[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]lice Lau glances out the kitchen window at Chubby Rice in Hawthorne. Two customers who ordered several bagfuls of food are loading up their dented Prius, oblivious to the one clamshell take-out container they forgot to pick up. Alice’s 71-year-old mom, Helen—decked out in a Celine Dion cap and a sky-blue face mask—darts from behind the counter, passing the overlooked container into the hands of the pair just before they pull out of the Inglewood Avenue lot.
It’s but one of the suspenseful mini-dramas that play out during the long days that go into operating a multi-generational, family-run Chinese restaurant during a pandemic. The corner spot that shares the lot with local favorite Mi Zacatecas opened in 2016 when Alice, her sister Linda and Linda’s husband Joe Fang saw an opportunity to update Chinese take-out food with a modern flair. “We’re not traditional as in Alhambra,” Alice says. Instead, it’s a visually appealing, well-known accessible menu, executed with great care, and an emphasis on speed.
With most local offices closed, business at Chubby Rice is off by 50 percent. But that doesn’t mean Alice and Helen are dropping their exacting standards—the thick chow fun, or rice, and noodles are still sent out garnished with a flurry of Thai basil strips. And their unique, vibrant green aji sauce remains the perfect counterpoint to the sizzle of salt-and-pepper calamari. That’s not to say the Laus, who have spent more than four decades in the restaurant industry, haven’t had to adapt like every other restaurant in the age of COVID-19.
Working as a family, Chubby Rice has been able to slowly bounce back, tapping their resourcefulness and years of experience to retain customers and stay afloat. They now include bagged free homemade Rice Krispy treats with packets of soy sauce and flatware to thank patrons for supporting their small business during these unprecedented times. The Plexiglas guard encasing the cash register is new, but they still take time to get to know Doordash delivery drivers and, when possible, greet them by name as they rush in and out.