Mission Chinese Food
| Mission Chinese Food | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of Mission Chinese Food | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2008 |
| Location | 2234 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, 94110, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°45′40″N 122°25′10″W / 37.761223°N 122.419505°W |
| Website | www |
Mission Chinese Food is a restaurant in San Francisco founded in 2008.[1][2] Previously, the business also operated in New York City.[3][4] The restaurant is known for its experimental Chinese cuisine, combining traditional spicy Sichuan dishes with cross-cultural influences, including flavors from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan.[4][5]
It has faced several workplace allegations from employees. In 2018, four former workers filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and wage violations.[6] In 2020, following a media investigation, additional allegations emerged of physical and verbal abuse by management.[7]
History
The restaurant began as Mission Street Food, a pop-up food cart on San Francisco's Mission Street, in 2008. It was founded by partners Karen Leibowitz and Anthony Myint, who moved the pop-up into a location shared with an existing Chinese restaurant on the same street in 2010.[8] Chef Danny Bowien was hired to lead the restaurant, which was renamed Mission Chinese Food.[8]
In 2012, Bowien opened a branch on Orchard Street in New York City's Lower East Side, with Angela Dimayuga as executive chef.[9][10] It drew large crowds but was shut down by health inspectors due to a rodent infestation.[11] A larger East Broadway location opened in late 2014, featuring a two-level space.[11] Mission Chinese opened a Bushwick location in 2018 inside a former warehouse shared with the music venue Elsewhere.[12]
The Lower East Side location permanently closed in September 2020, with Bowien blaming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on restaurants.[11] The Bushwick location also closed in July 2022.[12]
In April 2024, Bowien launched a pop-up version of Mission Chinese at Cha Kee, a restaurant in Manhattan's Chinatown.[9]
Workplace misconduct allegations
In 2018, four former employees filed a lawsuit against Mission Chinese Food, Bowien, and managers Adrianna Varedi and Jane Hem.[6] They alleged that the restaurant was a "hotbed of racial discrimination" where Black employees were treated poorly, with retaliation and firings by Hem and Varedi against workers who complained. They also accused the restaurant of wage violations, claiming they were paid less than the legal wage and had breaks deducted from earnings despite not being allowed breaks.[6] The lawsuit was ultimately settled.[11]
In October 2020, a Grub Street investigation interviewed two dozen former Mission Chinese employees, who described additional instances of workplace misconduct.[7][13] Former employees reported physical and verbal abuse by multiple management figures; the restaurant's chef de cuisine, Quynh Le, seared a staffer's arm with a spoon dipped in hot oil and threatened to punch another cook in the face, while his replacement showed up drunk and threw plates at cooks. Dining room staff felt Varedi and Hem mistreated them, with Varedi enjoying "bullying and humiliating [servers]" and Hem comparing a Black employee's hair to "Grinch fingers".[7]
References
- ^ Fort, Ellen (October 29, 2018). "Ten Years Ago, Mission Street Food Changed the SF Food Scene Forever". Eater SF. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco, California, U.S. - Restaurant Review". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Lyon, Shauna (September 24, 2012). "Mission Chinese Food". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Dai, Serena (July 21, 2022). "Goodbye to Mission Chinese Food and Its Complicated Legacy". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Wells, Pete (June 9, 2015). "Restaurant Review: Mission Chinese Food on the Lower East Side". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b c Rock, Taylor (February 4, 2018). "NYC's Mission Chinese sued for allegedly being a 'hotbed of racial discrimination'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b c Crowley, Chris (October 22, 2020). "The Nightmare Inside Mission Chinese Food". Grub Street. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b Fort, Ellen (October 29, 2018). "Ten Years Ago, Mission Street Food Changed the SF Food Scene Forever". Eater. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b Sietsema, Robert (April 22, 2024). "Mission Chinese Has Popped Up in Chinatown". Eater. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Evans, Dayna (November 11, 2017). "Angela Dimayuga Is Here From the Future to Save Us All". Eater. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b c d Fortney, Luke; Sutton, Ryan (September 17, 2020). "Mission Chinese, Danny Bowien's Genre-Bending LES Restaurant, Will Permanently Close". Eater. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ a b Sugar, Rachel (June 29, 2022). "The Mission Chinese Era Will Come to an End in New York". Grub Street. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Adams, Erika; Tanay, Tanay (October 23, 2020). "Danny Bowien Posts Confessional Following Mission Chinese Workplace Investigation". Eater. Retrieved February 14, 2026.