![]() The Fongs haven't set an exact date for the closure. "People used to say to me, 'I remember you before you were born.' Now I have a 4-year-old daughter and she comes with me every once in a while and she sits in the same booth that I sat in when I was growing up." And they've been through everything with us: births, deaths, marriages, divorces, birthdays, graduations," said Fong. "We've been through everything with our customers. The Fongs say they will also miss the many people they've bonded with over the years. We always call it Maria's, like we're going to see Maria," said Garcia. ![]() ![]() "It's just like home to me, knowing the Fongs, now the three daughters."Įric Garcia, 26, has been eating at the restaurant for about 20 years with his family as a young child, and now with his wife, Jessica. "I feel like I'm losing a relative or a very good friend that I've known for 70 years," said long-time customer Milt Keller. The restaurant's closure will be deeply felt by customers, who come to the restaurant as much for the food, as for the Fong family "We're just ready to move on and lucky enough to make this change on our own terms." "We knew with so many people retiring that it was never going to be the same and we'd rather just go out and leave at the high quality it's been for the last 88 years," added Fong. It's time for them to enjoy the fruits of their labor, enjoy being grandparents."įong and her two sisters, Jen and Steph Fong, grew up working at the restaurant, and now have careers in other fields. "It's the beginning of my parents' retirement," explained Lesley Fong, the daughter of Kenneth and Emily Fong. “The restaurant should rest with those who created it.Surf's Up! Water Contact Closures Lifted in Imperial Beach, Silver Strand “The people here made the restaurant what it is,” Jen said. When asked why Chop Suey is closing down instead of selling to a new owner, Jen said they wanted to honor the family legacy by maintaining control to the end. We all went to school and they’ve been very supportive of us following our passions. Our parents experienced that, and they didn’t want the same for us. The restaurant business is a physically and mentally demanding job. “They came here to make a better life for themselves and their children. But their parents strongly encouraged them to close the business instead. The women said they long considered taking over the restaurant when their parents (who are approaching 70) retired. Leslie, 40, works at San Diego State University, while Jen, 34, is a graphic designer and Stephanie, 32, is a photographer. ![]() Now, they’ve all gone to college and are pursuing careers outside the restaurant industry. Jen said customers watched them grow up in the restaurant, first doing homework in the booths and riding on the steel carts as children, and later serving tables as young women. The restaurant has been staffed for years by Fong’s granddaughters: Jen, Stephanie and Leslie. When Peking announced its closure on Facebook on Friday, the post accumulated over 100 comments from longtime patrons expressing their sadness and sharing fond memories. And memories of dining there span generations. The food is cooked in cast iron woks (the pans seasoned over years), and served up on steel platters and bowls. Its sign, originally meant to advertise a popular Cantonese dish, reads “Chop Suey,” which later became the unofficial name of the restaurant.įor decades, customers have been scooting into the restaurant’s cushy leather booths, awaiting pots of free green tea and family-style dishes rolled in on steel carts. Over the past century, Peking seemed to etch a permanent mark on University Avenue - its theatrical Chinese-dynasty facade glowing neon red night after night while the neighborhood transformed around it. The establishment - later renamed to Peking Restaurant - was founded at a time when Cantonese cuisine was considered exotic, predating the trendy pho and ramen spots that now dominate the neighborhood. The restaurant is one of the city’s oldest, first founded in 1931 by Fong and his family, and before the openings of other longtime local eateries such as The Waterfront Bar (1933), Tobey’s 19th Hole Cafe (1934) and The Chicken Pie Shop (1938). The American-style Cantonese restaurant, run by the family of the late founder Leo Fong, will close permanently in March, allowing older family members to retire and their children to pursue careers outside the industry. The historic Pekin Cafe, one of San Diego’s longest-running family restaurants, is closing its doors after nearly 90 years in operation, ending a three-generation legacy in North Park.
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