WICHITA, Kan (KSNW) — Christmas Day is known as a time when people have dinner at home. But, not every tradition is as conventional as a home-cooked meal with family.
Christmas is the busiest day for Shanghai Buffet in south Wichita. Lines are out the door, and the waiting area is packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Restaurant owner Susan Chang says cooking hot meals on Christmas Day is a family tradition stretching back nearly 30 years.
“If people burn a turkey, I can help, right?” Chang said.
Whether behind the register or in front of it, Shanghai Buffet’s doors are always open. Something the restaurant’s regular customers take full advantage of.
“We came in here last year with 18 people. They got us in. This year we came in with two people, they got us right in,” David Burnett, a frequent customer said.
It’s all hands on deck for the entire Chang family.
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“That’s what we do. Like, ‘What do you do on Christmas?’ We work,” Raymond said. “My parents are here, my wife would be here, my uncle’s in the back, my cousin’s waiting tables, so it’s just like we were at home.”