(Photo by Noah Nelson)
China Doll Celebrates a Family-Owned Heritage
China Doll is a casual Chinese takeout spot on the east end of town that specializes in big portions, big flavor, and a small price. The restaurant has been family owned since its founding, some decades ago. The original family who opened the restaurant were from China, but sold the restaurant to the current owners after one of the current owners also moved from China about ten years ago.
The restaurant is owned by Mike and Lin Sperling. The couple own and operate the business alongside Lin’s family who also moved with her from China: her mom, dad and uncle.
“Lin worked with the original owners of China Doll,” said Mike. “They had owned the restaurant for 26 years. Then one day, they offered to allow my wife and I to buy China Doll, and the rest is history.”
Now, the family can be seen all in the kitchen, taking orders and preparing fresh Chinese-American classics like chicken lo mein, bbq pork fried rice, golden fried shrimp and egg flower soup.
When it comes to standing out among other restaurants in town, there is something to be appreciated about a restaurant that prioritizes the customer’s wallet as the cost of living continues to rise. “We’ve focused on keeping our portion sizes up and prices as low as possible while maintaining the quality standards of our food,” Mike said. “Bringing people great value is what sets us apart from most.”
Working with family can obviously have its ups and downs. For the Sperlings, Mike said that he enjoys being able to spend time with his in-laws, while Lin appreciates the ease of communication that comes from working with family. They did however mention that the challenge comes in maintaining a separation of life at work and life at home; a common issue among small, family owned businesses.
Looking back on their time operating China Doll and being part of the Bend community, Mike said that one of their favorite parts about operating the business has been to grow so many positive customer relationships. When it comes to lessons learned, Mike said, “One of the lessons we’ve learned is that communication is key. Without that, everything will fall apart. Whether it be communicating with each other, or communicating with our customers and accounting for the feedback we receive.”
For the future of the restaurant, the Sperlings have the goal to simply maintain the quality of their food and to continue providing great value to the community.
