Alan Yuen never thought he’d be on his hands and knees installing hardwood floors. Nor did he think he’d be buying produce at 8 AM and slaving over a hot wok well into the evening. But when his father, Yup Chi Yuen, died five years ago after running Friendship Chinese Restaurant in Logan Square for 18 years, Alan had a restaurant to save.
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“I grew up in the kitchen of my father’s restaurant, and as a child I really hated it,” he says. “I went to college to get out of the business and was traveling through Asia working when my father passed. I returned for the services, and when my brothers wanted to sell Friendship, something just hit me and changed everything. I couldn’t bear to see his hard work and good Chinese cooking just disappear while more China Buffets pop up everywhere. And I didn’t want my mother to see that the moment he left, everything was put on the auction block. I decided I wanted to keep my father’s dream alive.”
They did come, and Friendship became a neighborhood favorite, a dependable choice for pork fried rice, wonton soup, an egg roll. The menu changed little over the years.
