Penang Malaysian & Thai Cuisine, formerly Penang Malaysian Cuisine, is a Malaysian and Thai themed restaurant chain in the United States founded by Suan Lee "Stanley" Cheah and his wife June.
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founder | Suan Lee "Stanley" Cheah June Cheah |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Malaysian cuisine Thai cuisine |
| Website | penangphilly |
History
editIn 1996, Stanley Cheah opened three restaurants under the name "Penang" in New York City. The first restaurant was opened in Flushing, Queens. Penang Bar and Grill was opened by Stanley Cheah's estranged brother Michael and is not connected to Stanley's Penang chain.[1] Cheah opened three more restaurants in 1997 and another three in 1998.[2]
In December 1996, Penang opened its first location outside of New York in Massachusetts on "Washington Street, in Boston".[3] This was the fourth location. Cheah opened this location after he "saw opportunity in Boston's Chinatown".[4] By 1998, two more locations were scheduled to be opened. The restaurant had a menu which contain 150 items.[5][6] The restaurant also focuses on Indian and Chinese cuisine.[7]
In 2001, the chain opened a location in Bethesda, Maryland. The location is owned by family member Kevin Cheah. In 2014, the Bethesda location underwent $60,000 in innovations and was closed for several weeks.[8] By 2002, Penang had opened eight locations, the Washington location, "at 19th and M streets, is in a prominent restaurant neighborhood. Penang's decor includes mahogany woodwork, metal accents and dramatic lighting".[9]
Ruth Reichl of The New York Times describe the Malaysian restaurant in Flushing as "wonderfully authentic".[10] A popular menu item is the roti canai. In 2008, a location opened in Lodi, New Jersey. As of October 2015, all of Penang's restaurant chains in New York City, including the original location in Flushing, had closed down due to the rising cost of rent. The location in Lodi closed down in 2017. There are locations this restaurant chain still operates including three in New Jersey, one in Philadelphia, one in Maryland, one in Arlington Heights, Illinois and others across the United States.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Opening Cain and Abel?". New York. 1996-08-12. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Mehta, Manik (2006-08-12). "Guess Who's Coming for Dinner at Stanley Cheah's Restaurant". NAM News Network. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Arnett, Alison (1997-07-06). "A taste for adventure". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Leung, Shirley (1997-04-09). "Chinatown enjoys a renaissance. Investment renewing area". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ LaBan, Craig (1998-08-09). "Adventurous Tastes of Malaysia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Kessler, John (1998-06-19). "Ah! Asian. Crossroads flavors are a wonder". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tucker, Robert (1999-07-02). "Penang adds new flavor to Chinatown". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Metcalf, Andrew (2014-04-18). "Penang Restaurant Prepares to Unveil New Renovations". Bethesda Magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Walkup, Carolyn (2002-02-18). "Orient express: Asian cuisine becomes one hot ticket in mainstream America". Nation's Restaurant News. Vol. 36, no. 7. p. 4.
- ^ Reichl, Ruth (2004-12-30). "Restaurants". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Vora, Shivani (15 October 2015). "Review: Penang's Flavorful Fare Still Satisfies". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2019.