‘But I stand up’: Entrepreneur chasing his restaurant dream

Business owner Vicky Liu isn’t the type to give up easily. When the young entrepreneur grew up in northern China, she said, it never occurred to her to dream of becoming an employee. She dreamed of becoming her boss.

“My parents were business owners,” said Liu. “So I never thought about becoming a full-time employee.

Owner Vicky Liu stands inside Santa Ana’s Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan Fried Bun. Liu came to the United States as an exchange student where he studied business at UC Irvine. This is her first Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan-Fried Bun location.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Last summer, Liu opened Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan-Fried Bun in Santa Ana on Hatton Center Drive, not far from John Wayne Airport.

“We are xiao long bao fried style,” Liu said. “The flour used and the method of baking are different. The texture is different.”

Like xiao long bao, the buns are packed with broth and pork-like protein, but because they’re fried rather than steamed, they’re crispy on the bottom and plump on top.

A plate of 24 carat gold leaf black truffle buns from Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan Fried Buns in Santa Ana.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Little Pan is not Liu’s first business venture, nor is it her first restaurant. She moved to the US for high school and she was accepted into the Business Economics program at UC Irvine. After earning her degree in 2015, she started her first business, a food delivery app, in 2016.

“It was called Bang Bang Delivery,” Liu said. “I was running it for four years.”

Ban Ban Delivery performed well, Liu said. But as food delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Door Dash entered the market, it became increasingly difficult for her small business to compete.

“There was too much competition,” said Liu.

So she started a restaurant business in Santa Ana called Little Pan Fried Buns, specializing in fried dumplings. Things were going well and she thought of expanding the concept with her second location. She signed a lease at Union Her Market in Tustin, but before it opened, a lawsuit between a subleaser and a property management company forced the eviction of all tenants.

Customers can watch through a peephole as chefs prepare tiny bread buns at Santa Ana’s Little Bread Gourmet Juicy Bread Fried Bun.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

“We are almost ready to open this month, but we have received information that we need to close,” Liu told TimesOC in August 2022.

But Liu didn’t give up and pushed to open a second store in Santa Ana.

“The most exciting thing is that many old customers are following us,” said Liu. “It gives me a lot of energy to keep moving forward.”

Chicken with chili sauce from Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan Fried Buns in Santa Ana.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Liu said customers don’t always know what to expect when they learn Little Pan’s Chinese food is from northern China, but she says they’re familiar. I’m sure you can find the food.

“People recognize dumplings, so dumplings are a little easier,” Liu said.

According to Liu, the signature pork bun is the most popular, as is the black truffle pan-fried bun topped with edible 24-carat gold leaf.

“We developed two other flavors because many people don’t eat meat,” says Liu. “One is a corn cheese baked manju and the other is a purple yam baked manju.”

Mini dumplings are popular in Asia and TikTok, so we added mini dumplings to the menu.

“Minibuns are beef,” Liu said. “Nowadays, mini pan-fried buns are very popular in China.”

In addition to pan-fried soup buns, the menu includes delicacies such as soup and congee, congee, seafood pancakes made with shrimp, squid and scallions, and Szechuan-style chicken with chili sauce.

Chinese sauerkraut and lamb soup with vermicelli noodles from Little Pan Gourmet Juicy Pan Fried Bun in Santa Ana.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

Liu has learned a lot from his previous business and hopes to use that experience to ensure Little Pan’s continued success.

“I faced many problems in closing the old business, but I am still standing up,” says Liu. “I’m growing up and I think one day I’ll be who I want to be.”

Most importantly, she said, she never gives up and wants to encourage others to follow her example.

“Doing business in America is hard, but it’s not that hard. If you have that dream, go for it. Whether you’re from Asia or wherever you are from. Hurry up. You’ll succeed.” do.”

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