Restaurant kids, first-gen owners, one shared notebook
We grew up doing homework in corner booths and folding wontons for pocket money. This site is everything our families figured out the hard way, written down so you don't have to.
Why this site exists
Ask anyone who's opened a restaurant what they'd pay to skip the first three months of confusion. That's the gap this site fills: short guides, real numbers, no seminar to buy.
Immigrant restaurant knowledge usually travels by phone call and kitchen-door conversation. It's a great system, right up until you're the first in your family to try a new city or a new state. We write the phone call down.
How we make money
Some of the services we recommend pay a referral fee when you sign up. That keeps the site free. It doesn't change the list. We recommend what we'd tell a cousin to use, and when we think something is the best choice, we say so plainly.
Nothing here is legal or financial advice. It's experience. Confirm the current rules with your state before you spend real money.
What we believe
- Small menus, honest prices, food you're proud of.
- Own your customers. Don't rent them from an app.
- Paperwork done right is protection, not bureaucracy.
- Your grandmother's recipe deserves a good photo.
Opening a pizzeria instead?
Same idea, different oven. Our friends run the pizza version of this site at startpizzarestaurant.com.
Say hi
Corrections, questions, or the story of your opening night. We read everything: hello@startasianrestaurant.com
Some links on this site are referral links. They never affect what we recommend.