A popular local restaurant is preparing to close its doors next month.
Gung Ho Chinese & Canadian Restaurant will be permanently closing at the end of January. The West Street North business served the community for almost two decades.
Owner Patrick Lau, 65, says it won't be easy shutting his doors, but he must put family first. His wife Candy, who is the cashier at the restaurant, is in desperate need of undergoing knee surgery, he explained.
"It's been postponed for four years," he said. "As a small business, it can't run without her."
Lau, a Hong Kong native, will spend the next year supporting and caring for his wife until she has recovered from her surgery.
With the current state of the economy, Lau says the future of the business was in jeopardy anyway, which is one of the reasons why he decided against trying to sell it.
"It's not a good time for business," he said. "During the pandemic, I had to raise my breakfast menu prices by 30 cents. I suffered more than a 20 percent loss in customers."
Most of Lau's customer base is made up of seniors, who he says can no longer afford to dine out regularly.
"They have seen price increases in their insurance, gas, and groceries, they don't have the extra money," he said. "That's why I didn't raise my price for the first 15 months of the pandemic but eventually was forced to because of the difficult food prices."
At one point, Gung Ho employed around 15 people; today it employs just six. Lau says staffing issues are one of the concerns he had for continuing the business.
"If we were to keep going, we would need at least a few more people," he said. "Nobody from the younger generation wants to work in a Chinese restaurant."
Most of Lau's staff members are over the age of 65 and are happy to retire, he says. As for his loyal customers, they are devastated.
"When we let them know the full story, they understood," he said. "They've seen Candy limping and they know that we need to care for her."
While Lau didn't see a bright future for his restaurant, he is hopeful that others in the industry can find success.
"I think a lot of restaurants can do much better than us," he said. "I hope people can respect and support the restaurant business and industry."
Lau thanks his customers who have stayed loyal to Gung Ho throughout the years.
"We didn't raise any prices over this last year to give thanks," he said. "We really appreciate their support."
Lau isn't exactly sure when Gung Ho's last day will be, but said it will be some time near the end of next month.
