Mei Mei Chinese Buffet & Takeout Brings All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant Back to Peterborough With Grand Opening

Helping to revive all-you-can-eat restaurants in Peterborough, Mei Mei Chinese Buffet & Takeout welcomed hungry customers at their grand opening on Wednesday evening.

Co-owners Morgan Bell (left) and Susan Tung (right) with some of their classic and popular buffet dishes such as Torpedo Shrimp, Egg Rolls, General Tso’s Chicken and more. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Over 30 people were lined up at the restaurant during the grand opening, with several more customers coming after the doors opened. Co-owners Susan Tung and Morgan Bell said they were scared and nervous ahead of the grand opening. They have received a lot of positive feedback, leading to high expectations since their soft opening (takeout only) that began on Feb. 25.

“The positive response of this restaurant has been beyond what I imagined and now opening the buffet feels like we’re opening the floodgates,” said Tung. “At the same time, I feel like our hard work is paying off.”

“I think after our friends and family buffet night, we had to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to keep up with demand,” explained Bell. “This week so far, it has felt like we were preparing for war but I’m really proud of the team we’ve built and I can’t wait to see how we grow from here.”

Bell (pictured) sets up all the buffet trays minutes before doors open at the grand opening. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The restaurant is located at 1080 Lansdowne St. W. in Consumers Plaza, at the former Wimpy’s Diner location, and offers a dinner buffet or takeout, with more options coming later. Several Peterborough Chinese restaurants that offered all-you-can-eat buffets prior to the COVID-19 pandemic did not reintroduce the concept after restrictions were lifted. This was an opportunity that Bell and Tung could not pass up.

“Who doesn’t love a buffet? I think we really just want to open restaurants we want to eat at. I was also really excited to learn and work with Mei (Tung’s mother),” said Bell. “She’s the Chinese Food Queen and I’m very honoured to learn from her.”

“I’ve skimmed Reddit enough to know what the people want and the Google search analytics,” said Tung. “Morgan and I joke about our mantra, which is give the people what they want and a Chinese buffet it is.”

This was not Tung’s first rodeo running a Chinese restaurant as her family previously owned the Golden Wheel Restaurant in the Springville area for several years. It was sold after Tung’s parents had retired.

“This is classic comfort Chinese/Canadian food that my parents sold at the Golden Wheel,” said Tung. We’ve slimmed down the menu because it’s unrealistic for us to sustainably have such a large menu but we stuck to the greatest hits.”

The restaurant is named after Tung’s mother in honour of the work and dedication she put into the Golden Wheel and her other restaurants.

“My mom was the anchor/boss lady at the Golden Wheel and when I was coming up with names for the restaurant, there wasn’t even a debate or question about what the name was going to be,” she explained. “My mom’s presence in my existing businesses is so felt. My team has so much respect for her and they learn from her even when she just pops in. It’s only fitting to carry on her legacy in my own way.”

Tung has founded and owned several food-industry businesses in Peterborough, including Hanoi House, Electric City Catering and Naka Japanese (sold to Emily Tan on Nov. 1, 2024). Bell had served as general manager for those businesses but this time joins Tung as a co-owner of Mei Mei.

“Over time, Susan and I realized we’re two halves of the same brain when it comes to building ideas,” explained Bell. “I’ve always put everything into the projects we’ve done together but this one felt different. We built it side by side, from the ideas to the problems, it didn’t feel like I was just supporting anymore. It felt right to step in as a partner.”

@ptbo_canada Peterborough’s newest Chinese restaurant, Mei Mei Chinese Buffet & Takeout is now open!!! #ptbocanada #journalism #fyp #news #food ♬ Chinese musical instruments cinematic of towns and fields(1329013) - GlanZauber

The following are the restaurant’s business hours:

• Monday: Closed

• Tuesday: Closed

• Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Friday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Local Restauranteur Announces New Chinese Buffet to Be Opened In Peterborough

Susan Tung, local restaurateur and owner/founder of Hanoi House, is bringing back a favourite in a Chinese buffet to Peterborough, announced on her social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Susan Tung.

“When Covid happened, a bunch of restaurants had to adapt and a bunch had to close down because they couldn't adapt to the situation,” explained Tung. “Now that all that's over, it's time for me to bring this concept back.”

Tung is documenting her journey on her YouTube channel from the initial lease to the grand opening of the restaurant.

She has already discovered a location from a previously closed-down restaurant. Tung signed a five-year lease on her video and mentioned that she had already purchased some restaurant equipment from the previous owner.

Tung is no stranger to Chinese cuisine and operating restaurants of that style since it is her heritage. Her family had previously owned the Golden Wheel Restaurant in the Springville area for several years. It was sold after Tung’s parents had retired.

She opened her first restaurant, Hanoi House, on Hunter Street in early 2020. A second location opened at Lansdowne Street on Dec. 9 of the same year but consolidated all operations to the latter due to increasing overhead expenses incurred from running two restaurants compared to one in July 2022.

Tung kept the property on Hunter Street and opened NAKA Japanese in February of 2023. She sold the business to Emily Tan in early November of last year, allowing the former to focus on Hanoi House and her growing family.

Earlier this year, Tung launched her new catering company, Electric City Catering, in the spring.

A timeline, name and location for the new Chinese buffet have not been disclosed at this time.

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Local Restaurateur to Launch 'Electric City Catering' This Spring

Susan Tung, local restaurateur and Hanoi House owner, is officially launching ‘Electric City Catering’ this spring, announced on Tuesday.

Tung (left) and Bell (right) in front of Hanoi House, Tung’s first restaurant that she opened in Febuary of 2020. Photo courtesy of Susan Tung.

“The name ‘Electric City Catering’ pays homage to Peterborough’s heritage while reflecting our commitment to being a vibrant part of this community,” said Tung. “We aim to make every event unforgettable by combining incredible food with memorable experiences.”

The company would be available to service several occasions, such as weddings, corporate events and private celebrations. Tung says the company’s services can be used for either formal, casual or any atmosphere in between.

“We’ve loved hosting special moments within the four walls of our restaurants but this venture allows us to expand and be part of even more celebrations throughout the community,” she explained.

Morgan, Hanoi House’s general manager (and Tung’s former restaurant NAKA Japanese), will be the catering director for Electric City Catering. She graduated from George Brown’s Culinary Management program and has had prior experience working at Kettle Drums before moving to Hanoi House.

Tung opened Hanoi House on Valentine’s Day 2020, located at 213 Hunter St. W. After opening a second location of Hanoi House at 1040 Lansdowne St. W., Tung closed the Hunter Street location to consolidate the restaurant several months later.

She founded and opened NAKA Japanese in mid-February of 2023 at her former Hanoi House location on Hunter Street. W. Tung sold NAKA to Emily Tan on Nov. 1.

According to Tung, Electric City Catering is currently accepting bookings for the spring and summer. Inquiries or bookings can be made by emailing electriccitycater@gmail.com. A catering menu can be found at www.electriccitycatering.ca.

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Hometown PTBO: Susan Tung and Her Restaurant Experience Timeline From Golden Wheel, Hanoi House to Naka Japanese

This week on Hometown PTBO, David Tuan Bui talks with Hanoi House/NAKA Japanese owner Susan Tung about growing up with her family owning the Golden Wheel Restaurant, her path to entrepreneurship and starting her own businesses in Peterborough.

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