These chefs are making 400 dumplings today,
but this restaurant is empty.
They're preparing for a Lunar New Year spent at home.
Jing Fong's revenue is down 80%,
and the holiday could be their best chance.
They're shipping frozen dim sum kits across the country
to keep the New Year spirit and the business alive.
We're just happy with any kind
of sales we can do at this point.
But after a year of plummeting sales,
will it be enough to keep the restaurant afloat?
Today, chef Kai Fung Lai is making wontons.
It only takes him about 10 seconds to make one.
Each kit comes with eight wontons,
a lucky number in Chinese culture.
Jing Fong has already sold more than 400
since launching the kits in late January.
Another symbolic dish in the kit
is the longevity noodles.
On the other side of the wall,
chef Jin Ruan and his team work
on the restaurant's famous dim sum dishes.
Before the pandemic, dim sum service was one
of Jing Fong's specialties.
It was especially busy during Lunar New Year,
when they hosted 800-person banquets
throughout the holidays.
Today they're preparing har gow,
or shrimp dumplings.
The chefs pinch eight pleats for good luck.
Shaped like ancient money,
the dumplings signify wealth.
Tradition says that the more you eat,
the more money you'll make in the new year.
Jing Fong sells the kits nationwide
through gourmet delivery service Goldbelly for $109,
but locals can pick them up for $65.
The restaurant hopes to sell 1,000 kits
before the end of February.
But owner Truman Lam isn't sure if it will be enough
to make up for the losses of 2020.
The way I think about it is no matter how many we sell,
we're probably not going to be able
to make money anyway, right?
It's just a matter of how we can reduce the losses
and try to fight to see another day.
Lunar New Year is usually the busiest time
of the year.
It brings in enough business to sustain Jing Fong
through the slower summer months.
Everyone looks forward to Lunar New Year
because it's supposed to be like a start of something new.
It's supposed to bring better luck.
It's also one of the biggest events in Asia.
The holiday marks the shift from winter to spring
and is all about honoring ancestors
and celebrating with friends and family.
This year, it begins on February 12.
Typically, celebrations run for days.
In New York's Chinatown,
festivals and parades draw throngs of locals and tourists.
This year, Jing Fong's massive dining hall
will remain eerily empty for the first time
since it opened 43 years ago.
Chinatown has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19,
even before the March lockdown.
Businesses saw 60% to 80% losses in sales
as early as February 2020,
when coronavirus misinformation fueled racism
against Chinese communities.
And Jing Fong hasn't seen relief since.
Because of its size, overhead costs like rent drain most
of the revenue they're able to pull
through takeout and delivery.
Lam fears this may be his last chance
to celebrate the new year inside these walls.
I think the hardest thing would be
to think about if I were to ever have kids,
I wouldn't be able to bring them up here, right?
We wouldn't have those big family dinners anymore
in this location.
You're not going to find another space
in Chinatown that is able to do this.
Because if we're not able to make it,
maybe we can reinvent ourselves,
but I don't think we're going to be able
to reinvent this as it is.
But Chef Ruan hopes that no matter what,
people return to Jing Fong's tables next year.