The original location open at Broadway and Powell Street, Chinatown, San Francisco in 1958 by Alice Chan. Vera Chan-Waller, her granddaughter, and husband Nathan Waller are the current owners. Her father Henry dropped out of medical school weeks shy of completion when Alice got sick and needed the help.[1]
In the summer of 2013, 280 employees followed the advice of the Chinese Progressive Assn. and filed labor violation complaints looking for better working conditions and wages with the help of the Asian Law Caucus. Henry Chan and his wife Judy[4] did not fight the charges.[5]
The Chans gave the employees raises and paid vacations and health benefits. They also gave more than 280 former and current employees $4 million in back wages.[4]