Lucky Wok on Callow
Avenue caught an unlucky break this winter.
Manager Francis Chooi said he recently received notice the property sold and the restaurant needed to vacate. Lucky Wok will close Friday.
“I’m very proud,” Chooi said of the Lucky Wok’s five years on Callow. “A lot of people like our food. I hate to go.”
Chooi said the business lost money initially but recently began turning a profit. He was expecting 2014 to be a good year. The restaurant has six employees.
According to assessor’s records the property at 104 N Callow Ave. changed hands in November and is owned by Gidney Chong of Bellevue.
Chooi said he heard the location will become a teriyaki restaurant.
Your yummy food & happy faces will really be missed!! Thanks much, would be great if you could reopen in a new location- who knows what the future holds?
hope it holds many good things for you all!
Mr. Chooi,
I am very sad to hear the news of “Lucky Wok” being forced to leave your current location. From the first day I went to eat at your establishment I was impressed with your restaurants cleanliness, your personal kindness, and of course your delicious food.
Upon approaching the counter for the first time, you told me that you “have the best chicken in town.” I was taken aback by this because honestly, it was a very bold statement. There were many fine restaurants within the city limits of Bremerton that served the first white meat, and I was sure they would skeptical, if not offended, by such confidence. What I didn’t know, is that much like Richard Sherman, you had the skills to back up your chicken smack talk.
Your free sample of bourbon chicken, intercepted my thoughts of how chicken should taste.
Mind -> blown.
From that moment forward, I never referred to your restaurant by the name “Lucky Wok” anymore, instead I called it “Best Chicken in Town,” or “BCIT” for short. And yes, I’m serious. Soon I told all of my friends and co-workers about the little restaurant outside Charleston Gate that serves amazing New York style (We had a conversation about this one day I stopped by. Again, you taking the time to explain to me the difference shows just how much you appreciated your customers.) Chinese food, with awesome owners.
As I brought people there, group by group, they converted from their conventional chicken ways over to Best Chicken In Town, but there was always an initial amount of apprehension. Although there is a saying that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, the same doesn’t always apply to restaurants. From the outside, nobody could see the kind people, squeaky clean facilities, and fantastic chicken that were waiting for them behind the double doors. It is for this reason, Mr. Chooi, that I am writing you this letter.
I, a random customer of yours who loves your chicken, ask you to take this not as a sign that you should call it quits, but as a sign that there are better things ahead for you and your business. I challenge you to take your product, your people, and your charm to a new location and redouble your efforts to open Bremerton’s eyes to the best chicken in town. A new storefront would not only allow you to reopen your already successful restaurant, but also attract new clientele who would not otherwise have visited your previous location. Once inside, they will realize what they’ve been missing out on, especially when you serenade them with your signature catch phrase.
Mr. Chooi, I appreciate you and what you’ve done for the community, and sincerely hope you don’t give up on the dream that is BCIT. As one of the fortune’s I’ve received from one of your cookies says: “Behind an able man, there are always other able men.” I believe you’re supposed to add “eating chicken” to the end of these though, so that becomes: “Behind an able man, there are always other able men eating chicken.” A sign perhaps? It sure seems like it to me.
Mr. Chooi, be a leader, be a hero, and be that able man. I, along with many others I know, will be those able men eager to eat chicken behind you at your new restaurant location.
Sincerely,
Tyler Start
Sad to hear, I will be there tomorrow for a send off meal of Coconut Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken w/ extra zucchini, and some Bourbon Chicken (with the coconut sauce over the top of it…. mmm good) with the Lo Mein and a cup of wonton soup….I hope they re-open somewhere else!!!
This place is/was amazing. I hope they get a location close to one of the other shipyard gates. Next to the Jimmy Johns perhaps. Best chicken in towna!