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So if ethnic restaurants have only one menu for all patrons and the food is "authentic," do the non-ethnic customers take advantage of the experience? Most restaurateurs told me that Americans typically order the same dish repeatedly. Cheng said some customers come into Tomi, realize he doesn't serve Americanized Chinese food like chow mein, and leave.

Cuong Duong, owner of Bên Thành Vietnamese Restaurant, reported, "Americans eat the same thing again and again. I have one customer for the past 10 years and only sometimes does he order something new. It's always the same." Duong also noted that what the Vietnamese come for at lunch is not the same that non-Vietnamese come for at dinner. "The Vietnamese come in for our Bun Bo Hue, a spicy lemongrass and rice noodle soup; banh canh, a shrimp and rice noodle soup; pho soup with meatballs; and a seafood soup. Americans order the curry, spring rolls, charbroiled meats with sweet sour sauce, and stir fried tofu and pan fried rice noodle."

How many is the right number of ethnic restaurants? Out of Charlotte's 300-plus ethnic restaurants, there are 17 — from upscale fine dining to take out — in the center city (within 277): Bistro 100 (French), ARPA (Spanish), Latorre's (Latino), Blue (Mediterranean), Luce, Coco Osteria (Italian), SoHo Bistro, China Inn, China King, China Queen, The Wok, Curry House, Open Kitchen (Southern Italian), Sushi, Tin Tin, Fuse Box and Fujos. Notably, this group does not include a number of ethnic restaurants within one mile from Trade and Tryon, including the exceptional Cuisine Malaya.

While ethnic restaurants may be the culture that the "young professional" study group yearns for, the fact is I am unaware of any of our current ethnic restaurants having a lengthy wait at dinner. Not downtown, not on South Boulevard, North Tryon nor Central. So why come downtown?

Mao Lin, who owns SoHo Bistro in the Hearst building, came downtown because his family desired to offer more "cosmopolitan" food. Lin had had restaurants in Fayetteville and a small takeout Chinese restaurant in Harrisburg.

Other area entrepreneurs have looked into going downtown. Engineer said when the Indian population grows to about 10,000, a "fine dining" Indian restaurant could make it downtown. However, a vegetarian South Indian restaurant could never survive the high rent, reported Narayan Mogera, the owner of the Woodlands South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant. "I do not serve meat, nor do I serve alcohol. With the cost of the lease, we could not make money downtown without selling meat or alcohol. Typically Southern Indian restaurants, such as Woodlands, are vegetarian. Entrée dishes do not cost that much."

Mark Shen, owner of the Emperor Chinese Restaurant that's within a mile of Trade and Tryon but outside the 277 loop — and, thus, the study group's knowledge — noted that he has looked into going downtown, but the ventilation requirements have dissuaded him. "Typically, the hood costs about $15,000 to $25,000. That's the common type you would put in here (in a strip shopping center). Downtown, there are many environmental concerns, especially if you are operating on the street level of a condominium complex." He continues, "Those hoods are very expensive. They muffle the sound and change the grease output. They cost $75,000 to $100,000." That additional $75,000 for just the hood system means the entrepreneur needs to have ever deeper pockets.

Another factor which is discouraging to entrepreneurs is the high cost of downtown space. Rogers, who has looked into opening there, said, "Most places cost about $10,000 a month for rent, plus a percentage." That's $120,000 up a year — or, in a restaurateur's language, the typical restaurant would have to have sales of over $1.2 million just to break even. That's a lot of Pad Thai.

Would Charlotteans fork out $25 for a Pad Thai or Chicken Tikki Masala entree? The owners I spoke with thought Charlotteans are not ready to spend that kind of money at an ethnic restaurant. Besides, Charlotte needs to welcome a larger ethnic community in order to support these additional restaurants, and Charlotte is not known for that kind of inclusive hospitality.

How far are the other 300 ethnic restaurants from center city? Ironically, a large percentage of these restaurants are within 10 minutes from Trade and Tryon. The 4900 Block of Central Avenue, which is 5.1 miles (or nine minutes) from the Square, has the following to offer: one Thai restaurant, two Vietnamese, one Mexican/Honduran, one Caribbean, one Salvadorean, one Middle Eastern, one Salvadorean bakery, two Middle Eastern markets, and a Vietnamese billiards/bar.