By Stephanie DeGraw | [email protected]

A family-owned local restaurant has reopened after four months of closure during the pandemic. Potstickers Plus 1 is open for lunch and dinner takeout orders now. 

"We have plans to give back to the community," said Peter Yang, owner of Potstickers Plus 1. "In the future, we hope to do a fundraiser that will give a percentage of customer's orders to a fund that raises money for low-income families to afford the COVID vaccine." 

People can currently donate a portion of their orders displayed on the board on the restaurant wall. Patrons can give so others who can't afford an order of potstickers will be able to eat. Donations can be made anonymous or not. There is an option where people can sign up to get a text from the person that received the free meal.

Yang said he was grateful to get some government funding, which allowed him to reopen the restaurant. But it's his regular customers that are keeping the doors open. Potstickers Plus 1 has repeat business due to the homemade food and quality ingredients.

Sandy resident Katie Johnson happened upon Potstickers Plus 1 while visiting the store next door. "I've never had better potstickers in my life. The family that owns the restaurant is so sweet. They even mixed up a sauce from scratch when my husband asked if they had any spicy sauces," she said. Johnson added her favorite is the sweet corn potsticker and that it is an excellent value for the price. 

The restaurant is known for its six main dishes: pork veggie, sweet corn, American leek, shrimp, beef, and vegan potstickers. Customers may mix and match these dishes, which are all homemade fresh to order.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Yang pushes forward with more plans. "Our business was interrupted by the pandemic, and so our cash reserve was drained. But instead of just sitting there doing nothing, we are planning to move forward with our multiple location plan,” he said. "We'll be trying to do some crowdfunding to obtain a centralized kitchen for our future locations." 

Yang is looking for a more functional location and is open to sharing the site with other businesses. He noted that when there is only one kitchen that serves all places, he can control quality. 

Yang believes three factors for success are timing, location, and the right people in your business. "Ninety-nine percent is luck, but there is still 1% of the time you control. If you are working 10 times harder than your chance to succeed is 10 times bigger. You have to take action and do your part," he said. "When you are successful, then you need to be asking yourself, ‘what can I do to make life more meaningful and help more people?’"

Potstickers Plus 1 is located at 9197 S. 700 East. Reach them at 801-987-8620 or https://www.potstickersplus1.com/