DECEMBER 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 67
MAIN DISH
DANNY’S CHINESE KITCHEN
DOING TAKEOUT RIGHT BY ALAN KRAWITZ
Danny’s Chinese Kitchen in
Bellmore may look like a typical
mom-and-pop Chinese
takeout, nearly ubiquitous
across Long Island, but the
reality is quite different.
The restaurant, which
opened six years ago, is
owned by two Jewish brothers
from Merrick, Danny and
David Antin.
“Some people come in and
see us behind the counter
and they look confused as
to whether we’re a real Chinese
restaurant,” says David,
joking.
The origins of Danny’s can
be traced back to the Rockaways,
where the brothers
were raised. As Danny tells
it, he started working at a
local Chinese restaurant
while attending college at Long Island
University.
Danny and David Antin of Danny’s Chinese Kitchen
The restaurant, East Meets West, happened
to be owned by a family friend
and retired NYPD detective, Bill Keating.
Keating, who still owns East Meets
West and has been in the business 25
years, recalls Danny as a “sweetheart,
one of the best.” He explains that Danny
started out as a counter person and
then learned “the ways of the kitchen,
forging strong personal relationships
with the chefs and kitchen workers.”
Keating helped Danny before opening.
Unbeknownst to Danny, his past
relationships at East Meets West
would prove vital to his restaurant.
Before Danny’s existed, both Danny, 36
and his brother David, 45, were working
as accountants. Danny worked for
eight years for a large public accounting
firm while David had a successful
20-year career in finance.
While Danny pondered a career
change, David recalled Danny saying
he was “never happier” than when he
worked at the Chinese takeout place.
And David recalled people in his
neighborhood lamenting the lack of
“good Chinese food” in the area.
That helped steer Danny into the
restaurant business, and with David
as a silent partner, Danny’s opened
its first location in 2014. Danny even
tapped the former chef at East Meets
West, Mr. Lin, to take over kitchen duties,
although Danny would continue
to help with cooking.
As Danny’s got busier, it became evident
that he needed help. So, it was
natural that David, who was wrapping
up his career in finance, would
join Danny as a full-time partner in
the business in March 2019.
But then, the pandemic arrived with
the New Year and threatened to derail
Danny’s strong growth. Danny’s
closed on March 16 for 35 days due to
concerns for the staff and customers
alike.
The brothers say their business was
down from January through March
by almost 40 percent because people
thought “they could get Covid-19 from
eating Chinese food.”
“People were scared,” David recalls.
He added that they also had to work
through various fears of people regarding
touching surfaces, bags, etc.
He says that being entrenched in the
community and hiring mostly local
employees meant taking precautions
seriously, including buying high-quality
masks and using enhanced cleaning
protocols. When Danny’s reopened in
mid-April, David said they had to take
matters into their own hands because
few workers were available to do
anything.
“At one point, we were driving a truck
to our Hicksville warehouse and
getting all of our food supplies since
things were so stalled due to Covid-19,”
David says, recalling how he smelled
like “raw chicken,” on
most days. “People
were dying for Chinese
food...they hadn’t
had it for months and
we wanted to be there
for the community.”
But, despite Covid-19,
the brothers opened a
new location in Massapequa
in May of this
year, near another former
Chinese takeout,
Chow Superb Chinese
Food.
“We couldn’t get any
contractors to come
out, so we did much of
the work on this spot
ourselves, including
painting and electrical
work,” David notes.
And the brothers’ expansion
plans aren’t
yet complete as they are planning an
Oceanside location, set to open in 2021.
Danny’s varied menu includes more
than a few hundred items to choose
from including specialties such as
sesame chicken, beef with broccoli,
General Tso’s chicken, salmon Hunan
style, spare ribs, and special creations
including pastrami and apple pie egg
rolls.
“We’re obsessed with customer service,
cleanliness, and quality food
that includes getting daily shipments
of fresh vegetables, chicken and meat,”
David says of what makes Danny’s
different.
He also adds that their prices are
comparable to most other Chinese
takeouts.
“We’re not reinventing Chinese food,”
he says, “but we’re doing it right.”
Danny’s Chinese Kitchen is located
at 2370 Merrick Road, Bellmore
516-783-900 and 20 Broadway, Massapequa
516-809-9970. Visit them at
dannyschinesekitchen.com
“We’re obsessed with customer service,
cleanliness, and quality food,” says David Antin.
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