The brilliant idea behind the uber-popular Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory ginger chicken fried rice came from simple observation.

Elliott Chun, third-generation operator of the restaurant chain, noticed that people eating cold ginger chicken would almost always pour some ginger-scallion sauce onto the rice.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we just make ginger chicken fried rice?’”

Recipe development ensued, and the dish has been a best-seller for four or five years, he said.

About the business: The company was established in 1942 by Wah Kam Chun, Elliott’s grandfather, who emigrated from China and had been “making a living making noodles and learning the trade” before setting out on his own, Elliott said.

Chun made noodles and wrappers for spring rolls strictly for wholesaling to restaurants, he said.

“It was my dad (Nelson), who had come back from law school in the 1970s … who suggested the company start doing dim sum and plate lunches, and that’s how we started branching out.”

The Kalihi Street location is primarily taken up by factory operations. Its parking lot is tiny, so many customers double-team it, with one driving while the passenger hops into the shop to pick up food.

“We really do appreciate people going out of their way to do that,” Elliott said.

The Waimalu location opened in the early 1990s, a Kapolei location in the early 2000s. The Ala Moana store at Pensacola and Waimanu streets, is the newest. The Kapolei location is by far the largest. “That dining room can host parties of almost 300 people,” he said.

What to order: Chun Wah Kam makes 4,000 to 6,000 char siu manapua — steamed or baked — each day, and that’s only one of the company’s 17 versions of manapua. Mini-manapua at $1 each are available by ordering 24 hours in advance.

An array of dim sum, crispy kau gee (Chun Wah’s gau gee), rice cakes and tea cookies also are available daily.

Reviewing the menu online in advance, or arriving at the restaurant outside peak meal times, may help the tummy make deliberate choices, as opposed to rushed decisions under pressure by the crowd.

Starches include a variety of noodles and styles of rice, while entrees run the gamut from sauteed to deep-fried, sauced and dry, including chicken, pork, beef and seafood, with a rainbow of vegetables.

Self-serve sauces allow additional seasoning according to taste.

Family-style takeout is a breeze, with a la carte containers that feed one to four priced from $5.75 to $20.50. Chun Wah also caters.

“We can knock out the majority of our menu in 15 to 20 minutes,” Elliott said, while a few dishes, essentially anything roasted or marinated, would require 24-hour notice.

Grab and go: For takeout service “you pull a number, you get to choose a starch,” Elliott said, or a half-portion of one starch and a half-portion of another. The mini plate ($8.15) comes with one entree choice or half-portions of two. A regular plate ($11.30) comes with two entree choices, but again, those can be split, for the same price.

If you need noodles or won ton wrappers to use at home, they may be available for purchase, but it’s a good idea to call ahead as these may sell out.

“Grab and Go” focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.