Double Happiness owner May Chen has reopened both of her Wilmington dining rooms, having been closed for in-house dining since last March.

The Wrightsville Avenue and Ogden locations reopened Monday. 

Earlier this year, Chen said she would not reopen for in-house dining until all her staff felt safe doing so. Every one of her staff members chose to get vaccinated, and with that process now complete, Chen says they are ready to welcome back their customers for long-awaited reunions.  

“I’m so excited to see everyone in person and talk with them,” Chen said, “to have a real conversation instead of just 'Hi' and 'Bye.'"

While Chen could not keep everyone on staff during the 12 months when they offered only carryout, she said the majority of her service staff, many of whom have been with the company for years, have now returned to work.

While the menu remains unchanged, customers may notice a few small changes to the dining rooms. Chen said she made use of the time they were closed to do some minor renovations and updates that are challenging to tackle during normal operations. 

Chen said that while she believes many customers will be eager to return to in-house dining, Double Happiness will continue to offer online ordering for carryout where contactless payment can be processed. 

“While we’re very eager to resume the service aspect of the business, we want to make sure we cover all our bases,” Chen said. 

Double Happiness is open from Monday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. The restaurant is now open Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. without an afternoon break and the dinner menu is served all day. It's closed Sunday. 

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