Chinese Lunar New Year boosts local business

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. —The Lunar New Year kicked off Sunday and the celebrations often involve food.

Local Chinese restaurants says business is booming because of the holiday.
 
The saying “You are what you eat” is more than just a phrase for Chinese restaurant owners like Roy Lee.
 
“What you eat this new year is will represent how you eat for the rest of the year, said Lee, who owns Uncle Chen’s in Carpinteria.
 
He explains how some dishes are symbolic. For example, some food is associated with longevity.
 
“Order noodles because it represents long life,” said Lee.
 
Roy Lee’s restaurant is one of many Chinese restaurants in Santa Barbara County that have seen an uptick in customers for the Lunar New Year.
 
“People want to celebrate with us. And not just for one day, but many days. So they came out. They were happy and we're happy to celebrate with them. It was busy from the moment we opened till we closed,” said Lee.
 
Schezuan Restaurant in Santa Barbara is also seeing more customers.
  
Szechuan Restaurant workers say they received their most lucrative order yet— a two-thousand dollar order that they initially thought was a scam.

According to Anna Kuo, Szechuan Restaurant Manager, that order consisted of 50 kung pau chicken entrees and 50 sweet and sour chicken entrees.
 
But, fortunately for them, it turned out one customer wanted to buy nearly 100 entrees for their colleagues.
 
Restaurant owners say the community loves seeing a local mom and pop thrive.
   
No matter what people order, it is clear that food and the Lunar New year have brought families together.