WORKING -- Christopher Ayayo
HE IS
Mixing more than drinks.
EXPLORING OPTIONS
Christopher Ayayo is mixing family with business and his profession as
a lawyer with his job as a bartender.
Ayayo and his wife Deborah Young became partners recently in her
parents’ Costa Mesa restaurant, the Bamboo Terrace.
Cathy and Dennis Young have run the Bamboo Terrace Chinese restaurant
since 1971. Christopher and Deborah were both working as lawyers in the
Bay Area, but were looking to leave the corporate world and the pressure,
commutes and long hours that came with it.
“I was just getting sick of it,” Christopher Ayayo said.
The two of them began thinking about starting a business of their own
that they both could enjoy and went so far as to start pricing
restaurants in the area.
IN THE FAMILY
At the same time, Deborah Young’s parents needed help with Bamboo
Terrace, which was feeling the effects of its age and increased
competition.
Dennis and Cathy had raised a family running the Bamboo Terrace, but
there were things that needed to change. Cathy Young still added up the
night’s earnings manually, going ticket by ticket, and ordered one bottle
of wine for the restaurant at a time.
It was a method that worked more than 20 years ago, but times were
changing. There were many loyal customers, but they were also aging.
Cathy and Dennis asked for their children’s help.
LEAVING THE CORPORATE WORLD
Christopher and Deborah quit their jobs as lawyers and used their life
savings to give the Bamboo Terrace a much-needed face lift.
With the help of Deborah’s brother, David, who is in construction,
they did most of the remodeling themselves. Sometimes they pulled
all-nighters, painting and doing demolition work, then napping on a booth
so that we would be there to open the restaurant, Christopher Ayayo said.
“We wanted to give a fresh look to an old concept and the
stereotypical concept of a Chinese restaurant,” Ayayo said. “We wanted to
remake that based on our own experiences and emphasize that Asian
Americans have come a long way.”
The restaurant now has a computer system, an updated bar and
entertainment every weekend.
A SECOND CALLING
Along the way, Christopher discovered a strange thing -- he loved
bartending.
Although he has returned to the practice of law and runs his own law
business on 17th Street, Christopher continues to tend bar at the
restaurant every night.
“It’s a good complement to practicing law,” he said.
It’s true that people tell bartenders their problems, he added. And
tending bar has become an unexpected source of referrals for Christopher.
There are also the benefits to Christopher’s own mental health. If
people hated him as a lawyer, they love him as a bartender.
“Here, diners and patrons come in and they want to have a nice
experience,” Christopher said. “They want to have a good time. When
you’re a lawyer, you’re always fighting with someone. It’s adversarial.”
Mixing drinks has had a positive experience on Christopher’s soul.
He’s not only an entertainer, he’s a therapist and friend.
“And no one says anything back at you -- no one gets mouthy at you,”
he said.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.