Another Sea Bright business is back, six months after Sandy. Below, Amanda and Ming Zheng in their New Super Golden restaurant. (Photo by Wil Fulton. Click to enlarge)
By WIL FULTON
In the minds of Sea Brighters, each business that reopens in this storm-walloped town is another step toward their goal of getting the beach community back to normal in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Late last week another longstanding establishment was able to open its doors again.
Everything about Sea Bright was great before, and hopefully the town remains that way now that we are all starting to come back, said Amanda Zheng, who owns the 20-year old New Super Golden Chinese restaurant with her husband, Ming.
According to the Zhengs, who live on New Street, around the corner from their Ocean Avenue restaurant, they never considered leaving Sea Bright after Sandy, and are happy and proud to be able to return before summer.
Our place was packed this afternoon for lunch,” Amanda said Friday. “As all our regular customers start to hear we are reopening, they are all starting to come back to see us and thats what we need.
Two loyal customers, Natalie Nichol and her husband, were enjoying a late lunch at the New Super Golden, and were quick to share their opinions on the place.
We couldnt be happier about the reopening, Natalie said. Weve been going to some other places, but it just wasnt the same. Having them back is wonderful.
The restaurant joins a stalwart few businesses and retailers to have reopened, including Woody’s Ocean Grille, Ama Ristorante, Bain‘s Hardware, NorthShore Menswear and Angler’s Marina.
The Nichols, who have a house on New Street, said they have been displaced since the storm, and that seeing their neighbors back in business is an encouraging sign.
Before they were open, there was only one or two places to get food in town since the storm, Natalie said. Were happy, and Im sure all the construction workers here are happy, too. This places was completely packed at lunchtime today.
All I can say is we are so happy and proud to be back with our neighbors, serving them food and helping them with our business, Zheng said. No one can know for sure if things will be the way they always have been, but we really hope they will be.