South Bay Restaurant Aims To Be 'Safe Space' For Asian-Americans

SANTA CLARA & SAN JOSE, CA — Following a spike in reported hate crimes against Asian-Americans, San Francisco-founded Rooster & Rice, a Thai restaurant chain with South Bay locations in Santa Clara and San Jose, this week declared its eateries as "safe spaces" for Asian-Americans and will donate $2 from every meal sold to "Stop The AAPI Hate," an Asian-American/Pacific Islander non-profit.

“As an establishment that is proud to have Asian-American founders and offer Asian cuisine, we are shocked and saddened by what is happening to Asian-Americans, especially our elders,” said Rooster & Rice board member Min Park.

“We want the entire community to be safe and feel protected, so anyone who feels threatened can come wait in one of our locations for as long as needed until they feel safe or use our phones to call for support,"Park said.

Rooster & Rice, launched in 2015 by by San Francisco restaurateur Bryan Lew and Thai-born chef Thomas Charoen, sells Thai-style chicken and rice dishes at locations in San Jose, Santa Clara, along with in San Francisco, Redwood City and Pleasanton.

After the recent, reported surge in Asian-American-targeted violence, company managers decided "it was time to act" and provide refuge.

• (Among local cases: Elderly Asian Woman Who Clobbered Her Attacker Talks About Terrifying Assault In San Francisco; San Francisco Man Charged In South Bay Anti-Asian Hate Crime; San Jose Scrambles To Respond To Attacks On Elderly Asian Americans. And on national level from Georgia: Slain Spa Workers And Customers Mourned By Families)

“We want to be a beacon of safety for the Asian community,” said Rooster & Rice founder Lew. “This is not a monetary effort. We want to help and support the Asian-American community and bring increased awareness to their plight.”

The company also is donating $2 from every meal sold to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Initiative (AAPI), which takes a stand against racism, and is partnering with national movement Hate is A Virus, a non-profit dedicated to spreading awareness of Asian-related racism and hate, resturant officials said.

Started as a pop-up shop in San Francisco, Rooster & Rice's growing locales include one at Valley Fair in Santa Clara at 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., and one in San Jose at 1078 E Brokaw Road. For more info, menu and locations, follow this link.

For more information on the nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate, visit the group's website.

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