Exactly 364 days after her restaurant was destroyed in a fire, Jasmine Chen will finally get to serve her customers again.
Next Monday, she’ll do a “soft opening” of her renamed and relocated Chin Chin Chen Asian Fusion restaurant, before holding a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting on Sept. 5.
It’s been a difficult and challenging year for Chen, whose ownership of Chin Chin on Johnson Ferry Road next to the Waffle House spanned 16 years.
It was her abiding passion—and not just a business—and where her three children practically grew up. As a single mother, the restaurant was her family’s sole source of income.
The fire broke out after 1 a.m., hours after she had gone home. Chen said she raced back to Chin Chin in her pajamas only to see fire crews and billowing smoke, and the charred outlines of the standalone building.
The roof had collapsed and firefighters fought the blaze for hours, well into the daylight.
“I had a hard time sleeping, for a month after that,” Chen said.
“Every day, I go to work. I woke up the second day and said, what do I do now? There was nothing to do. What can I do?
But Chen vowed early on that she would start over, no matter what.
She just didn’t know how that would come about, or what it would take.
“All of our memories have been here,” Chen says of the East Cobb community she calls home.
“That’s why we want to stay here.”
Finding a suitable location for her new restaurant took some time. After looking at several locations, by January she was able to secure a lease at what was a Zaxby’s at 3030 Johnson Ferry Road.
After that, it was a time-consuming task to renovate the interior of the 3,200-square-foot former fast-food restaurant—the old Chin Chin space was 4,000 square feet—and to carefully reappoint everything.
While the dining space is smaller, there is more ample parking at Chin Chin Chen, which fronts the Northeast Cobb YMCA.
Chen ordered furnishings, wallpaper, lighting and kitchen equipment that were imported from China, including dinner plates.
The dining room seats 80, and she’s waiting for a few more tables to arrive before the reopening.
The last few weeks have been hectic, with final inspections and permitting, but Chen is taking a deep breath of relief that she can get back to going what she loves the most.
Her family, friends and many patrons have done more than keep her spirits up.
“They have taken good care of me,” Chen says of the emotional support she’s received in the last year.
“They have given me the power. Right now, I feel so much power.”
Updating the menu
The name change reflects Chen’s desire to keep her restaurant venture independent, and to acknowledge changing tastes with some of her customer base.
The menu retains the classic Chinese fare that Chin Chin has served up for three decades, predating Chen’s ownership. The “Asian Fusion” refers to the addition of dumplings and ramen on the menu, due in large part to younger customers.
The homemade dumplings in particular, she says, “are very popular” with younger people, as are varieties of bubble tea and other tea-based specialties that are on the new menu.
They include everything from Boba milk tea to passion fruit green tea, while there will be a pork soup dumpling dish, as well as fried pork buns.
“We want to serve to any people,” Chen said.
Over the last year, she discovered that her new location is closer to a portion of her customer base, and says that many of them have told her they live off of Post Oak Tritt Road and Sewell Mill Road.
She said she can’t wait to see so many of them, especially since they have kept her going during an arduous time.
“They just gave me all the power,” she said.
During the soft opening (Sept. 1-5), Chin Chin Chen is offering customers 20 percent off their orders—the hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The grand reopening will include special entertainment and public officials will be on hand for the ribbon-cutting.
“Our restaurant has truly risen from the ashes,” Chen says.
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