Header image: Chin’s Cafe at 1502 Hewitt // Courtesy Everett Public Library

Dorothy Fang-Yuan Sung married into the Chin family, who owned a single restaurant in Everett. It was her brilliance that grew the family business into a successful enterprise throughout Snohomish County.

Dorothy Chin grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. An excellent student, she went to business school after high school graduation.

While working in the Chinese market of Vancouver, she met William (Bill) Chin, a Chinese immigrant from Seattle. When William went off to serve America in World War II, the two stayed connected by writing love letters to each other.  

After the war ended, Dorothy married Bill and immigrated to the U.S. in 1946. The two settled in Everett, and took over running Bill’s father’s restaurant, Shanghai Café, at 1409 Hewitt Avenue. Bill, who had baking and cooking experience concentrated on the food and menu. Dorothy took the lead running and expanding the business.

Facing discriminatory laws that restricted Chinese businesses, the Chins found a “silent partner” – a white person to assist with obtaining business loans for expansion. This enabled them to open Tai Ping Terrace at 1432 Broadway around 1950. The Chins went on to open Blimp Shrimp on Highway 99 and Skyline Broiler at 1607 Hewitt Avenue. 

In 1955, Dorothy and Bill opened Chin’s Café at 1501 Hewitt. The couple hired Chinese cooks from Seattle’s Chinese District and housed them in the apartments above Chin’s Café.  Bill shuttled the workers from Seattle to Everett once a week.

In 1964, when the landlord raised the rent, the Chins bought the building across the street. Chin’s Café moved to 1502 Hewitt the following year.  

Dorothy wanted the new Chin’s Café to be a sophisticated establishment. She meticulously designed the new “Fan-Tasi Room Cocktail Lounge” and installed a piano bar. The seating was plush and eye-catching, and there were big rooms for banquets. The Chins were the first non-whites to own a Class H liquor license in Snohomish County.

Dorothy and Bill raised their seven children while building the Chin restaurant empire. All the children helped with the family’s restaurants, from clearing tables to running the cash register.

Mid-twentieth century racial discrimination did not allow the Chins admittance in the social circles of Everett. Their children were bullied and harassed at school. Undeterred, Dorothy put the children in private school and the Chin family moved forward with resilience and determination.  

Dorothy and her husband cultivated a loyal clientele in Everett. They generously fed struggling families, giving them plenty of leftovers to take home. They extended credit for Longshoremen.

When Boeing began substantial layoffs in 1970, Everett’s economy faltered, and the Chins were impacted. Tai Ping Terrace closed around 1972. Chin’s Café changed hands in 1979.

Dorothy passed away in 1995, and Bill in 2009, but the Chin family restaurant business is strong to this day through the work of their children. They currently run the popular breakfast venues, Patty’s Egg Nest and The Chuck Wagon restaurant on Evergreen Way. 

Article sources: Polk Directories, Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, Ron Chin, Rosalyn Kwan, Mabel Chin, Jack O’Donnell, Larry O’Donnell, Findagrave.com.

Deb Fox is an artist, writer, and historian living in Everett. She wrote and illustrated "Everett Massacre: A Graphic Novel."