Chinese Restaurant Opened By White Couple Closes After 8 Months

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — After eight months on University Place, the restaurant that attempted to "healthify" Chinese food has closed, the owners announced on Instagram.

Lucky Lee's opened in April after marketing its Chinese food as "clean" with gluten-free recipes, which was quickly criticized as racist and played into stereotypes about Chinese food.

The restaurant, which was opened by a white couple in Greenwich Village, wrote in an Instagram post that was later deleted this spring: "We heard you're obsessed with lo mein but rarely eat it. You said it makes you feel bloated and icky the next day? Well, wait until you slurp up our HIGH lo mein. Not too oily. Or salty."

Owner Arielle Haspel told Eater at the time she wanted to "healthify" Chinese food by staying away from MSG, despite lack of scientific evidence MSG is associated with poor health. Decor like "lucky bamboo" and "jade" in the restaurant were intended to celebrate Chinese culture, she said at the time. She later apologized in comments to the New York Times, saying, "Shame on us for not being smarter about cultural sensitivities."

But less than a year after opening, Lucky Lee's closed over the weekend.

"It is with a heavy heart that we are shutting down our woks and ovens tonight," the owners wrote on Instagram over the weekend.

"We have truly loved feeding and entertaining you and your families. We are very proud of our food and the space we created, but a lot needs to come together to make a restaurant work in New York City and we wish it could have succeeded as we hoped," they wrote. "While we are heartbroken to say goodbye to Lucky Lee's we know that the future still looks bright and delicious."

Read the restaurant's full statement below:

View this post on Instagram

It is with a heavy heart that we are shutting down our woks and ovens tonight. We have truly loved feeding and entertaining you and your families. We are very proud of our food and the space we created, but a lot needs to come together to make a restaurant work in New York City and we wish it could have succeeded as we hoped. Thank you to our talented employees who cooked with love and enthusiasm daily. Thank you to you, our amazing customers and neighbors who dined with us and ordered delivery week after week. Thank you also to all who partnered with us to help make our vision a reality. We feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to serve you. While we are heartbroken to say goodbye to Lucky Lee’s, we know that the future still looks bright and delicious. Happy and healthy holidays to all of you. #bewell #luckyleesnyc
A post shared by Lucky Lee’s (@luckyleesnyc) on Dec 6, 2019 at 1:59pm PST