Roy Fong Opens new place in berkeley

Alex ChaihorskyqPtTf.48805$F snipped-for-privacy@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net3/20/06

Sasha,

Have we reason to fear a proliferation of Tea Courts throughout the nation, bringing tea to the masses in the style to which they have become accustomed?

So, what's "very 'chinese' chinese food"?

Michael

Hmm, how recently have you been to Berkeley? I spent a few hours wandering the campus early last November and found it pretty tame. The biggest crowd on Sproul Plaza was for the Young Republicans. I didn't smell anything, uh, amiss either on campus or during several walks on Shattuck.

/Lew

Ever since opeining an ITC in San Francisco's gourmet haven at the Ferry Building, Mr. Fong has seen a great boom in bussiness. He has been working very hard to open this new Berkeley location and I'm sure it will be a great success. ITC seems committed to maintaining a high quality of product, but I fear how this will affect the staff. Since the Ferry Building location opened and proved to be a success, Mr. Fong seems to have a hard time hiring and training knowledgeable employees. His best employee recently left to pursue his academic career, and now when I go to the main store the workers cannot answer simple questions about tea source, age, leaf quality, etc. This is particularly true of the puerhs. So, I wish Mr. Fong continued sucess, but I hope he can invest time in the training of a knowledgeable staff.

re: 'odors' in Berkeley, most of the recent UC grads that I know are more concerned about earning potentials and investment portfolios to have time for a little weed. The same cannot be said for the Stanford grads that live above me and stink up the stairwell of our apartment building.

-David L.

I see. May be my Berkeley experience is outdated :) or may be its because I spend more time with Russian artists in Berkeley than with American students.... I will be in the area (most probably) at the end of March - Roy and I have some business to do - would you consider a quiet hour together at any of these locations?

Sasha.

Certainly! Email me off-forum. My address is the same as my username @mac.com. Let me know when you are coming and we can arrange a meeting. I live very close to the Powell Street location, so I could easily meet you there.

-David L.