China Cafe — Restaurant in Novi

A Disappointing Experience After 14 Years of Loyalty

I’ve been a loyal customer of China Café since 2010, and until recently, it was one of my favorite restaurants. The owner’s personal touch, remembering me by name, made every visit feel special. I guess back then, business wasn’t as strong as it is today. After being away at law school for the past 3 years, I was excited to return during Christmas break. My mother and I dined there three times in one week, spending $99-$150 per visit (not including the tip). The first two visits were excellent, especially with Eleven as our server, who was polite, kind, and genuinely accommodating. Unfortunately, our experience on the final visit left me deeply disappointed.

On our last visit, the restaurant was overcrowded and busy with largely disorganized parties/gatherings so I suggested to the hostess that we could switch to takeout to help ease the chaos, as long as we received the same portions as dine-in customers. What I intended as a helpful gesture was misinterpreted. The hostess rudely dismissed me, saying, “Our cooks serve the same amount regardless.” When I calmly explained that this wasn’t always my experience, she told me to take it up with the owner.

I didn’t want to interrupt the owner as she appeared to be stressed out while bussing tables, so I asked the hostess to relay my message to her. The owner passed by us with a stern look and said nothing. After about 10 minutes, she finally addressed me, and it was clear the hostess had conveyed my message in a way that framed me as a complainer. I tried to clarify that I wasn’t complaining, but the entire interaction felt dismissive and uncomfortable.

What made the experience worse was the disparity in how my mother and I, the only Black patrons in the restaurant that night, were treated compared to others. While white customers were greeted with smiles and warmth, we received cold, inattentive service. Our server never told us her name, and when the same rude hostess brought our water, she slid the glasses onto the table without a word or a smile. When I asked if there was a second straw, she wordlessly moved them apart.

We also noticed disparities in portion sizes. A white patron at a nearby table received a visibly larger portion of the same dish we ordered, which we felt was intentionally done to provoke a response. When it was time to leave, we had to flag down another employee (who was clearly not a server) to get to-go boxes and the check. To make matters worse, I had to take the check to the bar to pay, which is not the standard process and felt like yet another slight.

As a Black woman, I am acutely aware of the stereotypes often associated with black people— we are all angry, impolite, or difficult. My mother and I do not fit those stereotypes. We were polite, patient, and respectful throughout our visit, but we were treated as though we didn’t belong.

After 14 years of supporting this restaurant, it’s disappointing to see how my mother and I were disregarded. Despite our loyalty, we were made to feel invisible and unworthy of the same respect and service given to others. I hope the owner reads this and reflects on the actions of her staff and how she and they collectively alienated a long-time customer. Discrimination, intentional or not, has no place in any business. Black...

I've been to China Cafe a few times over the years, and I'm really impressed with the direction it's taken in that time period! My first experience wasn't fantastic, and I ended up venturing out to try various other Chinese restaurants as a result. However, recently I was craving some Chinese food takeout and decided to give it a shot again!

In Novi there aren't a ton of options for Chinese food, and I'd say China Cafe tends to fall among the higher ranks in the area. During my last experience, I tried the Chicken Eggrolls, Old School Chicken Fried Rice, and Pan Fried Crispy Noodles (with Beef). The Eggrolls were solid and represent a pretty standard eggroll experience. The fried rice absolutely hit the spot, but the pan fried noodles missed the mark for me -- the flavor profile just seemed a bit off and I think it's a tough dish to do takeout for. Overall, I'd say the food is a bit above average, but it's not going to blow your socks off.

However, I will say doing curbside pickup is great, and the staff makes the process super easy! When I called to order, they got the make and color of my vehicle, and told me approximately what time to arrive to do the curbside pickup. I pulled into the spot, and less than 30 seconds later, someone came out with my food, and pulled up to the passenger side of the vehicle to maintain a safer distance. The server was wearing a mask and I was impressed with how smooth the process went.

Overall, China Cafe is doing a great job, even mid-pandemic -- they are definitely worth a try if you're looking for Chinese...

We (party of 3) arrived before the party of 3 who came in behind us who were parking the car as we entered the restaurant. The hostess was on the phone we waited for her to finish. We were told 8 mins while we clean off a table. 27 mins later after I inquired why they were seating at least 3 parties before us including the party of 3 that were parking the car while we went in. We were told the other parties came in before us and one party had a reservation. Hostess continued to seat at least 2 more parties while we waited. Now the 8 minutes turned into 38 minutes we were quietly sitting in the chairs waiting not standing over the hostess final we decided to go out to our car to wait and we’re cancelled off the wait list. At this point we decided to leave clearly they didn’t want to service us. Very poor customer service; why they just didn’t tell us they were going to seat their regular customers before us is beyond me. Very disappointing the level of customer service. Why not be honest instead of looking behind you and saying 8 mins while we clean off the table and making us wait at least 38 mins in the restaurant with no apology and taking a bunch of parties ahead of us. I’m very disappointed...