Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivan Raintung.
Ivan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started with pursuing my BA in Hawaii and continued taking my MBA in Atlanta. Right after I graduated, I was hired by 168 Corporation to manage one of their restaurant. My career in hospitality started there to better shape my foundation in managing few other restaurants in Atlanta, GA.
In 2008, I started working for Mulan Asian Cuisine as their General Manager and was given an opportunity to be the Managing Partner and I finally took over the business in 2015. Mulan has been and will always be the core in my heart and seeing its growth always makes me feel pleased, especially how much the Cascade neighborhood love and support us. In these past 9 years, we have held many fundraising, social events, gatherings and we have served from Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to Rapper TI.
Besides Mulan, I also own another establishment in Cumming called Moto Asian Cuisine. Moto is a slightly different concept, which is more into Japanese and Thai with some Chinese dishes incorporated into. Moto has been a “hidden gem” in Cumming and we had struggled two years ago, but with our team’s effort, we manage to bring Moto thrive again.
I am very blessed to have my family and also all of my dedicated employees who always give their best.
I am currently in the process of opening my MMA gym (Prime Combat Sports) in Cumming and hopefully it will open its door in June, 2017
Has it been a smooth road?
It has never been a smooth road to what I achieve today and I still have a long way to go and learn along the way.
Restaurant business has never been easy because we have to maintain both besides products and services, and could not sacrifice any.
For instance, Mulan Asian Cuisine was very consistent from 2006-2008, but right after crisis; we just had to do what we have to do to survive including serve our lunch special for $4.99. Business was hit very bad, yet I refused to lower the quality of our food, but with continuous effort, we managed to get out of the problem while so many restaurants in Cascade had to close their doors. Other than that, the crime in Southwest Atlanta is incredibly high, and until now this is one of the biggest challenge for all business owners in Cascade neighborhood and we truly hope that we could together create a better environment in SoFu (South Fulton).
As for Moto Asian Cuisine, we had hit the rock bottom in 2014-2015 when a new buffet restaurant opened just practically next to us. We had to brainstorm and figured out some ways, and it did pay out. The main thing of to keep maintaining our quality of food and service brings back all of our customers and attract more new patrons.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mulan Asian Cuisine and Moto Asian Cuisine – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Mulan Asian Cuisine specializes in dishes from all regions in China, from Szechuan, Shanghai, Beijing to Mongolia. We also have sushi sections for all customers craving for sushi and sashimi. Mulan has been known as one of the best in SoFu and we have hosted a lot of parties, gatherings, fundraising, and we are proud to serve all of our customers. In Mulan, we have our “Wall of Fame” with some well-known people who always been our loyals, like Andrew Young, Kasim Reed, TI, Wesley Snipes, to Arthur Blank.
Moto Asian Cuisine is heavily known for Japanese dishes (sushi and hibachi) and Thai dishes with some of other fusion influence.
As the founder of Raintung Group, I am very proud of our teamwork, our diversity, our core values to always provide the best as we can for our customers. We are far away than perfect and sometimes we make mistakes, but with our sincerity, people will understand and continue to love us along the way
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love Atlanta’s weather and its Southern hospitality. It is my 13th year living in Atlanta and this city’s tremendous growth has continued to amaze me.
My wife and I often talk about what is lacking in Atlanta, and if there is anything we feel like we hope to see skyscraper in Atlanta and we wish we have a nice beach close to the city instead of having to drive to Florida.
Pricing:
- Appetizer: $3.25 – 8.50
- Lunch Dishes: $6.50-9.50
- Dinner Dishes: $8.00-22.00
- Sushi and Sashimi: $6.00-16.00
Contact Info:
- Address: Mulan Asian Cuisine
1195 Fairburn Rd SW Ste 100
Atlanta, GA 30031
Moto Asian Cuisine
655 Atlanta Rd Ste 101
Cumming, GA 30040 - Website: http://www.mulancascades.webs.com
- Phone: 4046290007
- Email: mulancascades@yahoo.com
- Facebook: Mulan Cascade Asian Restaurant
- Yelp: Mulan Asian Cuisine
