From her arrival in 1975 to becoming a gastronomic benchmark in Puerto del Carmen, Yolanda Chan reviews half a century of family dedication, the evolution of tourism, and the keys to her success.
Within the framework of the program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, island gastronomy celebrated a historic milestone: the 50th anniversary of Restaurante China, located in the Costa Luz Shopping Center in Puerto del Carmen.
Its owner, Yolanda Chang, attended the program, sharing memories of the beginnings and the trajectory of a pioneering family business that reopens its doors after half a century of activity.
How did your family arrive in Lanzarote and how did this hospitality project start in the seventies?
My parents lived in France in the 60s, where my sister and I were born. Then we moved to Gran Canaria following a friend's recommendation.
In 1975, a Lanzarote real estate developer and lawyer, Fernando Corujo, visited my father's restaurant in Las Palmas looking for investment for Lanzarote. After partnering with him, we arrived on the island and settled in the Costa Luz Shopping Center in Puerto del Carmen.
What was the urban and tourist landscape of Puerto del Carmen like at that time?
The infrastructure was very basic. The Hotel San Antonio had just opened, and the roads were not even asphalted to the town. The entire Matagorda area was practically a salt flat desert.
There were very few complexes, like Fariones or La Peñita, and tourists had to travel because the all-inclusive concept did not exist.
After studying abroad, at what point did you decide to take over the family restaurant?
I studied high school here and did several stays abroad, a year in Paris and more than two years in London to perfect my languages. Then I worked for a while in a real estate agency.
However, my father's health worsened due to a hearing problem, and we needed someone from the family to attend to the public. At 24, I became an entrepreneur, taking over direct management, and we even temporarily opened a second location in the same shopping center.
What has been the philosophy with the restaurant staff to maintain job stability for five decades?
We have always had a fixed core of staff who have remained for many years. We try to convey the same values, maximum professionalism, and teamwork focused on quality and customer service.
In fact, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary, we honored a historic employee who was with us for five decades and is currently retired.
What differences do you observe between the tourism that arrived in the eighties and the current tourism?
That tourism was not so massified and was characterized by high quality. Furthermore, we always made it clear that we could not depend solely on the occasional visitor, so we constantly looked after the local residents of the island.
Regarding current models, I believe that "all-inclusive" tourism is monotonous and deprives visitors of getting to know the territory and the diverse offerings that the Canary Islands provide.
How did you manage to overcome complex crises such as the unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic?
In times of crisis, you have to tighten your belt. During the pandemic, the activity was completely shut down for months, and we kept the staff on ERTEs (Temporary Employment Regulation Files).
After reopening, we took advantage of the travel rebound to transform operations and introduce digitalization with QR menus, electronic order pads, and tablets.
Gastronomically, what have been the star dishes that have remained on the menu?
Although we have expanded the menu, the base remains home-style and traditional cuisine. Our great specialty continues to be duck, along with dishes served on hot plates, chicken, and shrimp. A
dditionally, to adapt to families and the third generation of customers, we set up a playground inside the dining room so that adults can eat in peace while the children play.
After 50 years of trajectory, what is the future of the business and how do you face retirement?
We have the support of a very close and professional partner family that is in charge of the day-to-day operations. For my part, although I dedicate more time to caring for my mother, it is impossible for me to completely disengage because I am passionate about the profession and I like being with people.
After the private celebration of the anniversary, we reopened to the public with our usual hours from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and from 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM.
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