Penang (restaurant chain) facts for kids
 |
|
| Private | |
| Founder | Suan Lee "Stanley" Cheah June Cheah |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Malaysian cuisine Thai cuisine |
Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine is a popular restaurant chain in the United States. It serves delicious food from Malaysia and Thailand. The company was started by Suan Lee "Stanley" Cheah and his wife, June. It used to be called Penang Malaysian Cuisine.
Contents
The Story of Penang Restaurants
How It All Started
In 1996, Stanley Cheah opened his first three "Penang" restaurants. They were all in New York City. The very first one opened in Flushing, Queens. Stanley's brother, Michael, opened a different restaurant called Penang Bar and Grill. It was not part of Stanley's chain. Stanley opened three more restaurants in 1997. Then, he opened another three in 1998.
Growing Across the Country
In December 1996, Penang opened its first restaurant outside of New York. This new spot was in Massachusetts, on Washington Street in Boston's Chinatown. Stanley saw a great chance to open a restaurant there. By 1998, two more locations were planned for Boston. The restaurants offered a huge menu with about 150 different dishes. They also served some Indian cuisine and Chinese cuisine dishes.
In 2001, the chain opened a new restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland. This location is owned by Kevin Cheah, who is also part of the family. In 2014, the Bethesda restaurant was updated. It closed for a few weeks for these changes. By 2002, Penang had eight locations. The restaurant in Washington, D.C., was in a busy area. Penang restaurants often have nice decorations. These include dark wood, metal details, and cool lighting.
Famous Food and Changes Over Time
A food critic from The New York Times newspaper, Ruth Reichl, said the Malaysian restaurant in Flushing was "wonderfully authentic." A very popular dish at Penang is the roti canai. This is a type of flatbread often served with curry.
In 2008, a new Penang restaurant opened in Lodi, New Jersey. However, by October 2015, all of Penang's restaurants in New York City had closed. This included the first one in Flushing. The main reason was that rent costs had become too high. The Lodi location also closed in 2017.
Even with these closures, many Penang restaurants are still open today. You can find them in places like New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, and Arlington Heights, Illinois. There are also other locations across the United States.
See also
