First and foremost – I love the food at King House. I have been a loyal customer for a long time. I enjoy many buffets, but this one features some of my favorites.
Which favorites? Glad you asked.
The egg rolls are top notch, My favorite in town. Not too chubby, they are perfectly packed and sized
Lobster rolls (go ahead, take a few). These beauties soak up soy sauce and are great for dipping into sweet & sour. Your tummy will thank me.
Hawaiian chicken. YAAAAAASSSSSSSSS. The color reminds me of Christmas and the taste is unmatched. So good, dude. So good.
Now, the reason you stopped by. The King House has had some trouble in the press recently. I am sure someone around the office cooler has said “Pigeon House” or some other diss at this iconic Broadway eatery. And, cards on the table, it’s true. During a health inspection – that was called in and seems fishy to me – health inspectors found live pigeons in cages in the basement. They were removed, but the urban legends had already begun.
Like Pandora’s Box, there is no moving on from a situation like this.
Unfortunately, the rumors/jokes/misinformation has cost the business a lot of money already. This is not the type of place you see buying fancy ads or engaging thousands of followers on Instagram. They concentrate on providing a dining experience to those of us who like to try a little of everything and wash it down with Jell-O cubes for dessert. They don’t have the resources to spin this story. In fact, it seems to me like the media have really had a heyday with this story and are enjoying how blown out of proportion it has become. Almost like they want it to shutdown and fade away…
Unfortunately, there are more than rumblings that the ownership is considering a white flag and shutting it down for good. Restaurants close every single day. Chains and local establishments alike. Most because they are mismanaged – but this one is on the chopping block because it became the butt of a joke and the general public acted as judge, jury and executioner when it comes to a single health inspector’s report.
Now, I ask you this…are you willing to let this place turn to dust. Let the development company who owns the building gut the insides and turn it into another piece of empty office space? Isn’t it time that we do our best to give a little back? These are small business owners. Local people who pay local taxes. They employee folks who are willing to cook and clean for individuals who are meeting for lunch or finished a marathon or need to load up on food before hitting the bar scene that night. I also see a lot of families enjoying their dinners together and laughing around a table while eating cream cheese wontons is nothing short of a 21st century American dream!
We can’t save every business, but this is one we should.
Personally, I think the food is great, but I also appreciate the little things. I have NEVER been turned down when I asked about putting up a poster for a local event. That is not the norm anymore. I get a lot of “Our policy….or Management won’t…” but never at the King House.
Maybe it’s silly that this Chinese buffet means so much to me but you know what, there are others.
At the time of writing this, a group on Facebook have organized
“Save the King House Supper”
and more than 100 people have signed up to pay their fair share and eat dinner in downtown on Monday. The message board is filled with people saying things like:
“This restaurant is a downtown Fargo landmark…
#SaveKingHouse
”
“This is so important! I’m so sick of seeing places getting kicked out.”
“Do me a favor. If are going to King House soon either on your own or with this event group, take a selfie with the King House sign and post it here and on your wall.”
…and of course some folks who want the place shut down or putting some “hilarious” pigeon meme on the wall.
I am also more than surprised to see a lack of love from the individuals who claim to be downtown Fargo supporters. Are we just picking and choosing what establishments deserve to be praised? Might I remind you that King House was one of the only places that operated during the dark era of downtown Fargo and is a little piece of history that doesn’t require a $100,000 plus annual salary to enjoy?!?!
I intend on showing my support on MONDAY, JUNE 24th 2019 at the Save the King House Supper. I hope you will consider it too. Especially if you have never been there before. Let’s face it, if this place is going to close – this could be one heck of a party. Remember the last night at Ralph’s??? 
