Some people judge their success by counting their money. Lap Chan

listens to his customers.

And there are many. Chan’s has carved a strong niche among Chinese restaurants in Central Oregon.

”I don’t just focus on the money,” said Chan. ”I focus on building a strong relationship between me and my customers. If any customer is not happy, something’s bothering me.”

An example: One day a waitress came into the kitchen and told him that a customer had lost her wallet and couldn’t pay for the meal. She was crying.

He said, ”If she’s unhappy, don’t charge her. Make her happy.” (The customer subsequently found her wallet in the restroom and walked out beaming).

If the man most people know as simply ”Chan” isn’t back in the kitchen, he’s more than likely out in the dining room chatting with the guests.

A native of Canton, China, Chan arrived in America when he was 27 and attended college in Los Angeles with an eye on a degree in electrical engineering.

”I ended up in the kitchen,” he joked.

Upon the recommendation of a cousin, he moved to Eugene, took some business courses and began working at a restaurant. He liked the work and he liked to work.

So, in 1986 he and his wife, Hong, and his mother and father plunked down $15,000 for a little restaurant east of the Cascades in Bend. His brother and two sisters signed on as well and Chan’s was born.

The first few years were filled with seven-day weeks and 14-hour days. They scrubbed walls and shampooed carpets and remodeled when they could.

And they began building a reputation for Szechuan, Hunan and Cantonese cuisine.

In 1990, they expanded into the other half of their 3rd Street building. That same year, sister Yee and her husband, Kai, opened Chan’s of Redmond. And brother Karl Chan now owns and operates Chan’s in McMinnville.

All subscribe to Lap Chan’s philosophy and unstinting work ethic.

”I don’t mind working hard,” he said. ”I’ve always believed that working hard could help me gain a lot of things. I believe quality talks, good will talks, honesty talks.”

Both the Chan’s in Bend and the Chan’s in Redmond boast exotic menus; The Chan’s in Bend is a bigger restaurant and offers a more extensive menu.

Lap Chan said his latest specialties are the New Version Dishes: cashew chicken, kung po chicken and triple Szechuan (beef, chicken and shrimp). They’re prepared without cornstarch to reduce carbohydrates and are wok-seared. They don’t contain vegetables, but they do come with more than 16 ounces of meat.

He also recommends the Chan’s Special Gourmet Dinner aimed at four or more people for those who can’t decide what to order. The cooks make the decisions. Other recommended dishes include Dragon and the Phoenix (sauteed shrimp and sliced chicken with garden vegetables and Chan’s white wine sauce), Chan’s Beijing Shrimp (shelled tender shrimp sauteed in chili paste and a tart tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness served on a bed of broccoli), Buddha’s Glass Noodles (a unique noodle made from mung beans sauteed with shredded Chinese vegetables and bean sprouts) and Twice Cooked Pork (choice sliced pork loin cooked twice in the wok with green cabbage, onion and carrots in a spicy sauce).

MSG is not added, said Lap Chan.

In Redmond, try the spicy green beans in garlic sauce or the Peking Shrimp.

”A restaurant business is like a little tree,” said Lap Chan. ”You water it, fertilize it and this little tree will be looking good and growing forever.”

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.