Restaurateur Doubles Revenue Through Ai and Digital Strategy, Launches Nonprofit to Empower Minority-owned Businesses

Patrick Cheng standing in front of General Tso’s restaurant holding a large tray of fried chicken, highlighting the business’s catering success.

Patrick Cheng, owner of General Tso’s in Dunwoody, GA, displays the restaurant’s signature fried chicken, now a staple in corporate catering menus.

Patrick Cheng and a staff member smiling while reviewing a tablet at the restaurant’s front counter, showing the use of digital systems.

Patrick Cheng reviews digital ordering data with a team member at General Tso’s, highlighting how tech tools have become central to the restaurant’s operations.

Patrick Cheng walking through a busy kitchen holding a bowl of fresh broccoli, with chefs actively preparing food in the background.

Patrick Cheng works alongside his kitchen team at General Tso’s, embracing both leadership and hands-on involvement in daily operations.

Patrick transformed a failing restaurant into a thriving catering brand using AI and digital tools—now he's helping other immigrant entrepreneurs do the same.

Digital Ready gave me the roadmap I didn’t know I needed. It changed how I run my business, and now I’m using those lessons to help others do the same.”
— Patrick Cheng, Founder of General Tso’s and NextGen Impact

DUNWOODY, GA, UNITED STATES, May 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What began as a pandemic-era pivot has transformed into a scalable, system-driven business success. Patrick Cheng, a Chinese-American entrepreneur, has more than doubled the revenue of his Georgia-based restaurant, General Tso’s, by integrating digital tools, automation, and AI-powered training into every layer of his operation. Now, he's launching a nonprofit to share that playbook with others.

In 2020, Cheng acquired a struggling Chinese restaurant in Dunwoody after the pandemic shuttered his short-term rental business. Leveraging his family’s background in food distribution and his own drive for innovation, he rapidly converted the restaurant into a high-volume catering operation.

“We were working harder, not smarter,” Cheng said. “We lacked systems, structure, and digital presence. Everything changed after I got connected to the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program.”

Through the platform’s free training courses, Cheng shifted his focus from short-term survival to long-term strategy. He upgraded his point-of-sale system, implemented automated promotions, launched loyalty programs, and used AI to build bilingual SOPs and training manuals. The result: streamlined operations, higher employee retention, and exponential growth.

Today, 70% of General Tso’s business comes from corporate catering, and Cheng’s average daily revenue has more than doubled.

But Cheng’s ambitions extend far beyond profit. He is now launching NextGen Impact, a nonprofit initiative designed to support minority and immigrant entrepreneurs facing language or cultural barriers. “Thousands of family-owned restaurants struggle due to outdated systems and limited access to resources,” Cheng said. “We want to change that—through mentorship, technology, and community.”

With a mission to uplift underserved business owners and modernize perceptions of Chinese-American cuisine, Cheng’s story stands as a model of resilient, responsible, and digitally empowered entrepreneurship.

Patrick Cheng
General Tso's
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