A customer for the Upper West Side’s newest Chinese restaurant was so enthusiastic about the opening that he began his own viral marketing campaign, taping signs to posts in the area to encourage Upper West Siders to stop in.
The sign above was taped to a metal post next to a parking meter on 85th street between Broadway and Amsterdam, right across the street from the new Han Dynasty, a Sichuan restaurant that had its soft opening a few days ago. It’s still waiting for its liquor license, which should come in the next couple of weeks, and it’s not yet doing delivery. But it’s been open for lunch and dinner.
Jeffrey Jay has been in the restaurant every night since it opened. “The first night he ordered like five entrees, then he came back like five minutes later with these flyers,” owner Han Chiang told us in an interview. Chiang’s partner Mark said that Jay told him he was the doctor to an actual Han Dynasty emperor in China and has since been reincarnated.
He’s been back in every night to eat or check on the ownership and has even given them design tips, including introducing the idea of having a lounge area in the front of the restaurant. We left a message for Jay and will update this if we hear back.
Han Chiang tells us that he’s loving the Upper West Side so far; it seems friendlier than any of the other areas where he’s opened restaurants (he started in Philly, so he set a low bar.) “These are like the nicest people I’ve met.”
This is just the kind of story we’ve needed given all the vitriol about bike lanes.
but why on earth would an Asian man call himself Oriental??
Somebody should tell him to stop offending himself.
Because he’s probably not Asian. Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed the offensive terminology. People seemed more upset about the Philly reference.
Dr. Jay didn’t get the memo about not using the word “Oriental” anymore…
When I was in graduate school the only people still calling Asians “oriental” were the people actually from mainland China and Taiwan. It was hysterical to watch the Asian-Americans lecture them about how they couldn’t say that, only to be rebuffed with “I am from there and I’ll call myself what I want.
Whoa, easy on Philly please! I’m a very nice upper west sider who happens to be from Philly. We boo our sports teams, not restaurants!
Philly is always friendly…visit often and it never disappoints.
WSR, I know you are promoting NYC and the UWS, but you need to put down Philly? Why do that? There’s a clear reason why NYC is recruiting so many Philadelphia restauranteurs these days….
What’s with the sneer for my home town, Philly, whose restaurant scene can rival anything on the UWS?
It was just a little smack-talk from a Mets fan! I’m sure the restaurants are lovely. WSR
I think it deserves an edit.
But what about the food? Is Han Dynasty good?
Went there last week with 2 friends. We loved the food and the service. Try the eggplant and DanDan noodles. Decent prices too.