Soup du Jour
A couple months ago, my partner and I (Alyssa Chiang) scrolled through DoorDash, looking for something local that we haven’t tried. We stumbled upon Soup du Jour, and as soon as we brought out the Chicken Congee, Sweet and Sour Fish, and Hot and Sour Soup that we had ordered, I immediately was reminded of home. The flavors were amazing and brought back memories of my mom cooking at home. A few weeks later, we went in person, and enjoyed our meal in the comforting atmosphere, where we were also treated with kind, personable service.
Lotus Magazine sat down with Clare Tsai, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Tony, to chat about their journey with Soup du Jour. Tony and one of their daughters chimed in as well, highlighting the warm family-feeling of the place. The mood was light and fun, akin to visiting a close relative’s home; we were treated like a part of the family. Clare explained that she and her husband met in Taiwan before moving to San Diego. “He immigrated here first,” she recalled, “and I followed suit a year later.” His family started in the restaurant business; they owned the well-known Dumpling Inn on Convoy Street, which opened in 1999. She began working there when she moved to San Diego, seeing it through its merge with the Shanghai Saloon as they relocated the restaurant into its current, more spacious location.
In 2016, her parents-in-law were thinking of retiring and her daughters were in grade school. The couple decided it might be a good time to transfer the business to someone else. They took a 2-3 year break until they opened Soup du Jour in October 2019. When the pandemic hit in February/March 2020, they were forced to shutter their doors for about three months.
They have thankfully managed to stay on their feet and are extremely positive and grateful. “We have the support of our return customers and new customers that have been referred by their friends. More and more people have been coming in. We even have customers from UCSD who make the 20-minute drive just to pick up food! We really appreciate it,” Clare says.
Clare and Tony Tsai and their two daughters
What Soup du Jour is All About
Clare: We’d been working for big restaurants, so we thought to go the small family business route to bring out [my husband’s] specialties. He wanted to bring homemade-style food to the table, and that’s what Soup du Jour is about. Making people feel like we are bringing comfort food that reminds them of home.
We selected this location because we’d been working in Convoy for a long time. Now, Convoy is filled with big restaurants and chains. We didn’t want to be in that area to compete with them. So we selected this location, which, fortunately, has an outdoor patio that has helped a lot during the pandemic. We revamped the patio so that customers would want to stick around for awhile. Now, a lot of customers have gotten accustomed to eating outside. We also have some dining tables if they decide to sit inside. It’s all pretty casual, with counter service. Home-style. We emphasize the casual atmosphere, comfort, and quality food.
Long-Term Goals for Soup du Jour
C: The labor market is so limited right now; there’s a lot of staff shortages. We think it might stay this way for a while, so we’re focusing on making sure our food is consistent in quality. Every time you come back, we want you to be able to taste the same flavors. That’s our goal right now. Bringing quality comfort food–and nice friendly service to the customers!
Day-to-Day Life
C: We usually come here at about 9am until 9:30/10pm, depending on the kitchen. Every single item is made from scratch by my husband so he’s often in the cooking line. [My husband] organizes what everybody needs to do. Since I’m here all the time, I face every customer. I greet and serve every customer who comes in. I care a lot about service. I try to remember every customer–their name, their favorite dish, etc. I always go around and check on them to make sure they like the food and that everything is going okay. We try to build a good customer relationship.
Karen (daughter): “As soon as I come in, [Dad] tells me, ‘You need to do this, this, and this.’ Super organized. I come in for one day a week, and I get SO tired. I don’t know how they do this five days a week!”
Separating Family Life From Work Life
C: Pretty difficult, especially as husband and wife! We take a couple days off in the week–one day for family, and one day to go to the warehouse to get supplies. But we live together, we work together, we have kids, and sometimes the kids work, too. Everybody has emotions, so sometimes we need to settle down and know when a final decision must be made.
Do you vote if you can't make a decision?
C: Usually [my husband] decides–we respect his decision because we understand he carries the responsibility for the restaurant business. In the restaurant business, the major things come from the kitchen. We need to respect the people who make it a big job.
Chicken Congee
Challenges
C: It’s a challenge managing to survive and stay in business. My husband and I thought, for now, to-go orders are one of the main things to focus on. He added dishes better suited for to-go. We also have a website and online orders through various apps. That has helped, though they charge us a high commission. But we understand that, as a small restaurant, we do not have the financial power to push in marketing. So we’re okay with these services despite the high commission. Our thought is that maybe this could be a way of bringing customers here. If customers like us, they might someday stop by to have a sit-down meal or order to-go regularly directly from us instead of through third-party companies.
Tony: Before, we always did business with a partner, my parents, my uncle…my family always worked with us. Now, we’re independent. When the pandemic hit, I didn’t know what to do, because we had planned to use plates, silverware, the dishwasher…now, you can see we’ve been using to-go boxes.
C: We had to change directions. Even when people dine here, we put it in a to-go container. The good thing is, a lot of customers like it. They think it’s a good idea–if they don’t finish, they just take it to go! The customers also feel comfortable. But for some of the special dishes, like the steak, we still use a regular plate for the presentation.
The Importance of Customer Service
C: For big restaurants and chains, they hire a manager, who hires the employees. The manager just needs to face the big boss. Many of them manage the employees, and only the employees make contact with the customers regularly. But the employees don't always work at the restaurant for a long time. Restaurants whose employees work for them for a long time can keep good relationships with the customers. I had experience with this at the Dumpling Inn. I’d been working there for 15, 20 years, and I feel like if you want to build up a relationship with the customers, you need to serve them, talk with them, know what they need. You need face-to-face contact so that you know what the true problems are and how you can improve. That’s why I still do that. Sometimes, my daughter says, “Mom, I’m so surprised that every day customers come in and you know their names!” I’m here every day! I treat them like family friends. We want it to feel like home.
K: “When I talk to the customers, it’s a completely different vibe–I don’t know how she does it!”
High Standards
C: [My husband] is super organized–even our walk-in refrigerator is organized and clean. Everything here needs to go back to the same place. Everything has to be wiped down and clean. Very high standards.
K: “It’s an extremely clean kitchen. A single spill, you have a towel immediately.”
Spiced Street Chicken
Dishes of Soup du Jour
C:In the beginning, the menu wasn’t as big as it is now, but we’ve slowly added new items. Since we’re both from Taiwan, some of the dishes, like Spiced Street Chicken, are memorable foods from home. Others are fusion dishes, as you can see in the soups and appetizers.
Crowd favorites?
C: The Spiced Chicken. A lot of people like it. And the Chicken Congee! I'm so happy when a customer is having congee and they say, “It tastes like my Clare’s!” And we pair the congee with 油條 (youtiao: deep-fried doughnut), because it's traditional, though not a lot of restaurants do this. A lot of customers also like the Honey Glazed Spare Ribs–they are slow-cooked overnight.
Putting a Spin On Classics
T: I’ve been working in the restaurant business for 23 years in the United States. Before, when I lived in Taiwan, I didn’t know how to cook. I learned from here. Whenever I go to a restaurant, if I like the taste, I keep it in my memory. Many things, once you’ve tried, maybe after a few years, if you want to go back to taste it again, it won’t be the same. So when I try something good, I keep it in my mind. I try to cook it myself. Because I think if I like it, then others might like it. So I try different dishes. I still have a lot of ideas! The kitchen is too small!
Fresh Ingredients
C: This is very important. All the vegetables are fresh and hand cut, from the soups to the plates. We roast the vegetables in-house. Different vegetables have different cooking times–broccoli, cauliflower, etc–before we mix them together. I come in early every Saturday morning to prepare them.
Angus Ribeye Steak
Advice
C: In general, you want to try to gain experience in the area. You need to identify who can join and support you. It’s also important to know how to face problems and solve them. That’s important, because starting a business is not a one or two-day thing. It’s long-term. So every single day, you will face different problems. When you face a problem, it brings on a challenge, and this gives you the space to improve. So when you face a problem, think about how you can solve it. When you solve a problem, you improve. Don’t be afraid, but it’s important to learn some of the basic skills and build a network.
What’s next?
T: I try to do my best. Maybe after 5, 10 years, I’m going to retire. Or maybe I can do a franchise. So many chain restaurants have a central kitchen where they do all the cooking, then they send it to the store and reheat it. But we don’t have that just by ourselves.
C: It’s a lot of work.
T: I tell her, if we have some empty space we’re going to sell ice cream!
C: My husband, he’s got a lot of ideas *chuckles*
Visit Soup du Jour or order online!
Website: www.soupsd.com
Toast Takeout | DoorDash | GrubHub
Address: 8583 Aero Drive, San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: 858.384.6328
Email: info@soupsd.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am - 8pm or until sold out
