Running a restaurant in troubled times 

The total devastation of the Gulf region by Hurricane Katrina has dominated our headlines for the past week, as I’m certain it will for weeks and months to come. It took this natural disaster of unexpected proportion to knock the war on terror from our headlines. 

If not for Hurricane Katrina, I’m certain the reaction to an al-Qaida tape claiming responsibility for the July 7 attack in London would not have been relegated to page A20 in last Saturday’s Baltimore Sun. Because of my personal connections to England (as a child, I lived in London for one month and was once employed by an English company), I have followed the reporting on the events of July 7 closely. During that morning’s rush hour, terrorists detonated three bombs on the London Underground, a.k.a. the Tube, followed less than an hour later by the explosion of a fourth bomb on a double-decker bus in Central London. Over fifty people were killed, hundreds were injured, and the lives of innocent people of various nationalities, races, and religions were forever changed. 

I was curious about how the job of restaurateur, which can be difficult under normal circumstances, has been altered in London. I searched online for restaurants near Russell Square, ground zero for the London attacks, and picked up the phone, hoping to find a restaurant owner who would discuss the events with me. I found Poons Restaurant and Julia Poon. 

A Hong Kong native, Mrs. Poon legally immigrated to the United Kingdom with her family in 1977 and became a citizen in 1982. Poons opened its doors in 1997, and the family now operates restaurants in several locations in London. 

Most of Mrs. Poon’s family and staff use mass transit to get to work. Because most arrive between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., Mrs. Poon told me she would rather not think about what could have happened if the bombings had occurred a half-hour later. In fact, their working hours at the restaurant may have saved their lives. 

Needless to say, Poons did not open the day of the bombings, or for the next seven days. However, after one week, Mrs. Poon said that they had to open for their customers. “If we don’t open, they think we close for good.” She felt very strongly that not reopening would have been wrong and in some way would have said that the bombers had won. 

The first week of operation was difficult. Area streets remained closed and the Tube wasn’t fully operational, yet not a single worker called in. Some walked, others rode their bikes, but they came to the restaurant. So did their customers. 

Poons tends to attract the business and tourist crowd. The flow of tourists continued for a few days, but then the cancellations began. For the two weeks following the bombings, tourist cancellations were rampant and business was off significantly. Fortunately, locals and hotel employees continued their patronage to taste what one reviewer of Poons called “reliable, if not lip-smacking dining.” 

Then, just as Mrs. Poon thought they had seen the worst of the business downturn, it happened again: more bombings. However, the reaction to the second attack was different. Yes, Mrs. Poon said, there was real fear of a continued campaign of bombings, but she and other Londoners had “no chance to not go out.” They had to continue with their lives, bombings or not. 

When we talked, eight weeks had passed since the terrorist attack. Mrs. Poon said she is still scared, but trying to carry on like normal. The restaurant business is the Poons’ life; it feeds them, provides their home, and helps educate their children. And the Poons love their customers.  

Poons has long been famous for its wind-dried meats: pork, the ubiquitous duck, and sausages. But the most important indication of Poons’ excellence and value may be that the restaurant serves Chinese food that Chinese people enjoy. I am told that, particularly on a Sunday afternoon, the dining room is packed with Chinese families.  

After the bombings and the normal August lull, Mrs. Poon expects business to return to normal levels in September. The streets are open; the Tube and buses are running; people are coming.  

Mrs. Poon and her husband have three children and a three-year-old granddaughter. She worries what the future might hold for her family, but she won’t let her fears of more bombings interfere with her restaurant.  

“It’s something beyond my control,” she said. “We have to open the restaurant. That’s what we do. We never considered closing and moving. There is nowhere safe.”