McKenna Harford / mharford@skyhinews.com
Grand County residents craving General Tso’s chicken or Szechuan beef can quiet their rumbling stomachs at the newly re-opened Pearl Dragon in Granby.
Since Pearl Dragon reopened at 52 N. Fourth St. last week, there hasn’t been a day the Chinese food restaurant wasn’t packed with people at the tables and waiting in line for takeout.
Every night, they’ve sold out of food, said Lin Long, the owner.
In fact, the restaurant has been so popular it is currently only offering dinner service in order to keep up with the demand on a small staff. Long said this is only temporary while they hire more workers.
“We were leaving at midnight every night, so then we had no choice but to close for lunch so we can prep for dinner,” she explained.
Earlier this spring, the restaurant closed its doors at its former location off US Highway 40 to move into a larger and more reliable space. In the more than four months Pearl Dragon was closed, Long and her family completely redid the interior of the new space.
Its new location can fit five more tables, and the kitchen is twice as big, which is key considering the restaurant staff hand cuts about 200 pounds of meat per day, along with all the vegetables and other ingredients needed for the day.
Long said she’s grateful for all the support from the community and especially people’s patience when it comes to the restaurant being short-staffed.
McKenna Harford / mharford@skyhinews.com
Talking to patrons in line for a table or to pick up takeout, they were more than willing to wait.
“Lin remembers everybody,” said Shelby Peterson, who lives in Grand County. “She’s always happy and accommodating. Plus the food is delicious.”
Other customers echoed the sentiment, highlighting the service and the staff’s ability to treat everyone like family.
Long’s sister and business partner Soi said loyal customers have even been dropping off gifts for the reopening.
“We just really want to thank them for their outpouring of support and love,” she said.