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A Coffee with Amy Choy from Bings Restaurant · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

0:14
Well, hey there, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
0:19
My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the Executive Director of the Acheson Business Association.
0:28
Hello, Jennifer.
0:28
Hello, Cam.
0:30
Well, it is a beautiful day again outside.
0:32
Oh, it's a sunny Alberta day, and it's even warm today.
0:35
I think 10 degrees.
0:36
Well, it's kind of like shorts day.
0:37
I could wear shorts.
0:38
You could have.
0:39
Yeah, it's beautiful outside.
0:41
Snow is melting, cars are dirty.
0:42
You know what, maybe spring is coming.
0:43
Maybe allergy season is on its way.
0:46
Anyways, you know what, we hope.
0:48
And but yeah, it's a great day today.
0:50
And thanks for listening to us folks.
0:52
We're coming to you from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
0:59
So if you hear a bunch of noise in the background, coffee machines whirring, people talking, kids screaming, it's because we're live at the coffee shop.
1:06
And if you haven't been here, you need to come by and check out the Wall Coffee Roasters.
1:12
Jennifer, tell us about some very important people.
1:14
We would like to thank our gold corporate sponsors, which include the Myshak Group of Companies, Genics, Parkland County, and Bow Valley Credit Union.
1:23
Right on.
1:23
We're very excited.
1:24
Thank you for supporting us because we wouldn't be able to do what we do without you.
1:29
Jennifer, I am so excited about today.
1:31
You know, Cam, just when I think I can't get more excited about a guest.
1:35
I know.
1:36
We booked the next guest and I get just as excited.
1:40
I know.
1:40
And this is great.
1:41
There's a lot of reasons why this is great and we'll hear about it in a minute, but it has to do with a great person.
1:45
It has to do with great food.
1:47
And I'm just really excited.
1:48
So, Jennifer.
1:50
Well, Cam, our guest today is Amy Choy, who is the owner operator of Bings in Spruce Grove.
1:59
Spruce Grove.
2:00
Amy, welcome.
2:01
Welcome, Amy.
2:01
Hi, everyone.
2:02
And I have decided to rename you guys as Fun and Funnest.
2:08
Well, we've been called worse, that's for sure.
2:09
So, yeah, so we'll take that.
2:11
That's fantastic.
2:12
Amy, it's so exciting to have you here.
2:14
Thank you.
2:14
And you are the owner of Bings in Spruce Grove. Yes I am.
2:18
Now, we just want to clarify.
2:20
There are two Bings.
2:20
There are two Bings.
2:22
Right.
2:22
There's one in Stony Plain and yours in Spruce Grove.
2:26
Yes.
2:27
How are they related?
2:29
OK, so it all first started off when my grandfather lived a very nomadic lifestyle when he first came.
2:36
So, he worked in numerous restaurants all over Alberta.
2:41
Actually, he came to Vancouver first.
2:43
Oh, OK.
2:43
Yeah.
2:43
So, he came by Vancouver, wasn't treated very well, basically had to work for free to pay to come over.
2:51
Right.
2:51
So, then when he finally came to Alberta, he went everywhere.
2:55
But his family wasn't here.
2:56
OK.
2:57
So, my grandmother and my dad and brother and big brother, I think, yes, they were still in Hong Kong for 10 years.
3:07
So, my grandpa just kind of worked around, sent money home.
3:10
Yeah.
3:11
And then 10 years after, they all finally joined them.
3:14
OK.
3:14
So, when they finally joined them, they went to Stony Plain, right?
3:18
And then they opened the first Bings.
3:20
So, you know, my dad, the siblings, Yeah.
3:24
My uncles, right?
3:25
And my grandpa and grandma worked at that one.
3:27
OK.
3:28
And then five years later, my father opened the one in Spruce Grove.
3:34
Oh, OK.
3:34
So, then my dad, my grandfather had an invitation.
3:39
They're like, hey, you know, we have a new place in the Cossack.
3:42
Would you like to open a second one there?
3:44
So, my dad and my mom took off with that one.
3:46
OK.
3:47
So, for those who don't know, Bings is a very iconic restaurant.
3:50
Yes.
3:50
In Spruce Grove and Stony Plain.
3:52
Jennifer, you guys eat there a lot.
3:53
Absolutely.
3:54
Love it.
3:54
It's amazing Chinese food.
3:55
Yeah.
3:56
And I've eaten there quite a bit.
3:57
And so, yeah, now you know the story of the two that are open.
4:01
So, Amy, where were you born?
4:03
I was born here.
4:04
In Spruce Grove or Stony?
4:05
I was born in Edmonton.
4:07
Oh, in Edmonton.
4:07
OK.
4:08
All of us was born in the Misericordia.
4:11
You know, Misericordia.
4:13
So, you lived in?
4:15
I lived in Stony Plain first, right?
4:17
And then afterwards, I think in like 90, yeah, around 91, when I was 15, then we moved to Spruce Grove.
4:23
OK.
4:23
Because it was closer to work.
4:24
Right.
4:25
So, where did you go to high school?
4:26
I went to the, actually, I went to both.
4:28
I went to Memorial in grade 10, and then 11, 12, I went to the comp.
4:32
To the comp.
4:33
Shout out to the comp.
4:35
Do you guys have a mascot?
4:37
Like, is it a bird or something or?
4:38
The mascot should be me, but...
4:41
I love it.
4:43
I know, but I can't pull out the animal.
4:45
So if anybody from the comp is listening, Amy has offered to be your mascot.
4:50
I think that's fantastic.
4:52
That's absolutely fantastic.
4:53
The iconic Asian, one Asian person in the school hall, right?
4:57
Back in the day.
4:58
Oh, that's just great.
4:59
That's awesome.
5:00
So, Amy, tell us a little bit about growing up in Spruce Grove.
5:05
Well, I grew up in this area, and of course, we were one of the first Asian families around, right?
5:12
There is very, very...
5:13
Well, Spruce Grove was very white.
5:14
Yeah, yeah.
5:15
Stony and Spruce was very, yeah, very...
5:17
And it was a little tough back in the time, right?
5:19
Yeah.
5:20
Because people weren't used to it, right?
5:22
But it was really nice because we built community out here, right?
5:26
So, my cousins, well, my two cousins were always very well loved because they knew how to play sports and they...
5:34
You know, what not.
5:35
And then we just kind of like grew up with our community here.
5:38
My dad did a lot of stuff with the schools and stuff as well, right?
5:43
And a lot of community work.
5:45
So, he kind of established us, right?
5:47
And then he retired probably about ten years before he passed, right?
5:53
So, I ran it since like 2000.
5:55
So, was there an expectation that you would just always take over the restaurant?
5:59
No, he lied to me.
6:00
So, this is the story.
6:02
Okay, so the classic Asian story is they always tell us, they're like, you know what?
6:07
If you go and work hard in school, work hard in university, you won't have to work like mom and dad, seven days a week, 12 hours, 16 hour days plus.
6:18
And I'm like, okay, so I worked hard in school.
6:20
I was not good in school, but they plucked it in me, so I kept working hard in school.
6:25
And then I worked hard in university.
6:27
Don't even know how I got through it, because I just paid for the degree.
6:31
I wasn't smart in school at all.
6:33
No.
6:34
But yeah, so then afterwards, I went through school and then I got a geology degree.
6:40
I did not...
6:41
Oh, a geology degree.
6:43
Really?
6:43
Yeah, but we just opened the Bings in Spruce with the second location.
6:48
Okay, but did you want it to be a geologist?
6:51
Well, back in that day, everybody wanted to work at Pan Canadian.
6:58
This is so great.
6:59
Okay.
7:02
But then afterwards, we opened, and I was just like, well, my parents and my family, they kinda need me, and then I have to move to Calgary, right?
7:10
Right.
7:10
So then I'm like, okay, well, like you told me get a degree, so he never told me to use it.
7:16
Yeah.
7:16
So just get it.
7:17
Just get it.
7:18
So I got my degree.
7:19
Yeah.
7:20
And then at that time, I worked on the weekends at the restaurant, and then I worked in my insurance job in the weekday.
7:28
So you went into insurance.
7:30
Yes.
7:30
Yes.
7:30
I had a great, my grade two teacher.
7:35
I talked to all my elementary teachers still.
7:37
So my grade two teacher's husband was the VP at Drayden at the time.
7:42
He got me a job at an insurance company.
7:45
Right.
7:45
Right.
7:46
So then, yeah, then I got an insurance designation, and then I worked at the restaurant on the weekends.
7:51
Wow.
7:52
That's incredible.
7:53
Not really.
7:57
I just like to learn.
7:58
So at what point did you know, I just got to work in the restaurant?
8:02
Like when, like, like.
8:03
Well, growing up, you probably were in there all the time.
8:06
We were.
8:06
We were.
8:07
Because like, like in the weekends, right?
8:08
So at the time, I was in my 20s and I worked my full time job, but I also worked at the restaurant, right?
8:15
Because they needed us, right?
8:16
And I, like, we just did it because we were expected to.
8:20
And then so when I did that, I worked as well and then got married.
8:25
And then, then we had our first child, right?
8:29
So had our first child, and then I went back to the insurance company, and then I would go back to work at night at Bings.
8:35
Wow, so you worked all day at the insurance company, then at night at Bings?
8:39
Well, because, like, my dad, okay, so we had someone watch my son in Stony Plain.
8:44
So we drove from Edmonton, and then we would just meet her at the restaurant, and then my dad and my mom would watch my eldest, and then I'd be at work, and I'd finish off the stuff.
8:53
And then by, I think, by the time I had my second one, first of all, I had no balance of time.
9:01
I was working in the insurance company, and you know, I don't like to be beat by paper, and the paper kept beating me, so I would stay really late and try to finish my papers, and then I'm like, oh, it's seven.
9:13
I'm like, and oh, my kid was sick, and I didn't take him to the doctor's because I had to finish my papers.
9:19
So that was the indication that I really should just not work in an office.
9:25
Just choose one.
9:27
Because I wasn't prioritizing what normal people prioritize, right?
9:31
They don't prioritize paper over their kids.
9:33
Normal people don't do that.
9:36
So then at that point, I was like, okay, we probably should just do the restaurant.
9:41
Because, you know, my parents are at like their 50s, 60s, right?
9:44
Yes.
9:45
And I get a lot more flexibility this way, right?
9:48
I can still I can make my own hours.
9:50
I can take my kid to the doctor instead of making him sick while I'm doing paper.
9:53
Priorities, you know.
9:55
Priorities, yeah.
9:56
Priorities.
9:58
I had none of them.
10:00
Still don't, but you know.
10:02
This is amazing.
10:04
Okay, so you left the insurance business.
10:06
I did.
10:07
And you went to the restaurant.
10:08
I went to the restaurant, and then by that time, I had number two.
10:12
And back then, there was a huge labor shortage.
10:15
There was a huge labor shortage, right?
10:17
Remember back in 06, everybody started hiring kids at the A&Ws, and all that.
10:22
Yes, they couldn't get any workers.
10:25
So then at that point, my husband also quit his job, and he was a headhunter.
10:30
And then he also joined our party.
10:34
Really?
10:36
Our food party.
10:37
That's fantastic.
10:38
Wow.
10:38
It is fantastic of him, because he had a really good career, too.
10:42
But this gave us a lot of flexibility.
10:45
Yeah.
10:45
So we were able to basically, you know, like tag team.
10:50
Yeah, yeah.
10:51
And run this.
10:52
Still run this.
10:53
That's a third generation business.
10:55
That's incredible.
10:56
It's amazing.
10:56
Yeah.
10:57
And so you have two children?
10:58
We have four.
10:59
Four children.
11:00
We have four.
11:00
So once you went to the restaurant, you had more kids.
11:03
I don't know what I was thinking, but yes.
11:06
Apparently, you know, I just kind of felt like, you know, since, you know, that degree did nothing.
11:12
How many hours a day would you work at the restaurant?
11:15
Yeah.
11:16
It's all over.
11:16
Like I still go in, like I'll go in in the evenings, and I usually stay there till 11, 12.
11:21
Really?
11:21
Sometimes two.
11:21
Yeah.
11:22
And he does the days because we still want to balance that.
11:24
Oh, right.
11:24
Balance it out.
11:25
Yeah.
11:25
Okay.
11:26
And how old are your kids right now?
11:28
They are 12, 14, 16.
11:31
No.
11:31
Yeah.
11:32
12, 14, 16, and 18.
11:33
Holy smokes.
11:34
So busy.
11:34
Almost home free.
11:36
Yeah.
11:36
Almost.
11:38
Another six years to go.
11:39
Do they have to work in the restaurant too?
11:41
You know what?
11:42
It's funny.
11:42
My eldest does, and my youngest one, he is our boss baby.
11:46
He's going to end up having that.
11:48
Really?
11:48
He wants to?
11:49
He likes to go every Saturday, and he is not afraid to cook.
11:55
Right.
11:55
So he likes to learn.
11:56
Really?
11:57
Yeah.
11:57
That's really awesome.
11:59
He's very dangerous.
12:01
Yeah.
12:02
Yeah.
12:03
So he's a special needs child, right?
12:05
But like, you know, so I'll go, he'll watch stuff on YouTube, and he goes, Oh, I want to make Udon.
12:10
Yeah.
12:11
So then he'll be like, Oh, I saw someone make Udon with their feet.
12:13
I'm like, Oh, my goodness.
12:15
Okay.
12:16
But yeah, puts the Udon in the Ziploc bag, stomps on it, you know, or else if I go take a shower, he's deep frying oil.
12:23
Oil.
12:24
Yeah.
12:25
While I'm frying.
12:26
And I'm like, What are you doing?
12:27
He goes, It doesn't taste the same in the air fryer.
12:31
Okay, so. That would be a fourth generation. Thats a fourth generation owner.
12:36
That's where you're going with it.
12:38
So at what point did your parents take a step back then, and you kind of fully took over?
12:44
I think when I had my babies.
12:45
Yeah.
12:46
They went to the restaurant, but they were kind of like, you know, they'll be there, they'll see things, but we were already working.
12:53
And we had the staff.
12:54
Was it hard for your dad to step back or?
12:57
It was.
12:57
Like he's a creature of habit, right?
13:00
But what he did was he just took the kids downstairs in our dungeon, in our basement, right?
13:05
And just let the kids climb everywhere, run everywhere, and he would take care of them.
13:08
Wow.
13:09
So that I could work.
13:10
Yeah.
13:10
So you could work.
13:11
Yep.
13:11
Okay.
13:11
So to be clear, so everyone understands again, there's two Bings, the one in Spruce, which you have, and the one in Stony.
13:19
And who runs the one in Stony?
13:20
My cousin.
13:21
Your cousin, Mayor Choy.
13:22
Yeah.
13:22
It was Mayor Choy, and then he sold it to his brother last year.
13:25
Oh, that's right.
13:26
I read that he did that.
13:27
Okay.
13:27
But same everything. Because he worked there the whole time.
13:28
Yeah.
13:28
But that's what he did.
13:30
Yeah.
13:31
And he's a wonderful mayor.
13:32
He really is.
13:32
He's a great guy.He really is amazing.
13:34
We just, he was here just last night.
13:36
Last night?
13:37
No, not last night.
13:37
The other event.
13:38
Yeah.
13:39
A week ago.
13:39
A week ago.
13:40
He was here.
13:40
Yep.
13:41
That's right.
13:41
And he goes to every event.
13:42
He's just an awesome guy.
13:44
And so it was a family, two family Bings.
13:48
Was there ever a sense of competition as to whose Bings was better?
13:51
It's a Community competition. It is not a family competition.
13:55
What does that mean, a community competition?
13:58
Every time we talk, including you, which Bings is better?
14:02
And we just say that they're all good in their own way.
14:05
Okay, now tell us the truth, what you really think.
14:08
I'm just kidding.
14:09
I'm not cheating myself on air, man.
14:14
Now, the restaurant business has got to be a tough business.
14:17
It can't be, and it's changed.
14:18
Because we all have our own demographics, right?
14:20
So we're good, but we are not exactly the same because we cater our recipes to a different demographic, right?
14:27
Yeah.
14:28
Okay.
14:28
Now, you guys are very...
14:30
You have Western food as well as Chinese, and it's very good.
14:33
Our burgers are like, nitrile.
14:36
They'll plow you out to outer space.
14:39
there good.
14:39
I never had a burger.
14:40
I got to have a burger.
14:41
No, because I go for Chinese food.
14:42
I always have Chinese food.
14:43
Yes, and they say Chinese restaurants make good burgers and good steaks too.
14:46
That's what I've heard, too.
14:47
Next time, I'm having a burger.
14:48
I know.
14:49
So just tell us a little bit about the life of running a restaurant.
14:53
It sucks.
14:54
You only wish your enemies.
14:57
If you don't like that person, then you tell them to own a restaurant.
15:00
Right.
15:01
Because you got to do the food, you got to get help, you got to get cooks, everything.
15:06
And at the end of the day, any owners that think that they can just hire people and sit back, they are completely not with it.
15:15
Because you know what?
15:16
Staff is not obliged to make you money.
15:18
Right.
15:19
You know, they are your helping hands, but you have to help them and you got to guide them.
15:23
Yes.
15:23
Right?
15:24
So we're always there.
15:25
My husband, like even when my dad was sick and palliative, someone was there.
15:29
Wow.
15:30
Yeah.
15:30
Yeah, we were there.
15:31
And the day my dad passed away- It doesn't stop, does it?
15:33
Nope.
15:33
And you're open seven days a week?
15:35
Six.
15:36
Six days.
15:36
Yeah.
15:37
Yeah, just to keep everyone alive.
15:38
Yeah.
15:39
What day do you close?
15:40
Mondays.
15:41
Mondays.
15:42
Oh, okay.
15:42
Got to remember that.
15:43
Don't come on Mondays.
15:44
No, I'll be sad.
15:45
Please come on Tuesday.
15:46
No, yeah.
15:47
I'll be sad too because nobody would be there.
15:49
But wow, that's pretty incredible, man.
15:51
And so you talked about, you know, back in the days, if there would have been Google reviews, you probably wouldn't have made it.
15:59
So when we first closed the Cossack, we had to close our Cossack location because they were taking it back.
16:07
And we didn't just want to do the kitchen, right?
16:09
So we had to build this building from scratch.
16:12
So it took a year and a half, two years to build it.
16:14
And it was huge compared to what we were doing.
16:18
It used to be like a 40 seater, and then this one's 130.
16:22
It had a restaurant, right?
16:24
It had a lounge.
16:24
My mom doesn't drink.
16:25
So I was like, we're opening a lounge, but we don't drink.
16:28
Okay, right?
16:30
And then so, yes, and at the time, it was probably three times the size of the operations, and we really didn't know what to expect.
16:38
And my mom, she's a superstar.
16:40
She drew out the plans for the restaurant, like keeping in mind, she has no formal second, like post-secondary education.
16:47
She just did it on her own.
16:48
She did, and she made sure that she utilized as much space as she did in the drawings, and then she hired all these people, and she has a language barrier, right?
16:57
And then we had to bring people in from Edmonton, right?
17:00
Because there's no Chinese cooks out here.
17:02
There isn't.
17:02
Yes.
17:03
So if they were out here, they opened for themselves.
17:05
Yeah, that's right.
17:07
Right?
17:07
So it was really challenging.
17:09
So when we opened, we were a mess, like a big mess.
17:13
I still remember being in tears because I was 19, and they had to wait two hours for their food, and they came and they just tore a strip off me.
17:20
So if they had Google reviews, we would be 20 feet under.
17:23
Did you ever feel like giving up?
17:24
Did you ever think that we can't do this?
17:26
Well, no, because you're up to your ears in debt, right?
17:29
Spent all our money, yeah. So you have to do it.
17:31
But my parents were amazing.
17:32
Like after, I think, a year or two, they paid off all their debts.
17:35
Wow, that's phenomenal.
17:37
That is incredible.
17:38
Yeah, they were really busy.
17:39
We really thank the community for that, right?
17:42
Yeah.
17:42
And we just kept working the seven days a week, and they did pull like the eight in the morning to like two in the morning.
17:49
Boy, oh boy.
17:49
And we all did it.
17:50
That's amazing.
17:51
Yeah, and we were new, right?
17:53
Because back then, when we did the Cossack, it was one server and maybe two or three guys in the kitchen.
17:58
Right.
17:59
And all of a sudden we have like...
18:00
Yeah, you've grown.
18:01
We have like seven servers, four hosts, and then, you know, we have like all of a sudden, like, you know, three times the amount of staff that we have to manage.
18:08
We don't know how to manage, right?
18:10
So especially cooks, that must have been hard to find.
18:13
It is really hard.
18:14
And how do you keep them?
18:15
Like that?
18:16
That is one of the hardest industry secrets, I think, that a lot of people don't know.
18:22
Right.
18:22
And like keeping cooks, especially like talented ones.
18:25
Talented ones would either work for themselves, like they might not work for you, right?
18:29
So you have to know how to value them.
18:31
Yeah.
18:31
And you have to like, you know, be able to know how to grow with them.
18:34
And you have to also extract and learn from them.
18:37
Right.
18:37
You can't just be like, I'm boss, so I know everything.
18:40
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:40
I think those are the number one businesses that fail because they don't listen to their staff and they don't try to grow.
18:46
Incredible.
18:46
Yeah.
18:47
So and it's really hard to hire.
18:48
Yeah.
18:49
I was going to say it must be really hard to hire.
18:51
Even right now, you're looking at indeed.
18:52
There are usually cooks, right?
18:54
Usually cooks, who wants to do it, right?
18:56
Yeah.
18:56
Yeah.
18:56
So Amy, what would you say that, you know, how have your challenges maybe changed from when you first started to now?
19:03
I think the biggest challenge was back in the day, like in my parents era, a lot of the new immigrants came in and they didn't know English, right?
19:12
So they did these jobs.
19:14
So for them, it was easier to hire.
19:16
It was hard because they have to drive out from Edmonton out here, but there's still people to work.
19:21
And now they've all retired, right?
19:23
They're enjoying their grandkids.
19:24
And now my demographic, my age group, a lot of them don't go into food, right?
19:30
And it's very hard, right?
19:31
Because you're working in a really hot kitchen, it's really stressful, you have to be very fast, you have to be organized.
19:39
And the thing I think that I learned the most is that there's no perfect employee.
19:44
Because we want the perfect employee to be fast and be sharp and have skills and blah, blah, blah.
19:49
They would open their own.
19:50
So what we have to learn right now is to find which skill out of everybody and orchestrate it.
19:57
There is no perfect person, so we have this person that can can't put out food but can do amazing stock.
20:04
And then this person can cook, but he also cannot put out food.
20:07
So we have to take everybody's talents and orchestrate it like a symphony.
20:11
That's fantastic, actually.
20:13
It really is.
20:13
You can learn using the talents of each person to make it work together.
20:17
You have to.
20:17
For the good.
20:18
How do you keep staff?
20:20
What is your secret to?
20:22
I would love to say it's me.
20:24
Yeah, no, that could be.
20:25
Yeah, for sure.
20:26
We have a lot of staff that has been with us forever.
20:32
Like over 10, over 20 years.
20:33
And why do they stay?
20:35
Because I think, first of all, we try to make sure that they make money.
20:39
Yeah.
20:39
So the first thing is like, you know, for the servers, we have the lowest tip out around, because in our head, they will stay if they make money.
20:47
And we have very low turnover.
20:49
Very, very low turnover.
20:51
So we also like, you know, we tell them, like when we work in a restaurant, obviously, there's tempers flying in.
20:58
It's like, oh, don't take this personally.
21:01
You know, we're just trying to get the job done.
21:02
Right.
21:03
But I think treating them well, making sure that you stand up for them when it's warranted.
21:09
Yeah.
21:09
I love that.
21:11
Yeah.
21:11
Stand up for your employees.
21:13
Yeah.
21:13
Like when it's warranted, right?
21:14
Because like, you know, customers aren't always right.
21:16
No, for sure.
21:17
And making sure they know they're valued.
21:20
Yeah.
21:20
I think my staff, they all do know I value them.
21:23
Yeah.
21:24
And if they're wrong, I call them out.
21:26
I'm like, hey, this is not right, but fix it.
21:29
And then we're good, right?
21:31
Right.
21:31
So that it's an interesting scenario.
21:33
You talk about the cook, say, like, is there a school they go to to learn how to cook the food you want them to cook?
21:42
Is it just, they come in and they spend time?
21:44
Is it their heritage?
21:45
They just know?
21:46
It's hard.
21:47
It's hard, hard, hard.
21:48
Because you know what?
21:49
You cannot replicate that heat at home.
21:51
You can't learn to do Chinese food at home.
21:53
No, no.
21:53
You need like 20,000 BTU.
21:55
Yeah, yeah.
21:56
I think that's the word for it.
21:57
My little wok on my stove doesn't do it, right?
22:00
No, it's called boiled vegetable is what you have.
22:02
When you cook at home, I don't care what.
22:04
Anyone says that thing ain't stir-fried.
22:06
Chinese, I think, is just called boiled vegetables, okay?
22:09
With some oil.
22:10
I love it.
22:10
That's great.
22:11
It's so great.
22:11
It's not.
22:12
You cannot replicate that heat.
22:14
You need a commercial wok.
22:15
You need the skill, because if you don't know how to season the wok, it tastes metal-y.
22:19
Yes, right.
22:19
If you don't season it properly, it's black.
22:22
So what do you see for the next generation?
22:24
Like, is it, are you, yeah, it's going to carry on or is it going to be tougher?
22:31
Well, like, you know, like, I would love for it because this one, like, it's not as duplicatable as a chain, right?
22:37
A chain has the equipment.
22:38
Like, I've seen robotic woks, but the thing is, even if you have a robotic walk with the right feet, you still have to make sure that you flip the meat properly or that piece of broccoli isn't good.
22:48
We got to huck it.
22:49
Or, you know, just being able to say, oh, yeah, the starch isn't done right.
22:53
Like, it's not, it's, you know, some things can be done by AI or can be done by technology.
22:58
Cooking really cannot.
23:00
Right.
23:00
Like, you know, you can shove something in a machine, but it tastes like machine food.
23:03
That makes sense.
23:04
Yeah, that personal touch, right?
23:05
Yeah, yeah.
23:06
The person doing it.
23:06
It needs to have love, right?
23:08
So, are you optimistic that it'll carry on?
23:11
They'll always, or is it just, what are your thoughts on that?
23:14
I would really, really love for it to carry on.
23:16
Like you say, like someone like the Lingnan, which has been here for like, you know, 75 years, right?
23:21
I would love it if my kids loved their heritage and their, you know, legacy that my grandparents built for them, right?
23:28
To flourish, because really, my grandparents gave us this legacy in Canada, right?
23:34
So your grandparents, you said earlier, were born in Hong Kong?
23:37
My grandparents are actually born in Toisan, China, so it's in the province of Guangzhou, right?
23:43
So my mom was from Hong Kong as well, and then, you know, they came over here.
23:47
And same thing, you know, like, I don't think there's a lot of workers now, especially anyone like foreign workers now, that can come and not go home for 10 years.
23:56
And back then, they don't have, zoom or, I don't know.
24:00
It's so different.
24:01
So they get one phone call a year to their family.
24:04
Really?
24:04
Yeah, that's what my grandpa got.
24:06
Wow.
24:06
Right?
24:06
And then, you know, so, and then like, you know, the amount of like racism he got at the time, he had to carry a knife when he went back to his room, you know?
24:14
So, you know, he gave us all this, right?
24:17
I don't think anybody really understands.
24:19
No, no, it's a different- I remember a while back watching a documentary somebody had done on Chinese restaurants in Alberta, and every little town you went to had a Chinese restaurant.
24:30
And my cousin, right, William, like when he did like that chopster in the prairies for Stony King Bings, right?
24:36
It kind of covered that, right?
24:38
I don't know if he told you, but both the Bings were also on- in the museum.
24:43
They wrote a book for us.
24:45
Yeah, and Lingnan and Blue Willow.
24:47
And they did a book about restaurants and like, you know, the prairie style Chinese food and our heritage, right?
24:54
Yeah.
24:54
So, it was really spectacular, because it made us remember, and we look at everyone else's stories too, right?
25:00
You know, back then, you know, not being accepted in society, having to worry about your safety.
25:06
Yeah, well, that's the thing.
25:06
And that's where I was going, is that when I watched the documentary, there was still a lot of racism, like a lot of- That people loved going to eat at the restaurant.
25:15
Right.
25:15
But there was a lot of racism.
25:17
It still wasn't accepted in the community necessarily.
25:19
No, no.
25:19
And I just thought, wow, how ironic is that?
25:22
And people have no idea.
25:23
No.
25:23
And I still remember, like I knew my dad said that he used to have to like lift people out and like haul them out.
25:29
Yeah.
25:29
And I remembered in the Spruce Grove Bings, I was still a kid, I still remembered him hauling people out of our restaurant.
25:37
I was young.
25:38
Yeah.
25:38
And at the time, I was a handful too because like, you know, it's just a mom and dad team in a kitchen.
25:44
Of course.
25:45
And then one server, and then there's this spoiled little kid that's sitting there.
25:48
And I kid you not, there was a pictures of them opening cans, like tons of pop and chips and chocolate bars all over that table to shut me up.
25:57
I don't know how much money they spent every day just to shut me up.
26:01
Yes.
26:02
Wow.
26:02
Yeah, that's incredible.
26:03
I mean, yeah.
26:04
Like now I can lock my kids in the basement because there was a basement to do that, right?
26:08
When my dad was there, it was legal.
26:10
Somebody was watching them.
26:13
Oh, Amy, this is just great.
26:15
This is really great.
26:16
So Amy, one thing I do know about you is you are a big supporter of the community that gives back to you.
26:22
So tell us a little bit about that.
26:24
Well, I think, first of all, I grew up here.
26:27
And I think a lot of people forget.
26:30
We have a lot of competitions, Spruce Grove and stuff, right?
26:33
And I'm not being, you know what I mean, competitive here.
26:37
I'm just saying I give to our community because it has given to me.
26:42
I grew up here, and I grew up with a big bunch of these people, right?
26:47
So we do the food bank stuff.
26:49
We do schools.
26:51
We do the homeless as well, right?
26:54
And like my cousin as well, he does, you know, the, what is it, the Kingsman Walk.
26:59
He does a lot of community events.
27:01
So for us, these are really big for us because it's a way for us to kind of, you know, and it sounds clichÃ©, but it's not.
27:07
It is a way to give back, right?
27:09
So like, you know, my kids do sports, so I make sure, like, you know, my nephew does sports here, so we always actively donate to teams or give bottles or sponsor, right?
27:20
Because, you know, it's a big deal.
27:23
Kids being, we didn't get to play sports as kids because my parents couldn't take us.
27:27
So now we do a big thing about supporting sports for kids.
27:30
Right.
27:31
Right?
27:32
And then like, you know, homeless now, now that there's a problem with that too, right?
27:35
That's fabulous.
27:36
That's absolutely fabulous.
27:37
And you know, Cam, we've talked about this before.
27:41
It is the businesses like Amy's, like our local businesses that give back to our communities.
27:49
It's not the big chains.
27:50
No, it's not.
27:51
Yeah.
27:52
So wherever you can, support local, support Bings, support places like Amy's.
27:59
Absolutely.
28:00
Because like a lot of times, like when we see the social media chats, they'll be like, oh, only support this Chinese restaurant.
28:05
Like, no, no.
28:06
I'm like, wrong, wrong, wrong.
28:08
You should be supporting all of those.
28:09
Because you know what?
28:10
Like a lot of our so-called competitors, we actually borrow stuff from each other.
28:15
We support each other because there's really no way, like in our mindset, there's no way that you can take a whole entire community because you're just going to kill your name. It's too busy.
28:23
So you should always share, you know, and we always say, hey, I guess people, people don't even realize they don't know.
28:30
No.
28:30
No.
28:31
Well, boy, has this time flown by.
28:34
We're almost at 30 minutes.
28:35
I know.
28:35
Unbelievable.
28:36
And we could keep, no, we could keep going.
28:38
Go for another hour.
28:39
Amy, we have one final question that we ask all of our guests.
28:44
What is the best piece of advice you've been given, either personally or professionally, that you carry with you to this day?
28:49
Be kind.
28:50
Be kind because you always get it back.
28:53
You get it back.
28:54
Like if I, like we'll go out of our way.
28:57
Like sometimes if we see a customer with a bad day or they lost a family member, small gestures like, oh, we'll buy you dinner.
29:03
Or else, you know, at Tim Hortons, you see someone have a bad day, I buy them coffee.
29:07
Wow.
29:08
Love it.
29:09
No, it's real.
29:10
It doesn't get better than that.
29:11
Amy, this has been amazing.
29:13
If you live anywhere near Bings in Spruce Grove.
29:16
Even if you don't.
29:17
Even if you don't, it's worth the drive.
29:19
I live in Edmonton and drive to Bings because I love it so much.
29:24
And honestly, folks, it's a great place.
29:27
Amy, tell everybody where Bings is located in Spruce Grove.
29:31
Tell us.
29:31
I was going to say heaven, but okay.
29:34
Maybe in heaven.
29:36
Maybe in heaven, there will be Bings.
29:37
It's a heaven on earth.
29:38
It is 21 West Way Road, Spruce Grove, Alberta.
29:42
And you have a website?
29:43
It is world, www.bingsrestaurant.ca. .ca.
29:48
Awesome.
29:49
That's awesome.
29:49
So folks, go look it up, go eat there, take out, whatever works for you, because it's absolutely phenomenal.
29:56
Thank you, Amy.
29:57
Thank you, guys.
29:58
This has been great.
29:59
We really appreciate you coming.
30:00
Thanks for the invite.
30:01
Thanks.
30:03
Any of that.
30:04
But even some of the backstory of starting out in Canada, Chinese people starting a restaurant, coming to Canada, incredible.
30:11
Amazing.
30:12
Yeah.
30:12
And Bings is amazing.
30:14
Yes, it is.
30:14
And the work ethic is unbelievable.
30:17
But boy, it is an amazing place.
30:19
It sure is.
30:20
So if you haven't been to Bings, you have to go check it out.
30:23
It's worth it.
30:24
It really is.
30:24
It sure is worth it.
30:25
So hey, everybody, thanks for listening.
30:27
And make sure you tell your friends or your neighbors, your business associates.
30:30
If you don't have any friends, make one so you can tell them about this great Bings podcast.
30:36
You can wherever you get your podcasts or at www.Achesonbusiness.com and you can download it and be sure to subscribe.
30:45
Because then you won't miss a new episode.
30:47
That's right.
30:48
And you don't want to miss this one.
30:50
No, you don't.
30:51
We got some more coming up just like this.
30:53
So hey, thanks everybody for listening.
30:55
Thanks.
30:55
See you next week.
30:56
See you next week.