Beijing Palace: Name’s the same, cuisine’s changed

Hungry Lincolnton residents will be able to fill their plates at a new all-you-can-eat American buffet.
Beijing Palace on North Aspen Street is now under new management, offering home-cooked style meals at low prices. A breakfast and lunch buffet is offered. Food can also be ordered off the menu.
Manager Ashley Burke, who has always been in the restaurant business, said he wanted to try and do something on his own. He does most of the cooking.
“This is an opportunity to better myself and get more experience,” Burke said.
Burke manages the restaurant with his wife, Ashley, and mother-in-law, Lucie Cody. Beijing Palace operated as a Chinese restaurant for 10 years and is still under the same ownership.
The Chinese restaurant closed six months ago due to a lack of business and is now trying a new approach with home-cooked style meals.
“It’s just stuff that Mom made, the homemade things,” Burke said.
Beau and Darrell King, brothers and regular customers, said they come to eat at the restaurant at least three times a week.
“The food here is really good,” Darrell said. “It has a really good amount of flavor.”
Beau said the food tastes like a home-cooked meal rather than food that is offered in a school lunch line.
Beijing Palace offers breakfast from 6 a.m. – 11 a.m. Meals include breakfast sandwiches for $1.20, breakfast plates, which range from $1.75 – $2.50, or the breakfast buffet is $4. Tea and coffee are included with the buffet.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Items include grilled chicken sandwiches and fried chicken. The buffet is offered for $5.25 and items change daily. Tea and coffee are included on the buffet.
Burke said serving breakfast was something that was important to him.
“I think Lincolnton needed a breakfast buffet. I’m a breakfast person and there is nowhere really to go in Lincolnton for a buffet,” he said.
The restaurant also has its liquor license but only serves alcohol in the party rooms available for rent upstairs; party rooms rent for $50 to $80.
Although his mother taught him to cook when he was young, Burke received most of his experience from It’s Drive-In Grill in Lincolnton, when he was 16. He then moved on as store manager at Tommy’s Drive-In in Gastonia, a restaurant owned by It’s Drive-In. He worked there prior to managing Beijing Palace.

Want to Go?
The restaurant is located at 1495 N. Aspen St.
Hours are Wednesday to Sunday 6 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The restaurant is not open for dinner.
For more information call (704) 732-8344.
by Amy Wadsworth