Jeff Wang (Modern Asian Kitchen | Yum Dum Truck) on COVID-19's impact on restaurants

Todd Nief's Show

When people think of the culture of a country or a city, food is one of the first things that comes to mind. But, with the economic disruption caused by COVID-19, a lot of folks - myself included - have serious concerns about the ability of restaurants to make it through to the other side of an extended shutdown. As a fan of regional ethnic cuisine, I’m concerned that a big chunk of my “to try” list is going to be wiped out - and for the implications on the families that run these restaurants. I think there’s a lot of parallels between the fitness industry and the restaurant industry, and I’ve spoked with Jeff multiple times about these similarities. So, I wanted to get Jeff’s take on how COVID-19 is impacting both his food truck business and his brick and mortar restaurant business.

Check out more from Jeff, Yum Dum Truck and Modern Asian Kitchen here:

• Website: www.makrestaurant.com | www.yumdumtruck.com
• Instagram: @yumdumtruck

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Show Notes:

• [01:11] What is the difference in business model between the food truck and the brick and mortar restaurant?
• [05:42] What has the impact of COVID-19 been on both businesses?
• [11:14] How can restaurants – with already thin margins – survive in an environment with reduced dining room capacity?
• [18:56] How does Jeff react to negative reviews? And what are some of the more ridiculous things people have said on Yelp? is any negative feedback from review sites actionable?
• [23:59] Are apps like Grubhub and DoorDash a net positive or a net negative for the restaurant industry?
• [32:49] How do the fees for delivery apps actually work? What do the agreements look like between restaurants and delivery apps?
• [38:12] Why hasn’t there been a white label online ordering option that competes with delivery platforms?
• [49:15] What did Jeff’s upbringing in a restaurant family look like? And, how robust are small ethnic restaurants to the disruption presented by COVID-19?
• [55:45] How to follow – and order from – Jeff’s restaurants

Links and Resources Mentioned

• “SF Michelin star restaurants put their unique spin on takeout during shelter in place” from SFGate
• Fat Rice
• “Fat Rice, Chicago’s acclaimed fusion restaurant, has closed” from Eater Chicago
• “Aggregation Theory” from Stratechery by Ben Thompson
• Shopify
• Toast
• Cashdrop
• Sweetgreen
• Alinea
• “Nick Kokonas on Resurrecting Restaurants, Skin in the Game, and Investing” from Tim Ferriss