The Shanghai, an Elgin mainstay
"Just about everybody in Elgin knew my family and our restaurant," remembered Sam Yee, whose parents began a longtime stint as the owners of the Shanghai Restaurant beginning in 1949.
"We lived right above the business in the city's downtown, had many regular customers, and served authentic food that we traveled to Chicago's Chinatown to buy," Yee said.
"My parents, Sam and Helen Yee, bought the Shanghai Restaurant from Billy Yee in 1949. Mr. Yee had the same last name as us, though he was no relation."
City directories show that Billy Yee began the restaurant near the end of World War II. Before buying the Shanghai, Sam and Helen Yee lived in Berwyn and operated a laundry.
"Billy Yee taught my parents everything they needed to know about running the restaurant business," said son Sam.
"My father, Sam Yee, was born in Canton, China, and came to the United States as an adult. My mother was born in Hong Kong, arrived in the country at an early age and spoke better English.
"He did most of the cooking and she ran the dining room. Other familiar faces were my aunts, Lois Wan and Alice Chan; my brother, Harold; my sister, Linda; and me," noted Yee.
"Our business was located in a storefront at 21 N. Grove Ave., a few doors north of the current Tower Building. In later years, we expanded into 23 N. Grove, a location that was once occupied by the Ranger Toy Store. This gave us the capacity to seat up to about 150 people," said Yee.
"The menu had both American and Chinese cuisine," explained Yee.
The restaurant was open every day except Wednesdays when the family traveled to Chinatown in Chicago to get supplies. This was at a time in which ethnic food wasn't readily available from most restaurant supply businesses, said Yee.
"One of the more popular dishes of many was the Hong Kong Steak. We also had family dinners for groups from two to six in size," he added.
Probably one of the most novel features of the Shanghai was the Chopsticks Club, said Yee. Begun as a small informal group of lunch patrons, the quasi-official club met regularly, and actually had a president and about a dozen members. These included a lawyer, a banker, an artist and others who worked in the downtown area. All ate with chopsticks, of course, supplied by the Yees.
To show their appreciation to their customers, the Yees hosted a Chinese New Year's Eve party each year. Held in April, the event started out with about 25 people and eventually grew to over 100. This once-a-year party included foods not normally on the menu, including bird's nest soup and other exotic foods -- though the dinner concluded with fortune cookies.
Helen Yee dressed in a satin Chinese gown for the annual affair.
The Yees sold the Shanghai restaurant in 1972. Though son Sam Yee chose not to continue the family business, he did go on to a career in restaurant management.
In the late 1980s the Shanghai was acquired by Niphon Jirangboonkul, who had opened the nearby Bangkok House. A few years later, he moved both restaurants to their current location on Douglas Avenue. A native of Thailand, Jirangboonkul now serves Chinese as well as Thai cuisine.
"My father almost sold the Shanghai Restaurant years earlier when McDonald's restaurants were just getting started," Sam Yee said.
"He said he regretted not buying a fast food franchise, but I'm really glad he didn't. Things just wouldn't be the same. I'm glad to see the Shanghai continue today."