when the first local coronavirus case was reported last Friday. Part of that has to do with customers going out to eat less during tax season, but worries about the virus played a role as well, she said.

The 600-seat dim sum house near Sacramento Executive Airport has been especially slow over the weekend and for dinner – two time windows where it normally thrives, Lau said.

“I’m a little worried … that people might be avoiding going to Chinese restaurants,” Lau said. “I hope it goes away soon, but next week might be even more.”

At Canton Restaurant, a small south Sacramento establishment along 47th Avenue, a manager who goes by Eric T. conceded business had been down over the last month, but said he didn’t think it had anything to do with the virus. No customers or would-be customers had mentioned it to Eric T., he said.

“It could be anything. People don’t have money or they don’t want to eat out as much or it could just be a slow month,” he said. “The people who aren’t coming in, maybe they’re scared and they’re not telling me, but I haven’t been aware of that.”

More than 2,855 people have died of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, though nearly all of them have been in China. A Solano County resident on Wednesday was declared to be the first U.S. case where the patient didn’t travel to or come in close contact with someone who recently had been in Asia. There are at least 60 patients being treated across the U.S., including 33 in California.

Chinese restaurants hurt by coronavirus outbreak

Restaurants in Manhattan’s Chinatown saw losses of 50 to 70 percent in sales over 10 days as travel restrictions kept Chinese tourists from reaching the U.S., The New York Times reported. Foot traffic in San Francisco’s Chinatown dropped by half as a false rumor of a bakery employee’s coronavirus diagnosis spread on WhatsApp, according to KPIX.

Customers’ aversion to Chinese restaurants has attracted political pressure in the Bay Area, where Assemblyman Kansen Chu, D-San Jose, and Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose were planning a press conference for Friday with the Oriental Food Association and Local Chinese Restaurant Group to encourage diner to patronize the establishments. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, walked through Chinatown in San Francisco on Monday in an attempt to quell fears.

Not all Chinese restaurants have been affected, though. Journey to the Dumpling had a 30-minute wait at dinner time on Sunday night, a period normally so slow that many locally-owned restaurants close their doors. The Elk Grove restaurant hasn’t seen a hit of any kind from coronavirus, manager Andrew Nguyen said.

“I think the only way we would really be affected by it is if someone back here caught it,” Nguyen said, gesturing toward the kitchen. “We do a really good job as far as maintaining a clean restaurant. You can check our health (inspections), we’re always passing with flying colors.”

Coronavirus panic began spreading statewide about a month ago, leading the Chinese New Year Culture Association, the city of Elk Grove and Sacramento Chinese Cultural Foundations to postpone or cancel their Lunar New Year celebrations, said Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs local chapter president Jacqui Nguyen.

Many local Asian-Americans are concerned about coronavirus, but are trying to balance proper care with not stoking panic, Nguyen said. She recommended people consult their local county health department’s website for up-to-date virus information.

“Right now, in regards to the Asian-American community, people are very much aware of what’s going on,” she said. “They’re trying to keep their ears to ground, trying to get information and also not panic.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.