Jing Fong


Jing Fong is a Chinese dim sum restaurant located in Chinatown, Manhattan on Elizabeth Street. It is located on the second floor and is known for its large seating capacity accommodating over 800 seats with 20,000 square feet.

Overview

Jing Fong is known for hosting weddings. Their large banquet hall has no support beams within the hall, making it a great space to host large parties. The price to host a wedding at Jing Fong can be as much as $150 per person.
Jing Fong usually serves dim sum from 10am to 3:30pm. After 3pm, the kitchen slows down and dim sum choices become limited. On the weekends they serve over 300 different steamed, fried, and grilled dim sum dishes.

History

Jing Fong was opened in 1978 during a New York City recession. Chinese gangs in Chinatown, Manhattan were highly dominant during the 1970s which caused financial troubles and violence to arise. Jing Fong almost fell into bankruptcy before master plumber, Shui Ling Lam gained enough shares to eventually own the business. Originally located at 24 Elizabeth Street, the restaurant could only hold 70 to 80 people. In 1993, the Lam family moved it to its location today at 20 Elizabeth Street.
The restaurant was ranked top six dim sum locations in New York City by CBS New York. Jing Fong is known for its high volume of customers on Lunar New Year and is currently the largest restaurant in Chinatown. On July 26, 2017, Jing Fong opened a second location on the Upper West Side in a smaller space seating a little over 100 guests and serving made to order dim sum along with creative cocktails. It is located at 380 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY.
In 1997, The New York Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit against Jing Fong claiming the establishment had been controlling the tips and wages of workers unethically since 1993. The Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund sought $500,000 in federal court on behalf of the workers for the violation of minimum wage laws.