When Jack Ng left a rural Chinese village for the United States, he did not speak a word of English. Today, Ng leads NGMA Group, a hospitality company with five restaurants across Washington state that brought in roughly $15 million in annual revenue last year. 

Ng grew up in a village in China that did not have running water and electricity, but when he was 12 years-old, his family immigrated to the U.S. Ultimately, they settled in a small town about an hour and a half car ride away from Seattle. His parents had secured a working visa as chefs, with an aunt and uncle co-signing the move. 

Starting middle school in a new country, Ng was the only Asian kid in his school and spoke no English. “When I went to school, I didn’t really pay much attention to learning,” Ng tells Entrepreneur in a new interview. “Most of the time I fell asleep.” 

He finished middle school, but never completed high school. As a teenager, he worked in his uncle’s Chinese restaurant and at a seafood steakhouse, flipping burgers and washing dishes. Before he ever owned a restaurant, Ng cycled through nearly every job in one. “I’ve done it all,” he says. 

Working grueling shifts in the Bering Sea

At age 18, Ng sought higher wages in a harsher environment: the Bering Sea in Alaska. Ng would fish for three months, then get three months off before the cycle would repeat. Sometimes he had to work 16-hour shifts. After the first year, he decided to be a cook on the boat, so he and the chef did the cooking for 120 people. He worked 12 hours on, 12 hours off, every day for three months straight.

“It’s pretty tough,” he says. “You don’t get a day off, even when you’re sick. And I got seasick every time the boat moved. It’s hard work and dangerous.”

There was a silver lining. “The good thing about Alaska is you work there for three months and your paycheck goes to the bank,” Ng explains. “When you come home, you get the money, you didn’t spend it. So it’s a good place to start saving.” Ng watched fellow fishermen burn through their earnings quickly and resolved to do the opposite.

Determined to escape the Bering Sea for good, he concluded that entrepreneurship was his only path forward. With savings from his Alaska trips and contributions from his parents, two brothers and two sisters, who were all working in different Chinese restaurants, Ng cobbled together about $60,000 to open his first restaurant. 

Opening China City 

In March 1999, Ng opened China City in Oak Harbor, Washington, in a former restaurant space that already had much of the equipment, tables and chairs in place. He and his family bought extra dishes, supplies and artwork. “We emptied our pockets,” Ng says. “We were barely scraping by to get it started.”

The early years were marked by inexperience. “We just knew how to cook good food, but we didn’t know how to give a good customer experience,” Ng said. He admits he did not understand marketing or service at first. The first location was also in a downtown mall, with limited parking and foot traffic, which inhibited the flow of customers. 

Location proved pivotal when the second China City opened in a tourist town on the water, where sales more than doubled when compared to the first location. Over time, the single-family restaurant evolved into a multi‑concept company with three locations: the original restaurant, Fisherman Jack’s (an Asian fusion concept on the waterfront), and The Muse, a café by day and speakeasy‑inspired whiskey bar by night, housed in a century‑old Weyerhaeuser building.

Becoming NGMA Group

A few years ago, as expansion accelerated, Ng and his team created an umbrella identity: NGMA Group, named for his last name, Ng, and his wife’s last name, Ma. The corporate brand makes it easier to handle marketing, donations, and community partnerships across the portfolio.

Today, NGMA Group generated about $15 million in annual revenue last year and has roughly tripled its revenue over the past few years, Ng disclosed. On a busy day, between dine‑in and takeout, Ng estimates that the restaurants collectively serve an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 customers.

Ng says aspiring entrepreneurs have “got to believe” in themselves. “Follow what your dream is and don’t give up,” he advises. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

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