Arthur Gin Fong

Arthur Fong (Art) was born on June 15, 1949 in Kaiping, Guangdong of the People’s Republic of China. Soon after he was born in the village, he and his family were forced to flee to Hong Kong for refuge. There he lived for 4 years before being able to immigrate to America. Passage to the US was via a transpacific ship and would eventually land him in San Francisco. After being there for several years, his father, Stanton Fong, decided to move the family down to Houston in order to pursue new business opportunities; and thus, at age 11, Art relocated and permanently settled in Houston.

Before all the major supermarkets we’ve come to know today, Stanton’s Grocery Store was one of the few small grocery stores in the 6th ward district of Houston. There the family would not only work downstairs but also live upstairs. This provided a unique opportunity for the family to bond and learn about the business. Art being the oldest of three children would frequently help out his father with either manning the cash register or butchering the meats at the deli counter. Unknown to Art at the time, that these acquired skills would serve him and his community in the coming years.

After attending Reagan High School and the University of Houston, Art branched out into something outside of the grocery business. An industry potentially very lucrative in the Houston area: Air Conditioning. While he designed them for several years, he knew it wasn’t his calling in life, so he journeyed to China on a self-discovery trip. There he would spend several months touring the country side and getting to know the culture that he had left behind so long ago. This trip would prove to be another tipping point in his life as he had met the future Mrs. Theresa Fong. Something happened that is very uncommon these days and often disregarded as immature: Love at first sight.

From there, Art and Theresa would be married and move back to the US to take over the family grocery business. Art had been the front man of Stanton's for over 30 years, and he and his wife transformed the neighborhood grocery store into an award-winning destination burger restaurant.

Art is one of the most cheesy, compassionate, patient, and goofy men you'll ever meet. As a father, he may not be a man of many words, but his message always seems to resonate through example. His kindheartedness knows no bounds as he always tried to help people, even those he didn't know well. He would always let you know, "It's not a problem," his signature phrase.