Holy Chow!, the Kemp Mill kosher Chinese restaurant approaching its 10th anniversary, said it may permanently close Sept. 20, or once its remaining inventory is sold, without “immediate” community support.
Holy Chow! has operated in the Kemp Mill Shopping Center, a hub of the Orthodox Jewish community, for nine years. It is the Washington, D.C., area’s only certified glatt kosher Chinese restaurant, owner Ami Schreiber wrote in The Forward in 2020.
The announcement, which originally claimed that Holy Chow! would close on Sept. 18, was later updated to Sunday, Sept. 20.
In a message to the community, Schreiber said orders have fallen about 30% over the past two to three years, while catering orders have declined and food, labor and other operating costs continue to rise.
Consistent community support is the key to remaining open, Schreiber said.
“The fastest way to help right now isn’t to place an order today; it’s to buy a gift card,” the announcement read, adding that an influx of orders would overwhelm a kitchen of its size. “A $100 gift card from anyone who knows they’ll eat here again sometime this year is what actually keeps us open.”
Customers who purchase gift cards will be “notified in advance so they can use them,” Schreiber wrote.
The restaurant owner made a similar announcement in February 2023.
“Unfortunately, the lack of certified mashgiachs has put us at risk of closing permanently,” the 2023 Facebook post read, referring to the Hebrew word for kosher food supervisors. “Starting tomorrow morning, if we do not have someone to come in and fill the role[,] we will have to close.”
Schreiber did not immediately respond to a Sept. 18 request for comment.
zbell@midatlanticmedia.com
