The city-owned building has changed hands in the past year from family ownership to the BEG, a mysterious LLC that has largely kept its funding quiet. On Sept 29, nearly 300 Chinese immigrants from Langqi, a village in the Fujian Province in China, gathered to hold a religious ceremony and banquet in honor of their deities at the mall’s renowned restaurant, 88 Palace. The new operator has “never made any contact with me regarding this matter,” Lu said, voicing his anger and frustration about the deal, adding he already has his own workforce and he intends to continue operating the restaurant.Įast Broadway Mall, once an iconic community and commercial hub in Chinatown as well as the cornerstone for the Fujianese community in New York, has been undergoing a significant transformation following its years of decline and the bankruptcy of its current operator, East Broadway Mall Inc., in 2019.

Lu said the new operator never contacted him to let him know of the changes, but through the newspaper article, Lu discovered that after 38 years of family ownership, the mall was changing hands to a recently formed company - the Broadway East Group LLC. A new restaurant would open in 88 Palace’s place, and, what’s more, the proposed new restaurant pledged to hire new union workers in accordance with an agreement facilitated by City Councilmember Christopher Marte’s office and the 318 Restaurant Workers Union. Just months ago, Lu learned through a local newspaper that his restaurant - which he has run for 21 years and is his main source of income - was at risk of closure, despite his lease being valid until 2035, he says. Looking over the large banquet hall, Yangchao Lu, the general manager of 88 Palace, could not shake off a lingering apprehension. Amidst the lively beats of gongs and drums from the lion dance, people exchanged greetings in their hometown dialects. The air carried a unique blend of scents - the fragrance of roasting suckling pig mingling with burning incense. Nearly 300 Chinese immigrants from Langqi, a village in the Fujian Province in China, gathered to hold a religious ceremony and banquet in honor of their deities at the mall’s renowned restaurant, 88 Palace. 29, when New York City was hit by record rains, the 88 East Broadway Mall in Chinatown was experiencing one of its busiest days since the pandemic. This article originally appeared in Documented.

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