Kung Fu Thai & Chinese Restaurant installs new sign for the next 50 years
LAS VEGAS, NV – The oldest and most authentic Thai and Chinese restaurant in the Las Vegas valley has replaced its iconic sign, bringing enhanced curb appeal and brightening the start of Chinatown on the corner of Valley View Blvd and Spring Mountain Road.
Signs has dramatically changed, since my parents started Kung Fu Restaurant back in 1973, on 3rd street and Fremont in downtown Las Vegas. Back then it was a simple call to one of the local glass artist to come down and paint the restaurants front glass panel. We simply wrote down on a piece of paper, spelling out in English what we wanted him to paint and Walla! A new frontage sign is made and ready to go. The cost; all for what it cost for a family of 3 to dine out in today’s dollars.
When we were invited by the late John D. “Jackie” Gaughan to take over the vacant buffet on the 3rd floor of the Union Plaza Hotel, back in 1982, it was an opportunity we simply could not refuse. Even though back then all the major Hotel and Casino maintained ownership and operated every culinary operation located inside their perspective property, we decided to trailblaze and move on up. And move up we did, the restaurant relocated from a store that had a seating capacity of 30 people on 3rd street and Fremont to 350 people inside the Plaza Hotel. As a promise to Mr. Gaughan we first opened Kung Fu Plaza Restaurant as a Buffet in 1982, becoming the first Thai and Chinese Buffet in Las Vegas. It became quite popular with the guest at the Union Plaza Hotel, but then the front desk was moved back downstairs and the lack of exposure was too much to overcome. To which we pivoted and switched back to a fine dining Thai & Chinese Restaurant. The signs in the hotel was a little bit more sophisticated then the one on 3rd street, it was a sign incased in a lighted box alongside an inside billboard.
Since 1982, when Kung Fu Plaza Restaurant became the first independently operated food and beverage retailer to operate inside a major Hotel and Casino, we had no idea that what we were doing would set precedent and start a trend; of the major Hotel and Casinos renting out their culinary spaces to outside restaurateurs, with the likes of Benihana opening up inside the Las Vegas Hilton, what is now Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino along with other notables.
Due to the downturn of Downtown Las Vegas during the early 1990’s, in 1993 Kung Fu Plaza Restaurant decided once again to relocate to our current location, on the southwest corner of Valley View Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road. We didn’t know it at the time, but this small stretch of road was to become Chinatown Las Vegas. In 1993 there was less than 10 restaurants operating on the 2 mile stretch of Spring Mountain Road from Interstate 15 until Jones Blvd, whereas today there are a 100.
Since relocating to Chinatown, locals and visitors alike have taken a liking to the iconic “Kung Fu Thai & Chinese Restaurant” sign. Much like how visitors to Las Vegas go out of their way to visit the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign located on the Las Vegas Strip, at; 5100 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89119 on Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell and Sunset Road.
The restaurant’s sign located on top of 3505 S Valley View Blvd gained notoriety from foreign visitors to Las Vegas due to the fact that major tour groups from Asia frequent this Thai and Chinese diner. Tour guides from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, and even Vietnam, have been recommending and guiding their groups to Kung Fu out of necessity. After many days of being away from their home country, and often weary of foreign foods, most travelers from Asian experience a longing for a home cooked meal. It is for this reason that Kung Fu Thai & Chinese is the friendliest tour operator restaurant in Las Vegas.
“Bringing our tour group from Thailand to Kung Fu is a sure bet.” Says Sheri, a Thai tour guide. “My groups are often left with no alternatives but western food and buffets, after a while they start to get home sick, knowing where to bring them for good authentic Thai food is a required knowledge for any tour operator.” States Sheri. Most often travelers from Thailand are often ecstatic after dining at Kung Fu, they are amazed that they could find and taste Thai food that is most often tastier than back home in Bangkok. By using Certified Angus Beef, in the infamous Thai Beef Salad, this iconic dish being cooked by the Master Chefs at Kung Fu is guaranteed to elevate any taste bud. With this kind of euphoria, diners to this Thai kitchen often go outside and document their experience and venture outside to engage in a photo shoot of the outside of the restaurant along with our iconic sign after their wonderful Thai and Chinese meal in Vegas.
Now I understand why visitors and locals take time out of their day and night in Vegas to visit the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the south end of the Strip. Whenever people have a wonderful experience and a good time during their vacation its only human nature to document the experience in order to share the moment with friends and loved ones in the future. What’s a better place to freeze a great moment in time than to document the good times into a photograph than a photo of you in front of the iconic Las Vegas visitor sign.
The iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign was designed by industrial designer Bety Willis back in 1959, the Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas sign was based off of the Good Year tires, in which she turned into Silver dollars, which depicts good luck and representing the state of Nevada known as the silver state. Standing on the sides of two blue post was meant to portray the colors of the state. The starburst on top of the sign is meant to portray Joy and that Las Vegas is the happiest place to be on earth, reminisce of the Disneyland’s shooting star.
When deciding on naming the restaurant, we wanted to keep it down to only two syllables, make it sound catchy, and something any one can pronounced. The name, “Kung Fu” which was influenced by the martial artist Bruce Lee, his rapid rise to stardom along with the major motion pictures he starred in and produced in the early 1970’s, the Wong family chose this due to the fact that “Kung Fu” in Cantonese, means to work harder,” says Wong. All the associates at the restaurant works hard everyday in order to make our patrons dining experience a memorable one, it shows when our patrons snaps pictures of our iconic sign, to share with their friends and family back home.
Dining with Friends and Family is one of the Greatest- Joy a person can enjoy along with a good Asian meal on a huge round dining table with a lazy-susan turn table, where the dishes are spun around for the whole entire family to eat and share. Cooking a good meal is often time consuming, takes a lot of planning along with lots and lots of hard work. After cooking, the entire family more often than not ends up exhausted, even before they sit down to start the meal they so tirelessly made.
First opened in 1973, Kung Fu Thai & Chinese Restaurant is the oldest and most authentic Thai and Chinese Restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. The diner is open Thursday thru Tuesday for lunch and dinner from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The average entre is $15 and most patrons prefer dining family style. For a complete menu click on the link above. The restaurant offers take-out, along with valley wide Catering services ( Please call for Past Performances and reference ), and delivers within a 5 mile radius and is located less than ½ mile west of the Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip.