Sam Woo Restaurant

Not to be confused with the Sam Wo restaurant in San Francisco.

Sam Woo Restaurant (三和) was a restaurant chain that served Hong Kong–style cuisine.^[2] It had many locations in predominantly overseas Chinese communities of Southern California,^[3] in Las Vegas, and in the suburbs of Toronto.^[4] Many of the chain's locations have closed.^[5]

Sam Woo location in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which closed in February 2020.^[1]

"Sam Woo" is a romanization of the Cantonese pronunciation for "triple harmonies," in reference to feng shui principles, including the synthesis of heaven, earth, and humanity.^{[citation needed]} The complete Chinese name (三和燒臘麵家) literally means "Three Harmonies Roast Meats and Noodle House."

History

The first delicatessen was opened in 1979 in the Los Angeles Chinatown.^[6] It later spread to other locations in California, including Monterey Park and Alhambra.^{[citation needed]}

Two other locations in the San Gabriel Valley opened only to later change hands or close. One restaurant opened in Montebello, which was renamed to "A-1" (now closed) when an employee purchased it from the Sam Woo owners.^{[citation needed]} In 2004, a Sam Woo also opened in the suburb of Covina, California, but it failed the following year.^{[citation needed]}

There are two types of Sam Woo restaurants. The first is named Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant (香港三和燒臘麵家).^{[a][clarification needed]}

In 1992, presidential candidate Bill Clinton held a fundraiser at a now-defunct Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant in San Gabriel, California.^[7] In 2003, Sam Woo and other Chinese businesses in San Gabriel were affected by the SARS panic, despite lack of evidence SARS cases in the area.^[8] Customer patronage declined and the restaurant closed.^{[citation needed]}

In Southern California, hoping to capitalize on the success of Sam Woo Restaurants, restaurateurs have opened imitations with similar names in English and Chinese. Examples include the long-gone Sam Doo Restaurant in San Gabriel and the current S.W. Seafood Restaurant in Irvine.^{[citation needed]} In the early 1990s, a similar concept to Sam Woo Restaurant, the now-defunct Luk Yue Restaurant, also started in Los Angeles Chinatown and like Sam Woo, it expanded into the Chinese community of Monterey Park, Rowland Heights, and Cerritos.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Food portal

• List of Chinese restaurants
• List of seafood restaurants

Notes

1. Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2 saam1 wo4 siu1 laap6 min6 gaa1