# Why are their only Asians working at Chinese food places? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 19, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501 "2011-05-19T21:01:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/41 "2011-05-20T08:20:13Z")
I think it has to do with ambiance. In going to a Chinese restaurant, I expect to see Chinese people. If I go to an Italian restaurant, there should be Italians. If I go to an American restaurant, I expect to see fat people. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_of_Lucan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/42 "2011-05-20T08:55:39Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > 99% of the Indian restaurants I’ve been in were run by Pakistani people. It’s worth noting the factor you are pointing to. The people the OP identified as “Asians” may be from a wide range of people. Staff in “Indian” restaurants in Dublin often tell me the operations are owned and staffed by Bangladeshis or Pakistanis. Few seem to be operated by Indians. It’s why a small number of “Indian” restaurants don’t supply alcohol, although they will open a bottle for you. The owners are Muslim. As people pointed out above, it’s about branding. Customers know the food range implied by the Indian brand, and few can distinguish between peoples from the sub-continent. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/43 "2011-05-20T10:51:55Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > How can you tell they are all Irish as opposed to any other Northern European? > > The American “[Irish pub](http://www.irishpubcompany.com/)” is just a thing invented by Diageo and InBev and other beverage conglomerates to sell more beer. You can buy a prepackaged kit with everything you need to set one up like any other franchise. Same with Chinese restaurants. Although you’re correct that there’s an ersatz globalised Irish pub system, there’s also, especially in Britain and North America, a long lineage of independent Irish-owned and run, neighbourhood bars and pubs. The bizarre thing is, the phenomenon of the fake Irish pub exists here too. ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/44 "2011-05-20T11:28:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Where I live (Alabama) they’re Asian owned/operated but generally have a lot of Hispanic help in the kitchen and sometimes the serving staff. And ALWAYS Hispanic customers: even the 'less cheap" ones have Spanish speaking customers everytime I go there. I joked on Cinco de Mayo that I was going to a Chinese buffet to celebrate the day with real Mexicans. (At least on sitcoms there seems to be a cliche about Jews loving Chinese food, but I swear Hispanics have them beat.) There’s a Chinese restaurant in our town where ALL the staff is from Mexico except the Owner/Hostess. ---
**Author:** ![nofloyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nofloyd/32/2870_2.png) [@nofloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nofloyd)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/45 "2011-05-20T11:34:58Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > No cite handy, but many hire from agencies in NYC that employ Chinese nationals who travel from city to city and restaurant to restaurant. In my old neighborhood, there was a nice home that where about 20 Chinese restaurant workers stayed at any given time. Supposedly the pay is higher in remote or rural areas where few want to work, far removed from even the smallest Chinese-American community. This is where I read about the insular American-Chinese food economy: [The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food / Jennifer 8. Lee.](http://www.amazon.com/Fortune-Cookie-Chronicles-Adventures-Chinese/dp/B003P2VDF6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305890745&sr=8-1) There’s a small region in China where very many immigrants working in the Chinese food industry come from, and once they are in a major city like NYC can find work advertised all around the country. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/46 "2011-05-20T13:50:52Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > My wife’s father owned several Chinese restaurants over the course of his working life. At times he owned three restaurants at the same time, other times only one. He’s now retired. > > As others have said, he mostly hired other family members as workers. My own wife worked there after school for many years. I was going to post a WAG that their margins were so tight, given the costs vs. earnings, that they had to only hire within their family, and any outsiders were probably working for less money, possibly to gain experience so they could start the same sort of business. Since you know first hand, can you confirm my guess? Is the costs of supplies, and upkeep so high relative to earnings that most of the workers are unpaid children, co-owner spouse, and pseudo-journeyman cook/helper? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/47 "2011-05-20T14:57:48Z")
Almost all of the ones around here (San Jose, CA) have many Hispanics working in the kitchen and as busboys. I’ve even had Hispanic waiters occasionally; I presume those ones got promoted from busboy. Otherwise it’s a family thing and probably some self-selecting among job applicants. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/48 "2011-05-20T15:03:18Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > My understanding was that Jewish people would go out for Chinese on Christmas, because the Chinese place would be open and not crowded. There is also very little dairy (crab ragoon is all that comes to mind) and it’s easy to avoid the pork and shrimp. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/49 "2011-05-20T15:06:56Z")
I visited a friend in Missoula, Montana many years ago and we stopped in at a Chinese takeout place, staffed entirely with white college kids. I was extremely amused. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/50 "2011-05-20T15:27:50Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > The university I went to has a few Tim Hortons coffee shops on campus, with an extremely high proportion of Asian employees compared to the demographics of both general population and nearby off-campus Tim Hortons locations. Actually, I can’t recall ever seeing a single non-Asian person working at Tim Hortons at that university. I never figured out why. Student visas only allow students to work on campus: if the Tim Hortons my have fit the criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/51 "2011-05-20T16:02:50Z")
I once went with my uncle Carlo, who’s from the old country, to one of these tiny restaurants in Little Italy. We were a little surprised to see that the waiter was obviously Chinese, and that he spoke to us in flawless Italian. Through the whole meal – greeting us, taking our order, asking about the food. My uncle was sufficiently impressed that he called the manager over afterward and asked him, “Where did you find this waiter? He speaks Italian so well.” The manager got really flustered and hissed, “Shhhhh! He thinks we’re teaching him English!” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/52 "2011-05-20T16:17:17Z")
> [@Michael\_of\_Lucan](#): > > > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > > > 99% of the Indian restaurants I’ve been in were run by Pakistani people. > > It’s worth noting the factor you are pointing to. The people the OP identified as “Asians” may be from a wide range of people. > > Staff in “Indian” restaurants in Dublin often tell me the operations are owned and staffed by Bangladeshis or Pakistanis. Few seem to be operated by Indians. It’s why a small number of “Indian” restaurants don’t supply alcohol, although they will open a bottle for you. The owners are Muslim. > > As people pointed out above, it’s about branding. Customers know the food range implied by the Indian brand, and few can distinguish between peoples from the sub-continent. In my experience, most Indian restaurants serve Punjabi food, so it’s not surprising to me that the staff would be Pakistani. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/53 "2011-05-20T17:08:52Z")
We went to a Japanese restaurant in North Carolina. It was a steakhouse place with the cooking table deal. We were the only Asian customers in the entire place. We are Chinese, but I doubt the restaurant could tell the difference. As far as we could tell there was exactly one half-asian worker in the front of the house. And of course they assigned him to be our waiter. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/54 "2011-05-20T23:14:27Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > How can you tell they are all Irish as opposed to any other Northern European? > > The American “[Irish pub](http://www.irishpubcompany.com/)” is just a thing invented by Diageo and InBev and other beverage conglomerates to sell more beer. You can buy a prepackaged kit with everything you need to set one up like any other franchise. Same with Chinese restaurants. > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Although you’re correct that there’s an ersatz globalised Irish pub system, there’s also, especially in Britain and North America, a long lineage of independent Irish-owned and run, neighbourhood bars and pubs. The bizarre thing is, the phenomenon of the fake Irish pub exists here too. Lots of Irish pubs on this side of the world, including several in Bangkok and upcountry. One, [The Dubliner](http://www.thedublinerbangkok.com/) (with a branch in Singapore), actually is Irish-owned. For years, it was run by an Irishwoman, but she was eventually arrested for being part of a large boiler-room scam, along with a few other Irish and scads of other nationalities. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/55 "2011-05-21T00:33:32Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > …eventually arrested for being part of a large boiler-room scam… Dare I ask what a “boiler room scam” is? Are, er, “lady boys” involved? Elephants? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/56 "2011-05-21T00:38:05Z")
[Boiler rooms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_room_(business)) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501/57 "2011-05-21T02:19:09Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > [Boiler rooms](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_room_(business)) Oh, the Metal Building salesmen I worked for! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-their-only-asians-working-at-chinese-food-places/582501.md?page=2)