Lao restaurants have popped up across the U.S. in cities big and small in recent years, including Morganton, North Carolina, Rockford, Illinois, and Wasilla, Alaska, many run by chefs Luangrath ...

Lao’d District’s footprint is only 1,600 square feet. With 54 seats, it’s fast casual with a QR code menu for ordering and self-service flatware and utensils.

“We cook real Chinese food. We hire Chinese chefs and their specialties are Szechuan,” said Mike Lo, COO of Golden Panda Co., the restaurant group that owns the locally based Lao Sze Chuan chain.