Hunan Spring Buffet expanding to Big Harvest site
Published Saturday, March 8, 2008
Photo by Tom Hintgen
Chun Fang Chen and his wife, Xiu Zhi Liu.
Hunan Spring Buffet, a mainstay at the mini-mall north of downtown on West Cavour Avenue since 1999, will expand this summer to the building formerly occupied by Big Harvest Buffet on the west side of Fergus Falls. The downtown facility will remain, known as simply Hunan Spring — an order-off-the menu restaurant.
“We simply need more room,” said owner Chun Fang Chen who operates the restaurant with his wife, Xiu Zhi Liu. “We’re remodeling the building right now on the west side of town and hope to move in by June or July.”
Chen and Liu said that the availability of more space — and proximity to Interstate 94 and the good business climate in that area of town — were the deciding factors in their decision to purchase the building formerly occupied by Big Harvest Buffet. They rent the building north of downtown and also operate a Hunan Spring Buffet in Detroit Lakes, also at a rented building.
“We’ll continue to offer the buffet here at our downtown restaurant until we move to the west side of town this summer,” Chen said. “Here at the downtown Hunan Spring we’re confident — later on — that many people will enjoy ordering (off the menu) from a wide selection of combo meals and the like.”
Chen and Liu and four others who are family members or close friends are the core workers at the current Hunan Spring Buffet. Two additional staff members assist them.
“We’ll probably add more employees once we open our buffet on the west side of town. We’re confident of serving many more people with the additional space,” Chen said. “We’re excited about our plans to expand.”
Chen and Liu moved from southern China to the United States in 1992.
They pride themselves on a wide variety of food selections for customers. The take-out menu includes chef’s specials, lunch specials, combination platters and various soups, chow mein, fried rice, Lo Mein, egg foo young, meat selections (pork, chicken and beef), seafood, sweet and sour and various vegetables.
“People will be pleasantly surprised to see many new selections when we open our new buffet this summer,” Chen said.
