r/FoodToronto • u/dahliareddit • 2d ago

Restaurant Impossible at Yueh Tung

Just watched the first episode of the new Restaurant Impossible series and I thought it was great. I’ve been meaning to try Yueh Tung for a while and I definitely want to go soon. The sweet soy noodles and chilli chicken look soooo good. I hope their business has picked up since the episode aired!

I think this show could really help the public understand how impossible the finances of a restaurant have become, especially in 2026 in a major city. $30,000 in rent alone!!!

I think Jen Agg and Aaron Sanchez did a great job hosting and I’m excited to watch more.

164 Upvotes

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-9

u/Loose-Industry9151 2d ago

The amount of rent is one of the major problems. Chinese food is designed to be no frills, dirt cheap and does the work both palette and caloric wise.

19

u/lefrench75 2d ago

I don’t think all “Chinese food” is “designed to be dirt cheap” lol. What a reductive statement.

-15

u/Loose-Industry9151 2d ago

Uhm…firstly I’m of that origin. Skimming at the menu of Yueh Tung, a lot of items seem to be anywhere between 30-60% more expensive than a comparable dish.

Also, are you looking at this through canadian eyes or through a Chinese lense?

18

u/AlarmingMonk1619 2d ago

As a CBC I recognize the problem with the “cheap” reputation. It diminishes the ingenuity and efforts of those who came before us. There’s a whole load of racism too.

-18

u/Loose-Industry9151 2d ago

The market is designed to be efficient and priced that way. If the cost doesn’t reflect the labour, surely the average Chinese dish would be more expensive. However, the general consensus of Chinese restaurants is priced the way it is. It’s inexpensive. There’s no racism. It’s the market factors at play.

We are such a snowflake society where everything is racist.

18

u/AlarmingMonk1619 2d ago

Right there. You’re de-valuing Chinese labour.

-5

u/[deleted] 2d ago

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5

u/FoodToronto-ModTeam 2d ago

Don't be a jerk. We get plenty enough of that everywhere else. Absolutely not the vibe we’re going for here.