“The Empress was probably one of the very first white tablecloth fine-dining Chinese restaurants in San Francisco … It was a place that you got dressed up.” Tom says that her auntie, a renowned opera diva, sang at the grand opening ceremonies, and when she went in for dinner, would have made an entrance in a cheongsam silk gown - with the high collar and the side slit - and a mink stole. “It was part of the air and elegance of the restaurant,” Pearl Tom, a board member of the Empress of China, recalls.
#FORMAL ATTIRE FRENCH LAUNDRY RESTAURANT CODE#
The original Empress of China, which was constructed in 1966 and reigned through 2014, did have a dress code in the past, and for decades many considered it part of the experience at the resplendent banquet hall. “Many people come to the Empress for special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries.” Empress by Boon only opened a month ago on June 16, but the original Empress of China had a history as a special-occasion restaurant before that. “I wouldn’t say we’re fine dining, but we are upscale, and we want our guests to feel comfortable dressing up,” Minch says. As in this instance, he says none were deeply upset, although a few were mildly surprised. There are very few restrictions.” He says a T-shirt is fine under a sweater or blazer, but the restaurant does draw the line at shorts and has turned a few other parties away. “We apologize for that!” Minch says, who is still training his entirely new staff.
Per Empress by Boon’s website, the new restaurant does have a dress code: “Business casual dress requested, no shorts or t-shirts please.” But general manager James Minch would like to step in to smooth out any miscommunication about collars. “For him that was dressed up! We were just surprised.” The couple carried on to have a cocktail at Mister Jiu’s, where they laughed about it with the bartender. But he was not wearing the uniform hoodie and sneakers, he had upgraded to a sweater and slip-ons. Maybe his shoes lacked luster.” Was he a tech worker, some may ask? Why yes, he has successfully founded several startups. “He had on a nice sweater and dark jeans. “He definitely didn’t look disheveled,” his partner, who asked to remain anonymous because she works in the hospitality industry, tells Eater. Step Inside Empress by Boon for Modern Cantonese in a Historic Banquet Hall
0 kommentar(er)
