China City — Restaurant in Fox Lake

I frequent as a DoorDasher. It's usually not busy when I arrive, but every time it has been, I've been delayed by a customer storming back to the counter because the order they called in for take out was wrong enough to justify that level of frustration. The last customer I encountered had two major items wrong, but highly recommended that when ordering -over the phone or in person - to use the menu numbers instead of the names of the food items. An upside, this merchant is VERY covid friendly. There is almost no air shared between the customers and employees at all as they use a double doored "shelf" to pass orders from their side to the customers and only a small grate for communication between the two sides. They drop the ball on sauce and plasticware. Those are kept on the customer's side for self service, but the plasticware is sitting out unsealed, so germs and dirt can easily be passed on when a customer grabs what they need since touching what they don't take can't be avoided. It would be a great improvement if there was hand sanitizer on the counter above where all of this is kept, but no such luck.

So, if you order through DoorDash or another service, message your driver BEFORE they pick up your order to let them know what sauces and plasticware you want!!! The driver won't likely have time to message before receiving your food and while we can send off a text afterward, that leads to texting while driving and following GPS. It's much safer if the customer makes contact and the driver can simply acknowledge. Putting that information in the delivery instructions won't help most times because many drivers won't see the request until they're already at your door. Drivers who don't frequent this restaurant won't know that sauce and plasticware isn't included in the order when it comes through as a DoorDash order since many restaurants do differentiate between orders placed through a service and orders that are called in while China...

Let me start off by saying I am generally not a fan of fast food dine-in Chinese restaurants, I find the excessive oils and lack of variation between dishes somewhat off putting. That being said - this store and its owner make me keep coming back!

First and foremost, when is the last time an owner of a fast food place remembers you by name? Note: I do not go here often enough for that to A. Be expected, B. Nothing special about my order from the average joe - in short nothing makes me stick out. However, I am so pleasantly surprised when I call and he first confirms if it is "Sasha" and then greets me in a jolly tone asking what I will be having. I miss the days of business owners actually caring to recall their customers.

Now onto the food - its good. Its a chinese dine-in or take-out kind of place, y'know, like the one down the street from any given house - however, the people here make it fresh and they pride themselves on doing it well - the taste reveals it.

Our office orders from this location approximately once every 3 to 4 months when we get that feeling for something different from whats nearby. Every time we order various things trying to explore the menu and every time the taste and freshness surprise us all.

I can say, if you want some good and inexpensive Chinese food - try them on for size. Five out...

I have been a faithful customer to this place. I ordered a meal through Uber Eats, and it was supposed to be a combo plate with pork fried rice. The food was delivered without my pork fried rice thanks to Uber Eats. So I drove about 3 miles to the restaurant to see if I can get my pork fried rice. Their attitude was very poor, and they blamed everything on Uber and the owner told me I was going to have to pay extra for the fried rice. A yelling match ensued because I informed him that per his menu the large Egg foo young cost the same as combo plate. $7.50 for the large Egg Foo Young, (same price for the combo) so I asked him to just give me the Fried Rice and I will be on my way. He starts yelling saying that the Large Egg Foo Young was $17.00 and he was not going to just give me the rice after I paid what the combo cost. Needless to say there was a lot of shouting, and he said he didn't care that I was a long time customer. Then he started yelling at his cashier, because he told me initially he was going to try and give me the fried rice. I left all my food on his table and left without getting my fried rice nor my money back.. China City restaurant has lost my business for life. These restaurants need to realize they are in business thanks to the customer!...