NEW PALESTINE — The line to get service at Potstickers was long and, at times, even went out the front door, but patrons didn’t seem to mind.
New Palestine’s first Asian food spot, located at 4348 South 500W, New Palestine, and nestled between CVS and Barrel Racing Baristas, officially opened Jan. 25 to customers who couldn’t seem to get enough.
The turnout was somewhat overwhelming at times as workers ran out of some of their main dishes as soon as Friday night — just a couple days after being open.
Kate Poorbaugh and her sister, Carlee Poorbaugh, stopped by on opening day to enjoy a meal and said the food did not disappoint.
“It was really good, and it is neat to see a different kind of restaurant like this in New Pal,” Kate said. “Seems like we’re finally getting some good and different places to eat here and that’s great.”
The restaurant is considered an express-service establishment designed to get people in and out quickly with one main order line displaying the food. While there are several places for patrons to sit down inside and eat, the vast majority of people who showed up on opening day simply formed a line and grabbed their meals to go.
The new restaurant is owned by the Zhao family, including Yee Zhao and Ying Zhao, along with Ying Zhao’s niece, Jan Chen. Their head chef is Wenwu Zheng. He is responsible for what customers are calling the “delicious” taste of the traditional Chinese dishes.
The establishment is open from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The family said the goal was to create a Chinese restaurant based on a passion for authentic Chinese flavors, and the community feels that they hit the mark.
Potstickers Manager Anthony Thie said the first few days have been better than anticipated and they’re thankful.
“We’ve been bananas busy since we opened, but it’s been good though to see the town really come out and support us,” Thie said. “We really appreciate the town and every customer.”
Thie said they normally have four people working the serving line while several cooks are in the back.
“We’re happy to be able to bring something like this to New Palestine,” Thie said. “A place like this has been needed for years. I think really people here needed this.”
The menu consists of appetizers like crab rangoon, pork and spring egg rolls and, of course, potstickers. For those who don’t know, a potsticker is a type of dumpling traditionally filled with pork and cabbage.
The side dishes include white and fried rice, lo mein noodles and fresh vegetables. The main entrees are Bourbon Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli, General Tso Chicken, Ginger Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken, Pepper Steak and Szechuan Beef. Plus, they offer egg drop and sweat and sour soup.
Community members didn’t take long to fill social media with positive responses to Potstickers. One person wrote, “Generous delicious portions! I agree well worth the wait on Saturday night! We will be back.” Another person left a message that said, “We had Potstickers tonight, very good food, fair price and the line moves quickly.”
Thie said that as they settle in they’ll be able to offer the community more, including accepting more phone orders, which they are doing now but on a limited basis.
“Our motto is quality fresh food, fast,” Thie said. “We plan and want to set it up so people can order online, and we want to eventually do Door Dash and Grub Hub.”
Thie smiled when he said it’s been kind of nuts seeing the line go to the grass out the back door when they first opened, but he said the workers were extremely happy knowing the average wait for customers was only about 20 to 25 minutes.
“Just come on in and we’ll get you in and out as fast as we can,” Thie said. “We really appreciate the great start.”
