Midtown Lunch

So wait, everything I read on Chowhound is not necessarily true?  Shocker!  Not surprisingly, it looks like the bit about the new Szechuan Gourmet being some sort of joint venture with Grand Sichuan and Wu Liang Ye is completely untrue.  A little sleuthing by an Eater intern uncovered the truth, and they were kind enough to forward it along:

The girls answering the phone at the new Szechuan Gourmet said the manager wasn’t available, but that the location “was only Szechuan Gourmet.” Because her English wasn’t good and she seemed to not understand the question, I’d rely more on what the managers of all the other restaurants said…

• Michael Ngai, manager of the 39th Street Szechuan Gourmet branch, says that although they are “good friends” with the other two companies, especially Wu Liang Ye, they “are not doing business together,” and he insists that the new midtown location is in no way a joint venture between the three Szechuan heavyweights. The only difference between the 39th and 56th street SG venues, he says, is “different shareholders.”
• Herman Tang, manager at the 48th Street Wu Liang Ye, says there is “no relation” between his restaurant and any of the Szechuan Gourmets.
• The manager of the Wu Liang Ye at 338 Lexington Ave refused to answer any questions.
• When I called the 86th St. Wu Liang Ye, I spoke to Suzanne Li, the general manager of all their restaurants, who maintained that the information is “totally untrue.”
• The manager of the 7th Avenue Grand Sichuan, Steve Kwok, says they are “not affiliated” with any of the Szechuan Gourmets.

That settles that. Another Chowhound commenter surmised that maybe they meant the kitchen staff was comprised of people who used to work at all three of the other restaurants.  That seems a lot more likely…

Related:
New Szechuan Gourmet is Joint Venture With Wu Liang Ye & Grand Sichuan?
Pork Belly w/ Chili Leeks Still Good at the New Szechuan Gourmet
First Look: Lunch Menu From the New Szechuan Gourmet