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Help Peter Get Potstickers Plus 1 Out of Trouble!

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A fun video - A thank you a gift - And a way to save Potstickers Plus 1! 

Hi everyone, we'd just like to remind you that if you donated more than $25 to please contact Zhen Yang through the GoFundMe contact button showing below with your name, address, and the amount you donated so we can send you your gift! If you would rather pick your gift up in person please let us know!

The Story of Potstickers Plus 1

For a moment, imagine walking into a small, well lit, brightly colored restaurant. The smell of homemade food fills the air and you are drawn in by its mouthwatering aroma. Before you know it, you are sitting down comfortably taking your first bite of a simultaneously juicy and crispy potsticker. Your mouth salivates as you are transported into a bed of savory flavors. You relax and proceed to take your next bite.

If you are a regular customer at Potstickers Plus 1 you are surely acquainted with Peter, the owner and head chef of the restaurant. You can find him in the kitchen preparing fresh food, behind the counter taking orders, and in the front-of-house perpetually socializing with customers. He cooks, he cleans, and he works hard to put smiles on the faces of all those who enter the restaurant, whether it be their first time or their 300th time dining at Potstickers Plus 1. A quick Google search will yield hundreds of reviews from satisfied customers, many of which cite Peter’s hospitality and customer service explicitly. 

To understand the story of Potstickers Plus 1, we must first know the story of Peter (Zhen Yang). After pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in Canada, Peter moved to the U.S. where he furthered his education by attaining a Master’s degree in Business. With these qualifications, Peter was hired to work for a Fortune 500 company. While the income was ideal, Peter knew that he was an entrepreneur at heart with a deep love for great food. Nonetheless, Peter’s work ethic never dipped and he was well-liked by his employers. He was a very successful software engineer but, after years of work, Peter decided to leave his job and open his own restaurant. He quickly learned that this work was much more difficult than the software job that he had become accustomed to. However he is now, more than ever, beginning to feel truly fulfilled. What started as the dream of an idealistic software engineer quickly became a reality as Peter navigated the intricacies of opening his own restaurant. 

In Aug. 2017 Potstickers Plus 1 officially opened for business. During the restaurant’s soft opening, Peter spoke extensively with the customers who visited the restaurant and was readily accepted into the local culinary community. Using the information Peter gathered, he continued to develop the product while keeping the traditional open-ended, hand-wrapped style of potsticker. That being said, Peter’s recipes are unique and take culinary inspiration from many Japanese and Korean dumpling recipes. The intersection of these flavors creates the unmistakable potsticker recipes our community has grown to know and love. To this day, you cannot find potstickers like this anywhere else in Utah and, with regard to Peter’s recipes, you won’t find this fusion of flavors anywhere else in the world. 

The Impact of COVID-19

While Potstickers Plus 1 was quickly accepted by Salt Lake’s “foodie” community and has thrived in the years since its opening, disaster struck when the increasing reports of COVID-19 forced Peter to close the restaurant. Luckily, the restaurant has recently reopened for takeout services only, however, the pandemic has made it increasingly difficult to operate the business as before. This has been an especially painful obstacle for Peter because he had already initiated plans to expand Potstickers Plus 1 right before the pandemic occurred and was dramatically interrupted partway through the expansion. These plans involved (1) opening a central kitchen, for quality control, management, logistics and to support multiple satellite locations; and (2) opening new locations to spread the love of Pan-Asian cuisine throughout the valley, therein making it more accessible to customers who drive increasingly long distances to dine at Potstickers Plus 1. Unfortunately, these plans were put to a complete halt in lieu of the restaurant’s extended closure this year. 

As October rolled around, with it came the second wave of COVID-19. A surge in cases left historically high records day after day. With bills racking up and customer flow continuously decreasing, Peter is at risk of permanently closing his restaurant. In addition to closing, Peter will suffer a huge loss in money and resources allocated to his expansion plan. For these reasons, we are calling out to donors for help. Given that we already have one foot in the door, without enough funding, it will be too late, and we may be forced to close. We are asking donors to help us achieve our dreams of spreading joy through delicious and healthy food. 

Our Gifts of Thanks for Donors

In addition to helping us grow, a donation for Potstickers Plus 1 will also be aiding the community, by providing jobs in an ever decreasing market. When we open the central kitchen and second location, we will be hiring approximately 25 new employees, who will be provided with a thoroughly livable wage. 

If we achieve our goal of $250,000 in 6 months we intend to donate COVID vaccines to 100 essential workers during this trying time. 

Every donor will receive a unique gift from us in thanks for their support! 

If you donate $25, we’ll send you a pair of chopsticks with a laser-carved Potstickers Plus 1 logo on them.

If you donate between $35 and $60, we’ll send you a spoon with a laser-carved Potstickers Plus 1 logo on it.

For donations over $60, you can get both as a set in a bag together! 

You can also get 5% off any order, or exchange a gift for a $25 store credit at any time regardless of whether you live in Utah or not! We hope that this will encourage local donors to visit us and join the potsticker community in spreading joy through food. 

If you are still uncertain about donating to our small business, we encourage you to watch our video, check out our reviews on Google and Yelp, visit the restaurant during business hours, and/or contact us! We would love to discuss our history, our future, or any other questions you may have about Peter and Potstickers Plus 1. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, we would love to speak with you!

With Love and Endless Gratitude,

The Potstickers Plus 1 Crew:
- Potsticker Endorser Peter Yang (Zhen Yang)
- Idea Generator Charlotte Wang
- Endless Ink Matthew Randak
- Deft Hand Tiffany Chen
- Captain Vegan Vicky Lee
- Kitchen Libero Crystal Woo

For all donations over $25 please contact Zhen Yang through the GoFundMe contact button below with your name, the amount you donated, and your address so we can send you your gifts! If you would rather pick up your gift at the restaurant, please let us know. 
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $100
    • 3 yrs
  • Michael Wankier
    • $100
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $50
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $25
    • 3 yrs
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Fundraising team: Team PC (2)

Zhen Yang
Organizer
Sandy City, UT
Charlotte Wang
Team member

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