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\n Nom Wah Tea Parlor has been a Doyers St. institution for a century.
\n Photo: Jeenah Moon\/The Washington Post\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
The behind-the-scenes battle at Chinatown\u2019s oldest restaurant looked, for a while, as though it might have settled down. But a new lawsuit makes it clear that this fight is far from over. Three years ago, the Doyers Street dim sum parlor Nom Wah<\/a> became embroiled in a lawsuit filed by feuding cousins<\/a>, Vincent and Wilson Tang. In the end, the two split the empire \u2014 Vincent would run the original restaurant; Wilson, its newer offshoots \u2014 while sharing control of the company, its intellectual rights, and, crucially, a bank account. The animosity between the partners seems not to have faded in that time. Last month, Wilson filed a new lawsuit against Vincent alleging that he has engaged in \u201cmalicious and outright illegal conduct which threatens the future of the Company.\u201d<\/p>\n Among other charges, Wilson contends that Vincent withdrew over $90,000 from a company account without consent, revoked access to a company bank account, refused to distribute funds for company expenses, and helped produce a documentary film that erased Wilson from Nom Wah\u2019s story. Wilson is seeking a minimum of $200,000 for the breaches of contract allegedly committed by Vincent as well as the removal of Vincent from the company. In response, Vincent\u2019s lawyer argues that the lawsuit is \u201cfrivolous\u201d and motivated only by Wilson\u2019s \u201cspitefulness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to do what\u2019s right for the business. I\u2019m kind of done with the existing situation,\u201d Wilson says. He alleges Vincent is \u201cnot guided accurately and he\u2019s making these poor judgment calls, and it just further proves to me that we can\u2019t honestly work together.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Vincent lamented that the ongoing disagreement had once again spilled out into the public. \u201cThis stuff should be kept private,\u201d he says. Vincent joined the restaurant in 2015, and tension steadily rose in the ensuing years. Things came to a head in 2022: Vincent allegedly locked Wilson out of the restaurant and made it so he couldn\u2019t access the company\u2019s bank account. That July, Vincent filed a legal complaint accusing Wilson of taking \u201capproximately $490,000\u201d from Nom Wah, including expensing personal items such as a Porsche and paying himself and his wife exorbitant salaries. Wilson\u2019s lawyers called it an \u201cillegal scheme to take over the company and the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit was settled the following year, and the current management arrangement was put into place. Among other stipulations, the cousins agreed to needing written consent for any withdrawal, transfer, or payment over $1,000. Violations of the term sheet carry a minimum-$50,000 penalty, payable to the other partner if not resolved within ten days.<\/p>\n This latest conflict began to take shape in late 2024 when Wilson was sent a link to a documentary about Nom Wah that Vincent had produced. In the version Wilson saw, Vincent allegedly claimed to have inherited the restaurant from Wally Tang, while Wilson\u2019s role is scrubbed from the story. In a cease-and-desist letter sent to Vincent and the filmmaker, Wilson\u2019s legal counsel, Vivian Chen, described the documentary as constituting \u201cactionable defamation, impersonation, identity theft,\u201d and more. (In February, an edited version of the documentary was uploaded to YouTube; Wilson\u2019s involvement in the restaurant still isn\u2019t mentioned.)<\/p>\n More friction arrived this fall: According to the lawsuit, in September, an administrator for Nom Wah who serves as an intermediary between the cousins, Barbara Leung, emailed Vincent to remind him about a $8,532.74 invoice filed by Wilson to cover an annual donation to a charity event called Lemon Ball, a Pearl River Mart gallery opening in May, an AAPI reception for Governor Hochul, and a Central Park Conservancy summer event, among other expenses. When Leung emailed Vincent about the invoice again on September 25, he allegedly refused to distribute the funds, saying that the events and donations were not previously approved. Four days later, Vincent allegedly withdrew $90,785.94 for \u2014 according to Wilson\u2019s lawsuit \u2014 no \u201cpurpose other than [his] own self interest,\u201d in violation of the terms agreed to as part of the settlement. The legal complaint calls this \u201cseemingly as an act of defiance and with no proper justification\u201d in retaliation for the repeated requests to reimburse Wilson\u2019s invoices.<\/p>\n On October 29, Vincent\u2019s lawyer filed an answer countering the allegations made in Wilson\u2019s suit. Their side alleges Wilson\u2019s $8,532.74 was for donations and events that promoted his Nom Wah restaurants and not the company, or the original Chinatown location, overall. They contend that Vincent withdrew the money to protect his interests. They allege in the complaint that this most recent legal action amounts to sour grapes: \u201cWilson Tang and his attorney cannot accept the fact that Vincent Tang has acquired the operation of the original Nom Wah.\u201d The complaint continues that because of this, Vincent \u201chas been harassed on a continuous basis\u201d by Chen \u201cwith threats of damages, costs, and frivolous complaints for the sole purpose of satisfying her client\u2019s spitefulness.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, the court does not seem to agree with Vincent\u2019s lawyer. Last week, a judge granted Wilson\u2019s request for a preliminary injunction. Vincent was ordered to deposit $90,785.94 back into the company\u2019s bank account, to make Wilson an authorized representative on the company\u2019s bank account, and to reactivate said account. Both Vincent and Wilson say it\u2019s their responsibility to keep the restaurant going. In a statement provided by his lawyer, Wilson says he will fight \u201cto ensure Nom Wah remains intact for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Vincent points out that, as the settlement agreement stipulates, he\u2019s the one running the original location, \u201cbut unfortunately, these things have been holding me back a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n EAT LIKE THE EXPERTS.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Grub Street newsletter.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n
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Nom Wah is 125 years old, a landmark in the heart of Chinatown \u2014 but by 2010, its reputation was suffering. That was the year Wilson took over the restaurant, after Fred Tang (Wilson\u2019s uncle and Vincent\u2019s father) bought the building from a friend, Wally Tang, on the condition that he keep the restaurant open. Wilson brought the restaurant back to life, bringing in both crowds and attention, turning the spot into a successful tourist destination.<\/p>\n