By General Tso's Organization
Published 4 min read
In 2020, Patrick Cheng had to start over. Early that year, just after his son was born, he moved his family from Chicago to Duluth, Georgia, looking for a more stable life. Then the pandemic shut down his fast-growing homestay rental business. Like many small business owners at the time, he had to find a new path.
He turned to what he knew. Patrick comes from a family with a background in food service, and he had a degree in business administration and more than 15 years of experience in food distribution. When he found a struggling Chinese restaurant in Dunwoody, he saw more than a business to keep afloat. He saw a kitchen that could be modernized and run as a system.
Working harder, not smarter
The restaurant became General Tso's. Customers came, and Patrick quickly turned the business toward high-volume catering for offices, schools, healthcare facilities and city departments. But demand alone did not make the business strong. He soon found that he lacked the knowledge to sustain it and help it grow.
We were working harder, not smarter. We lacked systems, structure, and digital presence.
The turning point was Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, a free program for small business owners. Patrick took more than a dozen of its courses on AI, digital marketing, branding and operations. Then he put the lessons to work, one system at a time.
One system at a time
- He upgraded the point-of-sale (POS) system so it captured more customer data.
- He added loyalty programs and automated promotions to bring customers back.
- He used AI to write standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training manuals in more than one language.
- He brought delivery in-house for more control over quality and customer feedback.
- He put AI tools to work on onboarding, phone orders and customer feedback.
The changes added up quickly. Within a few months, average daily revenue more than doubled. AI tools freed up half of his time, and employee retention more than doubled, because new staff knew what they were coming into.
With the right data, we're able to see what's really affecting revenue growth.
Today, General Tso's Restaurant & Catering can produce up to 200 meals per hour from an 800 sq. ft. kitchen, and about 70% of its business comes from corporate catering. It is certified with the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, and Fooda named it Team Player of the Year.
Paying it forward
Patrick's early struggles are common. Many family-run restaurants work long hours with outdated systems, and many owners also face language or cultural barriers. Free help exists, but it can be hard to find, and harder to use when English is not your first language.
Thousands of family-owned restaurants struggle due to outdated systems and limited access to resources. We want to change that—through mentorship, technology, and community.
In January 2025, Patrick shared his plan for NextGen Impact Georgia with Empowered Entrepreneur Magazine: give small business owners, especially those who run family-owned restaurants, access to bilingual training, business systems and grant resources. In May 2025, the nonprofit initiative was announced. In August 2025, General Tso's launched GeneralTsos.org to expand its community giving.
Membership is free until 2028. Members get one-on-one help by appointment through Restaurant Business Mentorship & Advisory and Restaurant Modernization & AI Support. Digital Training & SEO Workshops are starting soon, and Grant Navigation & Application Help is in development.
Still feeding the community
Giving back did not wait for the nonprofit. Since it opened, General Tso's has donated meals to schools, frontline workers and community groups: more than 19,000 meals so far. In September 2025, the kitchen provided a gourmet meal at a senior prom in Stone Mountain. In October, it launched a campaign for furloughed government employees.
In August 2026, Verizon News featured Patrick's story. He still traces it back to those first free courses.
Without the Verizon courses, I would have been stuck.
That is the idea behind General Tso's Organization: the right help at the right time can change what a family business becomes. If you run a family-owned restaurant or food business in Georgia, become a member for free. If you want to help, volunteer, partner with us or donate.
Sources
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