The Chinese Restaurant
Encyclopedia
"The Chinese Restaurant" is the eleventh episode of the sitcom Seinfeld
s second season
on NBC
, and is the show's sixteenth episode overall. The episode revolves around protagonist
Jerry
(Jerry Seinfeld
) and his friends Elaine Benes
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
) and George Costanza
(Jason Alexander
) waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant, on their way to see Plan 9 from Outer Space
. Unable to get a table, they loiter and talk, while George tries to use the phone that is constantly being used by other customers and Jerry sees a woman he recognizes, but is not sure where he knows her from.
Co-written by the series' creators Seinfeld and head writer
Larry David
, the episode is set in real time, without any scene-breaks. It was the first episode in which Jerry's neighbor Cosmo Kramer
(Michael Richards
) did not appear, much to Richards' disappointment. Considered a "bottle episode
", NBC executives objected to its production and broadcast due to its lack of an involved storyline, and thinking that audiences would be uninterested. It was not until David threatened to quit if the network forced any major changes upon the script that NBC allowed the episode to be produced, although it did not air until near the end of season two.
First broadcast in the United States on May 23, 1991, the episode gained a Nielsen rating
of 11.7/21. Television critics reacted positively to "The Chinese Restaurant", which became one of the show's first classic episodes. In 1998, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic wrote that the episode, along with season four
's "The Contest
", "broke new sitcom ground and expanded the lexicon of the '90s."
(Jerry Seinfeld
), George
(Jason Alexander
) and Elaine
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
) decide to eat dinner without a reservation at a Chinese restaurant before seeing a one-night showing of Plan 9 from Outer Space
at the cinema – "the worst movie ever made", according to Jerry. Jerry lied to his uncle, saying he could not make it to dinner, to go see the film. The maître d’ (James Hong
) repeatedly tells them they will receive a table in "5, 10 minutes". George is nervous about his girlfriend Tatiana, whom he left during sexual intercourse
because he needed to use a bathroom and thought hers was too close to her bedroom to provide enough privacy. He tries to call her, as she has agreed to talk to him, but a man (Michael Mitz) is using the public phone and ignores George. Jerry notices a woman (Judy Kain) he's met before, but cannot remember her name. Elaine is frustrated for being extremely hungry.
A bored Jerry dares Elaine to take an egg roll
from someone's plate and eat it, offering her $
50 if she does so. Elaine approaches a table with an elderly couple and tells them that her friends would give her $50 to eat one of their egg rolls, and she is willing to give them $25 of it. As she softly speaks the offer without moving her lips, and the diners are hard of hearing, they fail to comprehend her. She simply walks away and fails to collect on the wager. George becomes frustrated when other patrons monopolize the phone. When he is finally able to call Tatiana, the answering machine answers his call and George leaves a message. Tatiana calls the restaurant to reach George, but the maître d’ calls "Cartwright" instead of "Costanza". The mysterious woman encounters Jerry, and Jerry remembers she is his uncle's receptionist. Realizing that he has been caught out, he decides that he might as well call his uncle and have dinner with him after all. George and Elaine agree to leave. The maître d’ calls their party as soon as they have left.
and Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Tom Cherones
, who directed all of season two's episodes. David came up with the idea of the real-time episode while he and Seinfeld were waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles
. It was the first episode in which Cosmo Kramer
(Michael Richards
), Jerry's neighbor, did not appear. David explained to Richards that the reason for Kramer's absence was because, during Seinfelds early seasons, the character never leaves his apartment and does not go out with the other three. This was much to Richards' dismay, as he felt the episode was a breakthrough and as such, essential for the series' development. In an interview for the Seinfeld first and second season DVD box set he commented, "The Chinese restaurant episode was so unique, and I just wanted to be a part of that because it was cutting edge. I knew that was a very important episode; it was so odd."
When David presented the episode to NBC executives, he received a negative reaction. The network felt that there was no real story and viewers would not be interested. Executive Warren Littlefield
commented that he thought there were pages missing from the script he had received. David argued that each character had a storyline; Jerry's story was he recognized a woman but did not know from where, Elaine's story was that she was very hungry and George's story was that he was unable to use the phone. NBC disagreed and objected to the broadcast of the episode. To satisfy the executives, staff writer Larry Charles
suggested the group's storyline to be on their way to a one-night screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space
, and thus introducing a "ticking clock" scenario to the story. When the NBC executives still objected, David threatened to quit the show if the network would force any major changes upon the script. Seinfeld supported David and NBC eventually allowed them to produce "The Chinese Restaurant" without any significant alterations, although they strongly advised them not go through with it, and postponed the broadcast until near the end of the season.
"The Chinese Restaurant" was first read by its cast
on December 5, 1990; it was filmed on December 11. Filming took place at CBS Studio Center
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
, where all filming for the second season took place. As only one location was used, it took roughly half of the time it usually took for an episode to be filmed. Cast members have remarked that the filming was shorter than on any other episode. A few changes were made; in the first draft of the script, George, Jerry and Elaine entered the restaurant talking about their least favorite holiday. In the version that aired, they talk about combining the jobs of policemen and garbagemen into a single job. In the original draft, the three friends also discussed how to spend the long waiting period in the future, with George suggesting they bring a deck of cards and that Jerry bring a jigsaw puzzle
with nothing but penguins. One scene was cut before broadcast, featuring George explaining to Jerry that he pulled his hamstring while trying to untuck the covers of a hotel bed during his recent stay in Boston. George can be seen grabbing his hamstring as he walks to the phone. The scene was later included on the Seinfeld seasons one and two DVD boxset.
Michael Mitz portrayed the man who is on the phone when George tries to call Tatiana; Mitz would return in season five
as a photographer in "The Puffy Shirt
". Veteran actor James Hong
portrayed the maître d'. The role of the maître d’ is one of Hong's most famous roles in the United States. Judy Kain, known for a recurring role on Married... with Children
, guest-starred as Lorraine Catalano, the receptionist of Jerry's uncle. David Tress guest-starred as Mr. Cohen, a guest who enters the restaurant and receives a table without reservation, as he is good friends with the maître d’. Larry David's voice can be heard among the group of elderly people Elaine offers money for one of their egg-rolls. Norman Brenner, who worked as Richards' stand-in
on the show for all its nine seasons, appears as an extra
; he is sitting by the door of the restaurant when George, Jerry and Elaine enter, and is still at the same spot when they leave.
critic Walt Belcher calling it "the ultimate episode about nothing", and Lavery and Dunne describing it as "existential". Critics had a similar reaction to season three
's "The Parking Garage", in which the four central characters spent the whole episode looking for their car. The structure of "The Chinese Restaurant", described as "elongation", drags a small event out over the course of an entire episode. Lavery and Dunne suggest that this structure critiques sitcoms with implied moral lessons (such as those found in so-called "very special episode
s"). Vincent Brook, as part of his analysis regarding the influence of Jewish culture on Seinfeld, has said that the episode also conveys the theme of entrapment and confinement in a small space, a recurring theme on the show. The relationship between the characters and food is another recurring theme of the series. In Seinfeld, specific food items are associated with individual characters and food itself is a "signifier of social contracts".
of 11.7 and an audience share of 21—this meant that 11.7% of American households watched the episode, and that 21% of televisions in use at the time were tuned to it. Seinfeld was the eighteenth most-watched show of the week, and the sixth most-watched show on NBC. NBC executives held a meeting after the broadcast to determine the fate of the show, and decided it would receive a third season order if the writers would put more effort into episode storylines.
"The Chinese Restaurant" received very positive responses from critics and is considered one of Seinfelds first "classic episodes". Kit Boss, a critic for the Ocala Star-Banner, wrote that the episode was "like real life, but with better dialogue". Various critics and news sources have praised how the episode defines the show's "show about nothing" concept. Critics have also noted that aside from being a turning point for the show, the episode also became a turning point for television sitcoms; one South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic commented that the episode, along with the season four
episode "The Contest
", " broke new sitcom ground and expanded the lexicon of the '90s." Vance Durgin of The Orange County Register
praised how the show "wrung" so much comedy "out of a simple premise". The episode was also included in a list compiled by The Star-Ledger
called "50 events that shaped TV – and our lives" between 1900 and 1999. The Charlotte Observer
has called "The Chinese Restaurant" the best Seinfeld episode, referring to it "the very epitome of the classic Seinfeld format".
Critics also praised Louis-Dreyfus' and Alexander's performances; The Age
critic Kenneth Nguyen stated that they "characteristically, rock[ed] their line readings". Michael Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling of Entertainment Weekly
, who graded
the episode with an A−, commented, "George is at his pressure-cooker best, but it's Elaine—famished and in high dudgeon—who is the centerpiece." David Sims of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a A+ saying "it's a deftly-plotted, extremely funny example of the "show about nothing" label that Seinfeld assigned itself".
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
s second season
Seinfeld (season 2)
Season two of Seinfeld, an American television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on January 23, 1991, on NBC. Because of the commencement of the first Gulf War, the second season's premiere was postponed one week. The season comprised 12 episodes, and concluded its...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and is the show's sixteenth episode overall. The episode revolves around protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
(Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
) and his friends Elaine Benes
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
) and George Costanza
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
(Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
) waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant, on their way to see Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. Unable to get a table, they loiter and talk, while George tries to use the phone that is constantly being used by other customers and Jerry sees a woman he recognizes, but is not sure where he knows her from.
Co-written by the series' creators Seinfeld and head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
, the episode is set in real time, without any scene-breaks. It was the first episode in which Jerry's neighbor Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
(Michael Richards
Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
) did not appear, much to Richards' disappointment. Considered a "bottle episode
Bottle episode
The term bottle episode is used in episodic television to refer to episodes which are produced using the least money, and restricted in their scope to use as few, or no, non-regular cast members, effects, and sets as possible...
", NBC executives objected to its production and broadcast due to its lack of an involved storyline, and thinking that audiences would be uninterested. It was not until David threatened to quit if the network forced any major changes upon the script that NBC allowed the episode to be produced, although it did not air until near the end of season two.
First broadcast in the United States on May 23, 1991, the episode gained a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 11.7/21. Television critics reacted positively to "The Chinese Restaurant", which became one of the show's first classic episodes. In 1998, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic wrote that the episode, along with season four
Seinfeld (season 4)
Season four of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on August 12, 1992, and concluded on May 20, 1993, on NBC.-Production:...
's "The Contest
The Contest
"The Contest" was the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, George Costanza tells Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer that his mother caught him unaware while he was masturbating...
", "broke new sitcom ground and expanded the lexicon of the '90s."
Plot
JerryJerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
(Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
), George
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
(Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
) and Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
(Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
) decide to eat dinner without a reservation at a Chinese restaurant before seeing a one-night showing of Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
at the cinema – "the worst movie ever made", according to Jerry. Jerry lied to his uncle, saying he could not make it to dinner, to go see the film. The maître d’ (James Hong
James Hong
James Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
) repeatedly tells them they will receive a table in "5, 10 minutes". George is nervous about his girlfriend Tatiana, whom he left during sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
because he needed to use a bathroom and thought hers was too close to her bedroom to provide enough privacy. He tries to call her, as she has agreed to talk to him, but a man (Michael Mitz) is using the public phone and ignores George. Jerry notices a woman (Judy Kain) he's met before, but cannot remember her name. Elaine is frustrated for being extremely hungry.
A bored Jerry dares Elaine to take an egg roll
Egg roll
An egg roll is an appetizer and dinner, a variant of spring roll that has spread throughout the world as a staple of Asian cuisine. Egg rolls with fillings are commonly served in Vietnamese cuisine.-Description:...
from someone's plate and eat it, offering her $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50 if she does so. Elaine approaches a table with an elderly couple and tells them that her friends would give her $50 to eat one of their egg rolls, and she is willing to give them $25 of it. As she softly speaks the offer without moving her lips, and the diners are hard of hearing, they fail to comprehend her. She simply walks away and fails to collect on the wager. George becomes frustrated when other patrons monopolize the phone. When he is finally able to call Tatiana, the answering machine answers his call and George leaves a message. Tatiana calls the restaurant to reach George, but the maître d’ calls "Cartwright" instead of "Costanza". The mysterious woman encounters Jerry, and Jerry remembers she is his uncle's receptionist. Realizing that he has been caught out, he decides that he might as well call his uncle and have dinner with him after all. George and Elaine agree to leave. The maître d’ calls their party as soon as they have left.
Production
"The Chinese Restaurant" was written by series co-creators Larry DavidLarry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
and Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
, who directed all of season two's episodes. David came up with the idea of the real-time episode while he and Seinfeld were waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It was the first episode in which Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
(Michael Richards
Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld....
), Jerry's neighbor, did not appear. David explained to Richards that the reason for Kramer's absence was because, during Seinfelds early seasons, the character never leaves his apartment and does not go out with the other three. This was much to Richards' dismay, as he felt the episode was a breakthrough and as such, essential for the series' development. In an interview for the Seinfeld first and second season DVD box set he commented, "The Chinese restaurant episode was so unique, and I just wanted to be a part of that because it was cutting edge. I knew that was a very important episode; it was so odd."
When David presented the episode to NBC executives, he received a negative reaction. The network felt that there was no real story and viewers would not be interested. Executive Warren Littlefield
Warren Littlefield
Warren W. Littlefield is an American former television executive.A protégé of Brandon Tartikoff, Littlefield developed Cheers, The Cosby Show, and The Golden Girls as senior and executive vice president of NBC Entertainment under Tartikoff...
commented that he thought there were pages missing from the script he had received. David argued that each character had a storyline; Jerry's story was he recognized a woman but did not know from where, Elaine's story was that she was very hungry and George's story was that he was unable to use the phone. NBC disagreed and objected to the broadcast of the episode. To satisfy the executives, staff writer Larry Charles
Larry Charles
Larry Charles is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known as a staff writer for the American sitcom Seinfeld for its first 5 seasons, contributing some of the show's darkest and most absurd storylines...
suggested the group's storyline to be on their way to a one-night screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
, and thus introducing a "ticking clock" scenario to the story. When the NBC executives still objected, David threatened to quit the show if the network would force any major changes upon the script. Seinfeld supported David and NBC eventually allowed them to produce "The Chinese Restaurant" without any significant alterations, although they strongly advised them not go through with it, and postponed the broadcast until near the end of the season.
"The Chinese Restaurant" was first read by its cast
Read-through
The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film and theatre production when an organized reading around a table of the screenplay or script by the actors with speaking parts is conducted....
on December 5, 1990; it was filmed on December 11. Filming took place at CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center
CBS Studio Center is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. It is located at 4024 Radford Avenue and takes up a triangular piece of land, with the Los Angeles River bisecting the site...
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
, where all filming for the second season took place. As only one location was used, it took roughly half of the time it usually took for an episode to be filmed. Cast members have remarked that the filming was shorter than on any other episode. A few changes were made; in the first draft of the script, George, Jerry and Elaine entered the restaurant talking about their least favorite holiday. In the version that aired, they talk about combining the jobs of policemen and garbagemen into a single job. In the original draft, the three friends also discussed how to spend the long waiting period in the future, with George suggesting they bring a deck of cards and that Jerry bring a jigsaw puzzle
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
with nothing but penguins. One scene was cut before broadcast, featuring George explaining to Jerry that he pulled his hamstring while trying to untuck the covers of a hotel bed during his recent stay in Boston. George can be seen grabbing his hamstring as he walks to the phone. The scene was later included on the Seinfeld seasons one and two DVD boxset.
Michael Mitz portrayed the man who is on the phone when George tries to call Tatiana; Mitz would return in season five
Seinfeld (season 5)
Season five of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on September 16, 1993, and concluded on May 19, 1994, on NBC.-Production:...
as a photographer in "The Puffy Shirt
The Puffy Shirt
"The Puffy Shirt" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 66th episode and originally aired on September 23, 1993. Larry David, the creator of the show, cites this episode as one of his favorites in the series.-Plot:George is upset because he is...
". Veteran actor James Hong
James Hong
James Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
portrayed the maître d'. The role of the maître d’ is one of Hong's most famous roles in the United States. Judy Kain, known for a recurring role on Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, guest-starred as Lorraine Catalano, the receptionist of Jerry's uncle. David Tress guest-starred as Mr. Cohen, a guest who enters the restaurant and receives a table without reservation, as he is good friends with the maître d’. Larry David's voice can be heard among the group of elderly people Elaine offers money for one of their egg-rolls. Norman Brenner, who worked as Richards' stand-in
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
on the show for all its nine seasons, appears as an extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
; he is sitting by the door of the restaurant when George, Jerry and Elaine enter, and is still at the same spot when they leave.
Themes
The episode is widely considered to encapsulate Seinfelds "show about nothing" concept, with The Tampa TribuneThe Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
critic Walt Belcher calling it "the ultimate episode about nothing", and Lavery and Dunne describing it as "existential". Critics had a similar reaction to season three
Seinfeld (season 3)
Season three of Seinfeld, an American television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on September 18, 1991 on NBC, a U.S. broadcast television network. It comprises 23 episodes and concluded its initial airing on May 6, 1992. "The Tape", "The Pen", and "The Letter" are...
's "The Parking Garage", in which the four central characters spent the whole episode looking for their car. The structure of "The Chinese Restaurant", described as "elongation", drags a small event out over the course of an entire episode. Lavery and Dunne suggest that this structure critiques sitcoms with implied moral lessons (such as those found in so-called "very special episode
Very special episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television commercials to refer to an episode of a sitcom or television drama that deals with a serious or controversial social issue...
s"). Vincent Brook, as part of his analysis regarding the influence of Jewish culture on Seinfeld, has said that the episode also conveys the theme of entrapment and confinement in a small space, a recurring theme on the show. The relationship between the characters and food is another recurring theme of the series. In Seinfeld, specific food items are associated with individual characters and food itself is a "signifier of social contracts".
Reception
When the episode initially aired in the United States on NBC on May 23, 1991, it received a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 11.7 and an audience share of 21—this meant that 11.7% of American households watched the episode, and that 21% of televisions in use at the time were tuned to it. Seinfeld was the eighteenth most-watched show of the week, and the sixth most-watched show on NBC. NBC executives held a meeting after the broadcast to determine the fate of the show, and decided it would receive a third season order if the writers would put more effort into episode storylines.
"The Chinese Restaurant" received very positive responses from critics and is considered one of Seinfelds first "classic episodes". Kit Boss, a critic for the Ocala Star-Banner, wrote that the episode was "like real life, but with better dialogue". Various critics and news sources have praised how the episode defines the show's "show about nothing" concept. Critics have also noted that aside from being a turning point for the show, the episode also became a turning point for television sitcoms; one South Florida Sun-Sentinel critic commented that the episode, along with the season four
Seinfeld (season 4)
Season four of Seinfeld, an American comedy television series created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, began airing on August 12, 1992, and concluded on May 20, 1993, on NBC.-Production:...
episode "The Contest
The Contest
"The Contest" was the 51st episode of the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld. The eleventh episode of the fourth season, it aired on November 18, 1992. In the episode, George Costanza tells Jerry Seinfeld, Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer that his mother caught him unaware while he was masturbating...
", " broke new sitcom ground and expanded the lexicon of the '90s." Vance Durgin of The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
praised how the show "wrung" so much comedy "out of a simple premise". The episode was also included in a list compiled by The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
called "50 events that shaped TV – and our lives" between 1900 and 1999. The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina and South Carolina...
has called "The Chinese Restaurant" the best Seinfeld episode, referring to it "the very epitome of the classic Seinfeld format".
Critics also praised Louis-Dreyfus' and Alexander's performances; The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
critic Kenneth Nguyen stated that they "characteristically, rock[ed] their line readings". Michael Flaherty and Mary Kaye Schilling of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, who graded
Academic grading in the United States
Academic grading in the United States most commonly takes on the form of five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest. In the mid-twentieth century, many American educational institutions—especially in the Midwest —began...
the episode with an A−, commented, "George is at his pressure-cooker best, but it's Elaine—famished and in high dudgeon—who is the centerpiece." David Sims of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a A+ saying "it's a deftly-plotted, extremely funny example of the "show about nothing" label that Seinfeld assigned itself".