Restaurant Owner Explains Why Chinese Takeaways Are Typically Shut On Tuesdays

There's nothing quite like the excitement of ordering a Chinese takeaway; it is the undisputed king of the culinary world.

But have you ever wondered why many restaurants seem to be closed on odd days in the week, most commonly a Tuesday?

Well, it's not quite as random as at first it might appear, it's actually very sweet.

Andy Cheung runs the Wok Star in Glasgow, while his daughter is a passionate foody and regularly talks about her love for gastronomy on her TikTok account, @kimchi_x3.

And when she was asked by one of her followers why takeaways are often shut on Tuesdays, she explained why.

In a short video, Kim said: "So Chinese takeaways are known to be closed on a Tuesday because back a long time ago for some reason a lot of Chinese people who knew each other arranged to meet up on Tuesdays as a day off and that’s what they would do to catch up and make plans.

Alamy

"As time’s gone on though you’ll find some takeaways are closed on different days. Some will close on Monday, some will close on Wednesday.

"That’s because of the people running the takeaways. Because we have got a lot more people emigrating from China over to the UK they maybe don’t really have the same plans as Hong Kong Chinese."

She went on: "That’s what my dad explained to me. I had to ask him to make sure why they close on a Tuesday. But it’s because every other day is a busy day for them when they work in the takeaway, Tuesday’s the day they can take off to spend with their family or friends and make plans."

Obviously, it's great that people are taking time out to be with their loved ones, but some of Kim's followers were quick to share their disappointment at not being able to enjoy a post-weekend takeaway.

One user said: "Wish mine was a Tuesday, ours is Monday and it breaks my heart after being out a Sunday."

While another chipped in: "Always ends up the day I'm craving one the most."

In another of her videos, Kim revealed what the most dreaded meal on the menu at her dad's takeaway is... And it might surprise you.

She explained: "Chicken Maryland has been on the menu for a long time, ever since my dad started working from the age of 13/14 with his grandparents in the early 1980s before he became a head chef aged 19 at a restaurant in Greenock.

TikTok/@_kimchi.x3

"The Chicken Maryland is a European option for customers who prefer European dishes rather than the Asian-Chinese cuisine.

We call ours Chicken Maryland (Boston Style) due to many visits to relatives in the States where we saw onion rings were an added extra which we incorporated in our ours.

"Dad likes to be generous with food and attempt to make it slightly different with the names. The reason it’s a dreaded meal to make is It takes a lot of prep time.

"Although it seems like it’s basic frying, each part needs to be individually prepped, and it can be really time consuming, especially on a busy night. 

"It can actually affect orders being held back as each item is fried individually or needs extra attention."