Feng Ye has reopened Lai Lai, his Chinese restaurant in the Arbor Square Plaza at Carpenter and Ellsworth, after rebuilding from a January 2023 kitchen fire that he says caused about $100,000 in losses.
From his freshly remodeled dining room, complete with new ruby-colored booths and table seating, Ye explains that the hood system caught fire not long after he’d hired a company to clean and degrease it; fire officials believe they must not have been thorough enough. No one was injured, but it took seven months before Lai Lai—which he took over six years ago—was able to reopen. The lost revenue was not eased by any rent forbearance from the landlord, he notes.
His insurance covered less than 70 percent of the cost. He’s grateful for the 134 GoFundMe donors who contributed $6,815 “just to help us restore the business, so we just say thanks to them.”
Lai Lai, 4023 Carpenter Rd. (734) 677–0790. Wed.–Mon. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Closed Tues. lailaionline.com
