{"id":35397,"date":"2021-02-01T17:08:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T22:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefranchiseking.com\/?p=35397"},"modified":"2021-02-02T20:13:30","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T01:13:30","slug":"wong-grinding-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefranchiseking.com\/wong-grinding-it-out","title":{"rendered":"What Wong Taught Me About Showing Up, Grinding It Out, And Working Hard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"wong:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after I came up with the title of this post about Wong, I did a search for the definition of \u201cgrinding it out<\/em>.\u201d I\u2019m embarrassed to tell you that one of the things that appeared was the title of a book written by Ray Kroc. Yes, that<\/em> Ray Kroc. The founder* of McDonald\u2019s<\/strong><\/a>. My bad. I should have read that book a long time ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Kroc was not really the founder of McDonald\u2019s. The McDonald brothers were. Ray was the guy who turned the business into the franchise powerhouse it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, I encourage you to grab the book. I\u2019m going to.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n<\/a>\"\"\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Wong: Grinding It Out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuck is the dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2015 Ray Kroc<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a great quote! However, this post isn\u2019t about Ray Kroc. But it is<\/em> about sweat. And about doing the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen<\/a> <\/strong>to this short clip from Seth Godin (turn your speaker on<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So where am I going with this? And who\u2019s Wong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

A Call From Paul<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I got the call a little more than 24 hours after I applied for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mom:<\/em> \u201cJoel, you have a call<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mom: \u201cI\u2019m not sure\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul: \u201cHi Joel?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: \u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul: \u201cIt\u2019s Paul, from the Golden Dragon. Can you work tonight?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: \u201cTonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul: Yes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: \u201cI\u2019m not sure…ah…hold on. Mom…Paul wants me to start tonight!<\/strong> Is that okay? Can you take me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mom: \u201cUm…I guess. When does he want you to be there?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: \u201cWhat time would I need to be in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul: \u201c5:00, or a little after is fine. We are short…we really need some help.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me: Hold on. \u201cMom…can you drop me off at 5:00?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mom: \u201cSure.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the rest is history<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

May I Have Some Gloves?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was pretty nervous on the ride there. Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. I was 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. I was about to start my first job. What job, exactly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the formal job description:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dishwasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s right: I got hired to wash dishes at the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant located in Lyndhurst, Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

\"the<\/figure>\n\n\n

(That\u2019s me, at 15<\/em>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

What? No Gloves? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was given no gloves for this job-but I should have. Why? Because it turned out to be a pretty gross job.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

\"image<\/figure>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Come to think of it, if you happen to know a producer for \u201cDirty Jobs<\/a>,<\/em>\u201d please suggest that they film an episode featuring a dishwasher at a high-volume, full-service restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason being, have you ever seen or smelled a 1.5-foot stack of dishes containing half-eaten egg rolls, extremely soggy, cold Chicken Chow Mein, and mostly-finished barbeque rib bones? Blech<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese restaurants tend to serve multi-course dinners. Again, multi<\/em>-course.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Grinding It Out On Saturday Nights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On a typical Saturday night, the 225-seat Golden Dragon Restaurant would fill up twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That meant that 550 people eating \u201c3 items from Group A, 3 items from Group B<\/em>,\u201d along with a bowl of Wonton or Egg Drop Soup, appetizers, tea, coffee, or a soft drink and<\/em> dessert, would use around 4,000 items. And every single one of them would pass through our (the team of dishwashers<\/em>) hands.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the positive side, we didn\u2019t wash everything by hand, as we had a commercial-grade dishwasher. But it only worked so fast. Sometimes the stack of dirty, slimy dishes reached well into the troposphere. Especially on Saturdays!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that end, the work was hard (and gross<\/em>), but we made it as fun as we could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Wong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wong’s station was the closest one to the dishwashing area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing at 5\u20192\u2019, with an approximate weight (dripping wet<\/em>) of 135 pounds, Wong was an imposing figure. And he had one job: cooking appetizers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any event, a few days into my job, Wong started acknowledging me. He would wink\/smile and give me a quick salute. He turned out to be a really nice guy. Funny too! And an absolute master at what he did. I can still picture his speed and efficiency. And I think of Wong a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching Wong cook and plate the appetizers the customers ordered was a sight to behold. The guy was wicked fast. Especially when he was using his meat cleaver to chop ribs.  <\/p>\n\n\n

 
\n\"Guilin<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n\n\n

“Family dinners<\/em>” at the Golden Dragon were quite popular. They included a choice of entrees, egg rolls, fried shrimp and barbecued riblets-which were especially tasty. How did I know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because occasionally Wong would \u201cPssst<\/em>\u201d to get my attention, and he\u2019d have me come by so he could sneak me a riblet or two. Yumsville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then one day, while Wong was chopping ribs, he sliced off two of his fingers<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It happened as I was busily scrubbing a few pots in the oversized sink. Suddenly, I heard Wong scream something in Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as I heard him, I looked his way and he was standing at his station…looking right at me…showing me his hand minus two fingers. I remember the color going out of my face. It was pretty intense to say the least. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out Wong did that a couple of times a month. In other words, it was an extremely well executed \u201cI chopped my fingers off with my meat cleaver<\/em>\u201d illusion. Thinking back on it now, it was actually pretty hilarious<\/a><\/strong>. Amazingly, I only fell for it two more times. But there was something else Wong did. And he did it 6 days a week.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

What I Knew About Wong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Wong<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wong moved from China a couple of years before I started working at the Golden Dragon. I’m assuming he lived in Hong Kong because every other Asian who worked at the restaurant did. But why did he move? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess he wanted a chance at a better life. But that\u2019s all I knew, as there was too much of a language barrier between us to find out anything more than that. And frankly, I didn\u2019t have a lot of interest in his history…or history in general. But looking back, I wish I had.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Wong\u2019s Work Ethic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wong was an impressive guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never complaining, Wong showed up every day. He was reliable, hard-working, and excellent at what he did. In short, he was the employee every small business owner wants to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, Wong didn\u2019t live an extravagant life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lived in an apartment with several other cooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The apartment wasn’t the the nicest place around, but I suspect living there rent-free was included in Wong’s employment package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, I ended up working in Chinese restaurants, on and off, all through high school and beyond. And I got to know a few other cooks and waiters…and even a young lady (ahem<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

\"visiting<\/figure>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

Eventually, I hung out with some of them. Heck, I even took a few trips to New York City with a few of the guys. The food we ate in Chinatown…wow. My point?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From what I saw, Wong\u2019s life probably wasn\u2019t ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, he worked, played cards and\/or Mahjong, and took an occasional trip to NYC or Toronto. I don\u2019t know if he ever married or had kids.<\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

My Mixed Feelings About Wong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wong worked his ass off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He never complained, and I only saw him in a lousy mood twice. He was grinding it out in a hot, busy kitchen 6 days a week. But what drove him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was working at the Golden Dragon in Lyndhurst, Ohio, a version of The American Dream we hardly hear about? I guess it had to be better than living and grinding it out in China, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I said, I think about Wong a lot. And my feelings about him and the situation he found himself in are mixed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off, I\u2019m really glad I knew him. Wong taught me a lot about working hard. About showing up. About being steady and having a good attitude. And about having fun at work.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the second thing that comes to mind is a feeling of sadness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, the real question I have now is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was Wong\u2019s life satisfying?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, it appeared to me that all he did was work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lived in a crowded apartment (or small house<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stayed up late playing cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he was back to work at 10:00 am or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did this again and again. For years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I last time I saw Wong (about 25 years ago<\/em>), he was standing at his station, chopping ribs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We shook hands, had a laugh, and I walked out of the kitchen to pay my bill for the excellent lunch I just had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wong was still grinding it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speaking of grinding it out, two of my fellow dishwashers did that. For years. And now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dave got into the restaurant business. He currently owns a wildly-successful neighborhood restaurant<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My friend, Phil, who I lived with and worked with in Las Vegas several years ago, went from working as a front desk clerk at a hotel-casino to becoming the President<\/em> of that hotel-casino. A few years later he became the President of this cute little property<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n

On Grinding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What about you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you grinding it out? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n