Patrick Cheng, Founder & CEO of General Tso’s Catering Transformed a Failing Restaurant Into a Thriving Catering Brand using AI and Digital Tools—Now He’s Helping Other Immigrant Entrepreneurs do the Same
What began as a pandemic-era pivot has transformed into a scalable, system-driven business success. Patrick Cheng, a Chinese-American entrepreneur, has more than doubled the revenue of his Georgia-based restaurant, General Tso’s, by integrating digital tools, automation, and AI-powered training into every layer of his operation. Now, he’s launching a nonprofit to share that playbook with others.
In 2020, Cheng acquired a struggling Chinese restaurant in Dunwoody after the pandemic shuttered his short-term rental business. Leveraging his family’s background in food distribution and his own drive for innovation, he rapidly converted the restaurant into a high-volume catering operation delivering over 200 meals per hour from a compact, highly optimized 800 sq. ft. kitchen. It’s not just efficient—it’s elegant. From logistics to flavor, every element is designed to perform.
“We were working harder, not smarter,” Cheng said. “We lacked systems, structure, and digital presence. Everything changed after I got connected to the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program.”
Today, 70% of General Tso’s business comes from corporate catering, and Cheng’s average daily revenue has more than doubled.
Under Patrick’s leadership, General Tso’s has become a trusted name in corporate catering, serving companies with seamless, scalable solutions rooted in quality and speed. Recognized by Grubhub, Fooda, and business chambers across Georgia, Patrick’s impact transcends food—he’s building infrastructure for empowerment.
Through his nonprofit NextGen Impact Georgia, Cheng is creating an intuitive path for non-native English speakers to rise as entrepreneurs—offering tools, structure, and strategy that feel less like survival and more like legacy-building. He believes education and entrepreneurship should be accessible, dynamic, and designed for scale.
With a foundation in business strategy, a background in food systems and logistics, and a passion for clean digital branding, Cheng elevates every touchpoint of his brand. Whether it’s launching AI-driven training, producing cinematic content, or building platforms for community impact, he leads with clarity, efficiency, and purpose.
This isn’t just about catering.
It’s about building a system that works—beautifully.
You have transformed, scaled, and built a system-driven business that was otherwise failing. Take us back to 2020 when you first acquired the Chinese restaurant.
In early 2020, just after the birth of my son and amid growing safety concerns in Chicago’s Chinatown, I relocated to Duluth, Georgia, seeking a more stable environment for my family. With over 15 years of experience in food distribution and a degree in business administration, I recognized an opportunity in a struggling local Chinese restaurant. Rather than just keeping it afloat, I saw the potential to modernize and systematize the operation. That restaurant became General Tso’s, based in Dunwoody, Georgia—an efficient, tech-driven catering company with a focus on serving high-volume corporate and institutional clients.
By integrating digital tools, automation, and AI-powered training into every layer of your operation, you’ve built a highly efficient business. Walk us through your approach.
The traditional restaurant model was no longer sustainable—manual processes, inefficiencies, and high third-party fees were dragging businesses down. We restructured our entire operation using a digital-first strategy. This included developing a simplified online ordering system, implementing professional food photography, and creating multilingual SOPs for staff. We introduced AI-powered training materials, automated SMS and email campaigns, and loyalty programs to engage customers. Our kitchen layout was optimized for speed, enabling us to produce up to 200 meals per hour within an 800 sq. ft. space. We also use tools like Shipday to coordinate our delivery fleet and gather feedback in real time, making adjustments as needed.
What goals have you achieved so far?
Since launching, General Tso’s has surpassed $2 million in annual revenue and donated over 19,000 meals to schools, frontline workers, and community groups. We’ve earned the Fooda “Team Player of the Year” award and developed strong relationships with platforms like ezCater, ZeroCater, and Foodsby. Our team works closely with medical offices, schools, business associations, and local chambers of commerce to consistently deliver value. Beyond our customer base, we’ve built internal systems that allow us to train, scale, and maintain consistent quality with minimal overhead.
Tell us more about General Tso’s Catering and how it ties into your community involvement. Who are your clients, and what are your top-selling offerings?
General Tso’s is known for blending quality with consistency. Our best-selling items include General Tso’s Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, Lo Mein, and spring roll platters—dishes that are both crowd-pleasers and highly scalable. We cater to corporate offices, healthcare facilities, schools, and city departments. We’re certified with organizations like the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), and we partner with groups such as SSPC Chamber of Commerce and The Georgia Rotary Professional Alliance (GRPA of Johns Creek, GA). Community involvement is part of our DNA—donating meals, supporting events, and contributing to organizations that promote education and equity.
Your ambitions clearly go beyond profit. Tell us about your nonprofit initiative, NextGen Impact Georgia.
NextGen Impact Georgia is a nonprofit we plan to officially launch in late 2025. It’s designed to support immigrant entrepreneurs—especially those who run family-owned restaurants—by providing access to bilingual training, business systems, and grant resources. Many of these owner’s face language barriers and lack access to digital tools, which limits their growth. We aim to close that gap. The initiative was inspired in part by Ying McGuire and her leadership at NMSDC. We are currently developing the website, which will host resources, training guides, and grant navigation tools to help these businesses modernize and thrive.
What is your long-term vision for General Tso’s Catering?
We aim to scale General Tso’s nationally, beginning with key markets like Chicago, New York City, and Dallas through franchise models or structured restaurant groups. But growth alone isn’t the goal—it’s about creating a replicable system that empowers communities. We’re exploring federal contracting to provide nutritious meals to public and charter schools, further aligning with our values around health, education, and equity. Whether it’s delivering 1,000 meals to an office park or equipping a local restaurant with digital tools, our mission remains the same: to elevate the Chinese-American restaurant model and invest in the people behind it.
