Chef Larry Wang’s Little Lotus restaurant is a finalist for a prestigious culinary award and gets magnificent reviews from guests.
Yet these days, “I see the empty tables, the empty chairs,” said Wang, of Little Lotus restaurant.
Wang, a veteran restaurateur who has also owned Red Lotus in Shelton for 14 years, said the high cost of living is seriously damaging the restaurant industry in Connecticut, including his.
Chef Larry Wang’s Little Lotus restaurant is a finalist for a prestigious culinary award. (Courtesy)
He said with the high cost of gas, groceries, heating oil and utilities, lower and middle income folks aren’t making dining out a priority.
Wang estimates his business is down 20 percent in recent months and said all of his colleagues in the restaurant industry are feeling it and reporting they’re down 10-30 percent. Some may be headed for bankruptcy, he said.
“All my restaurant friends are hurting right now,” Wang said. “Restaurants are first to feel it. I am truly sorry for those in the lower to medium income.”
Wang is not wrong, but it’s not only in Connecticut, said the ever-optimistic Scott Dolch, president and CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association.
Disposable Income
Reached at the National Restaurant Association conference in Washington D.C., Dolch said national statistics are just in based on the past year: There has been a 35 percent increase in food and labor costs in the industry, a 2.8 percent median profit margin for the industry that is normally a three to five percent profit margin and 42 percent of operators said they were not profitable in 2025.
“The economy is a concern,” for the restaurant business here and throughout the nation, Dolch said.
He said high grocery bills, utilities, gas, the cost of housing, has meant people are cutting back on discretionary spending.
“It’s a very challenging time. Our industry relies on disposable income,” Dolch said.
He said restaurants have the lowest profit margin of any other business sector of between three and five percent.
“Everyone is feeling it. Our industry goes on how people feel,” Dolch said, noting he receives calls from restaurants daily and the association offers expertise on doing things more efficiently.
At the same time that people are cutting back, restaurants are experiencing high operating costs including for labor, utilities, and food. Diesel prices are the highest they’ve ever been and every product comes in a truck, he said. But raising menu prices is something restaurants want to avoid for fear of reaching the “tipping point” that drives more customers away, Dolch said.
The state hasn’t yet found a way to track restaurant closures, Dolch said, but the media is full of stories about them nearly every day. There are about 9,200 restaurants and 400 hotels in Connecticut.
He did say there have been more closures in the last six to nine months “than we have seen since covid.”
“That’s alarming to me, ” Dolch said. “It’s worrisome,” he said, that businesses open for 15-20 years are closing because of the struggles.
Little Lotus is a finalist for a Crazies award for best newcomer on the Connecticut restaurant scene.
Chef Larry Wang’s Little Lotus restaurant is a finalist for a prestigious culinary award. (Courtesy)
The small restaurant on the Pequonnock Yacht Club grounds at City Point in New Haven opened about a year ago.
Wang describes it as Asian fusion and “chef-driven,” serving Caribbean food, French, American, Japanese sushi. Wang is executive chef and the kitchen led by a Caribbean chef, a French- American chef and a Asian sushi chef.
Above all, Wang said, they strive for a culture of “inclusivity,” he said.
“We want everyone to feel seen and welcome. We are building bridges of friendship. This world needs a little more friendship and love,” Wang said. “We have a good cross section of good and culture.”
They serve oxtail, “the best Japanese sushi,” duck confit, foie gras, pan seared lamb, scallops, and cod.
“We have international chefs that work with passion,” he said.
Little Lotus and its sister restaurant, Red Lotus in Shelton, are managed by Wang and his wife, Nia Chen, who met and fell in love working at a restaurant some 20 years ago in New York City.
Dolch, whose organization oversees the Crazies awards said, “What makes Little Lotus special is the story behind it.”
Chef Larry Wang’s Little Lotus restaurant is a finalist for a prestigious culinary award. (Courtesy)
“Larry and Nia spent years bringing their vision to life, restoring a historic waterfront property and creating a dining experience that’s truly their own. Their nomination for Restaurant Newcomer at the CRAZIES is a well-deserved recognition of that hard work, and we’re excited to celebrate what they’ve brought to New Haven.”
Wang was born and raised in New York City, where his parents opened successful restaurants after college. He helped all the time after school, but at first chose a different route and became a licensed therapist for New York City, New York state and later, the Veterans Administration Medical Center. He didn’t want to make restaurants a career, but always worked in one part-time for extra money.
He met Nia along the way, left the mental health field after 20 years and they decided to come to Connecticut to open a restaurant, bringing his parents’ recipes.
They found the Little Lotus location because it was once a breakfast place they frequented. Once it closed, no one wanted it, so they took a leap. Although they’ve only been open little more than a year, the approvals took a few years because of historic preservation issues.
Little Lotus is only a few steps from the popular Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill. Wang said that restaurant is waterfront and people’s first choice.
Little Lotus is indeed little, about 900 square feet and seats about 30 inside and 30 outside.
“Nia loved it,” Wang said. “It’s a tiny little place, but it’s beautiful.”
Wang said his advice to people is to support local restaurants and businesses whenever they can, that local yoga studio or little store.
“Those small businesses that define America are all suffering right now,” he said. “People’s confidence is not high.”
Wang said what he likes about the restaurant business is that it’s a service job just as being a therapist was in his earlier life.
Chef Larry Wang’s Little Lotus restaurant is a finalist for a prestigious culinary award. (Courtesy)
Yes, it’s about making people happy with food, but, “It’s more about service. I’ve been in service all my life. It has to be in your DNA.”
Guests online say dining at Little Lotus is a special experience.
One customer wrote, “Everything was top notch-the food, the atmosphere and mostly the welcoming and wonderful service. You can eat outside and enjoy being right on the ocean or inside the beautiful, modern inside atmosphere. Perfect spot for a special date night!”
Another wrote the food was so good that, “Nearby restaurants should be nervous!!!”
But Wang and his community spirit wrote back: “Our nearby restaurants are our community backbone and should be applauded for their continued service to our community.”
One guest described the Little Lotus as having delivered “an immaculate experience!”
“Absolutely delicious!,” an online guest wrote. “If you don’t do sushi, their other entrees are fabulous! And the location is so special.”
Another raved: “Every course was beautifully presented and thoughtfully crafted, with incredible flavors that were both creative and perfectly balanced. The attention to detail in every bite was remarkable, making the entire experience feel intentional and unforgettable.”
One guest wrote she and a friend were on their way to Shell & Bones and went to Little Lotus instead.
“The food is spectacular. We both had the Omakase and shared a crab cake. Every piece of sushi was delicately cared for and tasted amazing,” she wrote. “We will absolutely be back, I think this is our new favorite dinner spot!”
Dining and Cooking