No, I didn’t get it backwards, and I’m not in a time warp. Liang’s Kitchen has changed its name in Artesia/Cerritos to Shang Jie. Menu still says Liang’s Kitchen, and Mama Liang’s face still stares out at the diners. But new business cards say Shang Jie. I wonder if there’s some kind of new rule that says only one restaurant can call itself Liang’s Kitchen and one restaurant can call itself Shang Jie. 18912 Norwalk Blvd. in Artesia.
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my understanding was that liang’s kitchen was originally a franchise with each location being operated by independent management.
the liang’s kitchen in MP announced a name change to shang jie, then changed their name back.
perhaps the liang’s kitchen franchise elected to change names and the owner of the liang’s in MP declined and have decided to go their own way?
Maybe they’re just messing with us.
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I’m waiting for Liu Kang and Shao Khan to open…
Is there a tax benefit to having separate names? It’s always been my understanding that the Monterey Park and Artesia locations had the same owner/operator, which is why the Niorthern menu was the same at both places (and both places were listed on the menus). But, I think David is right here, they’re just messing with us.
No tax benefit to separate names. Some cities frown on identically named businesses within their borders, but these are miles apart.
Could ownership change on paper be a possibility? Big pocket mainlander working a visa angle?
IIRC tonyc reported but i’ve never confirmed that both made the same identical changes to their menus so i chose to assume they were different. my compliments if they’ve managed to maintain the same level of quality at both locations.
Adding to the confusion is that Liang’s Kitchen opened up last year in Las Vegas (with Mama Liang’s picture plastered all over), where it is described as being started by the former co-owner of China Mama, and staffed with China Mama’s former employees. China Mama, in turn, was the Vegas branch of the original MaMa’s Kitchen.
Even more suprising was how a Liang’s Kitchen came and went in Hacienda Heights in 2014 in the midst of all the other Liang’s changes. It was upstairs in the center at the corner of Hacienda & Halliburton (the one with Malan), and no one at CH mentioned it, It had some of the air force memorabilia, so perhaps connected to the OG San Gabriel location?