Chinatown landmark Sang Kee Peking Duck House is shut down by the city over a mysterious steam issue
The restaurant's electrical panel was damaged by steam. But no one has been able to figure out what is causing it.
City inspectors on Friday ordered the immediate shutdown of Sang Kee Peking Duck House, one of the oldest restaurants in Chinatown, because of what they called an electrical hazard caused by a damaged steam pipe under the sidewalk.
Restaurant owner Henry Chow said the issue stemmed from a long-standing water leak that resulted in steam that damaged Sang Kee’s electrical and fire panels. Crews from various utilities have been unable to identify and repair the leak. Workers from an excavation contractor were seen working outside the restaurant Saturday morning to create a temporary vent, Chow said.
On Friday, the city Department of Licenses and Inspections said the restaurant, which opened in 1980, had to remain closed until the panels could be repaired.
Chow said that for at least a year, water apparently has been dripping onto pipes operated by Vicinity Energy, which owns a system of underground high-pressure steam pipes that heat Center City buildings. The resulting steam shoots through the sidewalk and into Sang Kee’s basement at 238 N. Ninth St.
Chow said the steam abated during warmer weather but “started really picking up hard” last week.
“If it was your house, it would be unlivable and someone would have to vacate,” Chow said, describing the restaurant’s wet basement. “We’ve had people on the sidewalk say, ‘I’m getting burned out here.’” He said he and his father, Michael, had called various agencies for help. “The fire department has been out multiple times, and every utility company has been out multiple times,” Chow said. “They all refer a different team and a different inspector and it gets nowhere.”
On Wednesday, the Chows announced that they had evacuated and closed the restaurant for the night, on the advice of the Fire Department. They said Vicinity and the Philadelphia Water Department had identified a leaky hydrant as the source of the water and would repair. Subsequently, another crew visited Wednesday and could not find the source, Chow said.
A spokesperson for Vicinity on Friday night said the privately held company was working with the Water Department and the Chows to do “a root-cause analysis.” Chow said Vicinity technicians have denied that its steam pipe is leaking and Water Department employees deny a leak in any city-owned plumbing, such as a nearby fire hydrant. A city spokesperson representing the Water Department on Saturday said it was continuing to work with L&I and Vicinity to investigate and resolve the issue.
“I just know that the city is saying this is an emergency, except no one knows how to solve emergencies,” Chow said.
The restaurant, meanwhile, posted its plight on Instagram, describing it as “a nightmare,” and drew a sympathetic response from customers.