"The Chinese fast food market is a little too saturated in this area," says Tony Koo, general manager of the Mr. Chau's restaurant chain. "That's why we came up with this menu. Hawaiian barbecue is pretty popular. After we tried the food a few times, we liked the idea of what those restaurants are serving. We expanded the menu by adding Thai, Malaysian and Indian food because, especially in Silicon Valley, there are so many Indian engineers."

At the Flaming Grill, everything from pad Thai to red curry chicken is made to order. While the restaurant is technically a fast-food operation, customers who dine in are served their meals on china and given silverware as opposed to plastic plates and forks.

"It should please the people who live here because they're upper-class," Koo says. "It also minimizes trash."

In its previous incarnation, the restaurant was designed with takeout customers in mind; the dining room was serviceable but not particularly eye-catching. Koo says former Mr. Chau's customers are impressed by the new dining room, which features Southeast Asian decor.

"They think it's very modern," Koo adds. "They feel more comfortable sitting in here."

Owner Patrick Chau opened the Flaming Grill in Willow Glen last month. Koo says one reason for transforming the Lincoln Avenue Mr. Chau's was to minimize competition with the company's two other Mr. Chau's restaurants in the Willow Glen area. In all, Chau and Koo oversee 18 Mr. Chau's in the Bay Area as well as two Flaming Grills, the second of which is in Santa Clara. Koo says they'll have six more restaurants up and running within the next six months, including one in Modesto.

Koo and Chau are counting on feedback from employees and customers to refine the Flaming Grill's menu.

"By talking to your employees, you know what's going on in the restaurant," Koo says. "Customers tell you what's good and what's not."

This has held true, he adds, as the Mr. Chau's chain has grown and developed its menu.

"As time goes by, you realize that a certain type of people like Mr. Chau's and a certain type of people like Panda Express," Koo says, referring to another popular Chinese fast-food chain. "Most people who come into Mr. Chau's are attracted by the quality and quantity they get for their money."

So far, Koo says, the Flaming Grill has pulled in more customers for dinner than for lunch, in part because of the downturn in the Silicon Valley's restaurant industry that accompanied the area's economic bust.

"The industry is recovering, but it's not like it used to be," Koo says. "A large number of people have moved out of the area. You can see that during the lunch hour."

On the other hand, he adds, "The people who stayed behind seem to be eating out more because the economic situation has improved."

Koo credits the Mr. Chau's chain's sustainability to its namesake, Patrick Chau.

"Like most successful people, he started from the ground up. It doesn't matter how many restaurants he opens or how much money he has; he's a very hardworking person. Lots of times when you reach a certain level, you seem to slow down, but this guy has such energy."

The Flaming Grill, 1384 Lincoln Ave., is open daily from 11a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information call 408.293.8838.