Story

IT All started with a woman and her dream

Our family restaurant began in the humble beginnings of a small village in China. Our Founder, Connie Moy, as a young girl, learned her families recipes from her mother and each day as a child, completed her responsibilities of daily food gathering and meal preparation.

It was always Connie’s dream to one day find a place to make her mark on the world and open her own restaurant. Upon coming to America, Connie’s dream began to take shape as she slowly worked her way up in various relative’s restaurants and began waiting for her opportunity to one day strike out on her own.

That day finally came in 1965 on a fateful trip to the great city of McHenry. On a rare day off of work, Connie had promised her children a day of exploring and fun. So with her children gripping her tightly, they boarded a train and set out for adventure. When asked years later about why she chose McHenry to visit that day, Connie simply and surely replied “finger on map, hope in heart”

That day, Connie would come across the building that would become PLUM GARDEN RESTAURANT.

Connie strived and sacrificed her whole life to put down roots in a community she simply wanted to serve.

Our Grandmother’s incredible legacy lives on in her children and grandchildren. Her son Perry, took over the family business in 1972 and created our most famous dish, HONG KONG CHICKEN. From that moment on, Perry began to transform Plum Garden from a small take out only place to a Fine Dining Full Service Restaurant that would begin to be recognized as a leader in Chinese cuisine and more importantly, an active member of the McHenry County community.

At the end of 2013, under the direction of Perry’s oldest son Jason (Connie’s Grandson), Plum Garden expanded their operations by doubling in size to create the current layout today. Jason officially took over the business in 2018 and has focused on growing Plum Garden’s digital presence by ushering in online ordering, delivery and new menu additions such as our homemade Crab Rangoon recipe, our Bacon Mac N’ Cheese Egg Roll, our Mandarin Pork Egg Roll and many others.

We are proud to be the oldest single family owned restaurant in McHenry County spanning three generations of the Moy Family. We have served our community since 1965 and we still honor our grandmother’s legacy with commitment to only the freshest and finest ingredients. Taste our Plum Garden Difference today!