North side gains new Chinese restaurant

One Chinese restaurant replaced another in northwest Springfield with this month’s opening of The Wok on West Bypass.

The 334 N. West Bypass eatery’s first day was Feb. 6, said owner LeeAnn Tran. She declined to disclose startup costs for the venture, which operates in 2,587 square feet in a building she owns via TG Wok LLC, according to Greene County assessor records. Tran said the previous tenant, China Wok, shuttered last year.

The building also briefly was a location for fast-casual Mexican food chain Taco Bueno before it exited the Springfield market in 2008, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The new Chinese restaurant is a sister property to The Wok on Scenic, also owned by Tran. She said she and her now ex-husband, Son Tran, opened the 4153 S. Scenic Ave. eatery in 2001 as China Wok, which was unrelated to the recently closed venture of the same name on West Bypass. She took over full ownership in 2018 and rebranded to The Wok on Scenic in 2021.

LeeAnn Tran said a busy start to business this month at her 20-employee The Wok on West Bypass was hampered last week by the winter storm that swung through the area. It resulted in nearly three days closed, which included issues with frozen pipes.

“DeLong Plumbing [Heating and Air] got us thawed out and repaired our pipes and stuff, so we’re good,” she said. “We’ve been super busy in the daytime, which we expected. The nighttime is a lot slower than our other location, so thankfully I’ve got one that’s super busy in the day and one that’s busy in the evening, so I’m able to kind of go in between.”

Those familiar with The Wok on Scenic will find the same menu at the new restaurant. However, Tran said she soon plans to use The Wok on West Bypass to pilot meal options for those with food sensitivities and allergies.

“We’re going to be trying out different menus here and offering them and see how they do and then bring them to our other location,” she said. “We’re hoping by April to have those kind of nailed down and offer an actual full menu of dietary restricted or dietary preferred (food).”

Tran said she wanted a second location of her restaurant to serve a different area of town and recognized a need for more dining options in the northwest.

“I feel like that the west side of Springfield, especially the northwest side, is sorely lacking in proper sit-down local businesses,” she said. “We’re surrounded right here by all the chains, but there are very, very few local sit-down restaurants over here.”