MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Before Henry Kwok began his business at Asian Buffet, he worked in the corporate world, earning a Bachelors Degree in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University.

Kwok changed his mind and decided that he wanted to run Asian Buffet full time.

"It's a very dynamic industry. Before I was doing this I was working in corporate America for several years and I decided that this is what I wanted to do for my career," he said.

He switched to managing his business about three years ago.

Weekends are the busiest days for Asian Buffet. Kwok says they get so busy, people are lining up out the door.

Kwok says his next move was to expand the restaurant to meet the demands of the establishment and clientele, so he purchased the vacant space next to his restaurant that was once occupied by a religious bookstore.

"We wanted to give people another option as far as their dining experience. We wanted to add more variety to our buffet, which has variety already--but we wanted to add a little more, such as a liquor license for the full experience," he said.

Kwok's plan for the expansion is to add a new bar and a banquet room.

"Part of it will be a banquet room, which is going to be an extension to the buffet. The other part is going to be the bar, which is going to have a little different set of menu."

He says he wants to give Okemos something new, since the majority of the bar scene is in East Lansing or in Lansing.

After spending time in New York City, San Francisco and Chicago, Kwok says there's more variety in the bars and restaurants in these cities.

Kwok's involvement in the restaurant industry stems back to when he was a child.

He says he understands the trends to the industry as well, which is why he thinks Okemos would benefit from his concept and give the members of the community a departure from a "typical" restaurant.

"I think Lansing lacks, I would say, an urban menu. A lot of people around here like meats and potatoes," he says.

The banquet room, which will seat 150 people, will open in December, just in time for the holidays. A time of the year Kwok says is busy for his restaurant.

Remodeling for the bar will begin in the next couple of weeks and is set to open in early March.

Kwok says that the community has played a large part in their presence.

"It's been a blessing that we've been able to be here because of the community. So I really appreciate everything that we've done and the community has done for us."