For one Atlanta couple, running a restaurant also means fostering a sense of community

Shortly after the birth of Emily and Jen Chan’s son, Emily ran into a problem. How do you prepare a meal with a newborn in your hands?

“I just kind of realized how difficult it was for me to feed myself and this new thing in our lives,” said Emily. Her solution? Start a business. A business that prepares and delivers ready-to-eat meals to hungry customers.

“I thought she was insane, but if anybody could pull it off, it would be Emily,” said Jen.

Down the road, they opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Atlanta, complete with Mongolian beef cheesesteak, pizza and fried rice. “JenChan’s Pizza and Chinese” was ready for business.

Shying away from the upscale modern vibe a lot of restaurants seem to have these days, Emily and Jen went in somewhat the opposite direction. “As silly as it sounds, I want people to walk out and go, ‘You know, I felt like I was at Grandma’s house,'” said Emily. “Just like a comforting environment, a place where I feel like I could, you know, grab a blanket and curl up and watch TV after I eat.”

And while we just wrapped a markedly downbeat Pride Month for companies across the country, JenChan’s celebrates the LGBTQ+ community year-round with its “Gay Card” offering. It’s a special discount card, available to LGBTQ+ customers and allies alike, with deals for JenChan’s Gay Card holders.

“What we thought was just going to be like this superfun, gimmicky, campy thing has kind of turned into something really beautiful,” said Emily. Customers have been showing support for LGBTQ+ friends and family by purchasing a card on their behalf.

For more about JenChan’s, click the audio player above.