Expansion Leads to Business Boom for Temple

, downtown Red Bank's gourmet Chinese eatery, recently opened its expanded dining room on Broad Street and has already started seeing positive results, as well as a couple of growing pains, restaurant owner Victor Kuo said.

Kuo and his Big China Corporation to expand Temple by taking over 1,400 square feet of space previously occupied by Jonathan Salon. The additional space nearly doubles Temple's size to 3,100 square feet and has allowed Kuo to add additional seating and a banquet hall.

Kuo also plans on adding a bar to the location, though that's still pending the acquisition of a liquor license.

According to Kuo, business at the restaurant has picked up 20 percent since the expansion opened recently. It was not without its hiccups, however, as a crush of customers had Temple's staff scrambling to meet the new demand. The situation was quickly remedied, Kuo wrote in an email, by hiring a second cook to help push food out of the kitchen.

Kuo, who earned his chops while working at his parent's Red Bank Chinese restaurant Peking Pavilion on Oakland years ago, said Temple's opening a year and a half ago was the start of a 20-year plan that includes opening several restaurants throughout the area.

With the opening of Temple's new expansion, Kuo is on his way.