Little Tong Family Fund
Donation protected
Dear friends and family,
We write today with a heavy heart to ask for your support. As many of you likely know, we are in a time of crisis, chaos, and desperation. Never in a million years would we have expected to not only experience a global health crisis of epic proportions, but also to watch the devastation of our entire industry and bear the weight of the wellbeing of dozens of team members on our shoulders.
As of Monday, March 16, all three locations of Little Tong are closed — the Midtown and Garment District locations temporarily and the East Village location permanently. The unfortunate reality is that the current public health climate has hit small businesses like ours to the extent that we were not able to sustain the restaurant to the extent that governmental mandates allowed. These closures meant that our entire team of cooks, servers, and porters — who earn their living on an hourly basis — lost their source of livelihood altogether.
The work that we do in hospitality hinges entirely on social connections. When that core tenet of our industry is also a fundamental risk to global health and policy, we fight a losing battle. And although the hours are nearly endless and the margins are little to none, we do this work because we find true happiness in bringing joy and comfort to our neighbors and our visitors. They have returned that love and support to us in droves and we wouldn’t trade the sweat and tears we’ve experienced together for the world.
The team across our Little Tong locations is our family. Our restaurants have been our home away from home and our diners not only our guests but our friends. When we shuttered on Sunday without any certainty for the future, our hearts shattered with the realization that we could not provide security for the physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of the LT family.
You may recall that we had previously reached out on behalf of our sous chef Misael Cruz, who needed emergency brain surgery. It is entirely due to your support that he is not only well but thriving and an instrumental leader and mentor in our organization. We implore that, for those of you who are able, to please do the same now for the rest of our team. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of having a meal at any of our Little Tong locations, been touched by the ineffable interaction with some of our outstanding and truly caring servers, been fed by the incredibly talented and unequivocally hardworking cooks and porters, or been poured a little too much wine and sake by ourselves, please consider making a donation to help support our family.
Every dollar counts, and 100% of all proceeds will go directly to our indispensable team. Your donation will allow them to cover basic costs of living like rent, food, medical bills, and to support their families.
We cannot express how deeply and eternally grateful we are to have had your unrelenting support and to have had the privilege to host you at Little Tong. And we hope to have the opportunity to continue to do so in the near future.
With gratitude,
Emmeline and Simone
We write today with a heavy heart to ask for your support. As many of you likely know, we are in a time of crisis, chaos, and desperation. Never in a million years would we have expected to not only experience a global health crisis of epic proportions, but also to watch the devastation of our entire industry and bear the weight of the wellbeing of dozens of team members on our shoulders.
As of Monday, March 16, all three locations of Little Tong are closed — the Midtown and Garment District locations temporarily and the East Village location permanently. The unfortunate reality is that the current public health climate has hit small businesses like ours to the extent that we were not able to sustain the restaurant to the extent that governmental mandates allowed. These closures meant that our entire team of cooks, servers, and porters — who earn their living on an hourly basis — lost their source of livelihood altogether.
The work that we do in hospitality hinges entirely on social connections. When that core tenet of our industry is also a fundamental risk to global health and policy, we fight a losing battle. And although the hours are nearly endless and the margins are little to none, we do this work because we find true happiness in bringing joy and comfort to our neighbors and our visitors. They have returned that love and support to us in droves and we wouldn’t trade the sweat and tears we’ve experienced together for the world.
The team across our Little Tong locations is our family. Our restaurants have been our home away from home and our diners not only our guests but our friends. When we shuttered on Sunday without any certainty for the future, our hearts shattered with the realization that we could not provide security for the physical, mental, and financial wellbeing of the LT family.
You may recall that we had previously reached out on behalf of our sous chef Misael Cruz, who needed emergency brain surgery. It is entirely due to your support that he is not only well but thriving and an instrumental leader and mentor in our organization. We implore that, for those of you who are able, to please do the same now for the rest of our team. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of having a meal at any of our Little Tong locations, been touched by the ineffable interaction with some of our outstanding and truly caring servers, been fed by the incredibly talented and unequivocally hardworking cooks and porters, or been poured a little too much wine and sake by ourselves, please consider making a donation to help support our family.
Every dollar counts, and 100% of all proceeds will go directly to our indispensable team. Your donation will allow them to cover basic costs of living like rent, food, medical bills, and to support their families.
We cannot express how deeply and eternally grateful we are to have had your unrelenting support and to have had the privilege to host you at Little Tong. And we hope to have the opportunity to continue to do so in the near future.
With gratitude,
Emmeline and Simone
Organiser
Little Tong Noodle Shop
Organiser
New York, NY
