An iconic Chinese restaurant that has served Sault Ste. Marie for almost 50 years is preparing to close its doors for good at the end of February.
The owners of Hong Kong Restaurant on Trunk Road announced last May that they were serving Mother's Day takeout for the last time.
Co-owner Julie Poon said that bittersweet announcement almost backfired because many people assumed that meant the restaurant was closing just after Mother's Day.
The decision to close was made over a year ago. Poon said it was intended to give customers the opportunity to order a final meal for Mother's Day, birthdays, and Christmas.
"It was important for us to give enough notice to people. We wanted to do the last of everything for everybody for their traditions, because we've been here for all these years for them," she said.
"We didn't want to just say we're closing tomorrow, that's not fair — not when the Sault has been so good to us."
Named after the homeland the family left for a new life in Canada, Hong Kong Restaurant was opened in 1975 by Poon's parents, Norman and Fay Poon.
It was operated out of a motel at 759 Trunk Rd. before moving to its current 241 Trunk Rd. location about 40 years ago.
Poon said her father was a manager at a welding firm in Hong Kong before moving to the Sault and opening up the restaurant.
"Their reason for opening was just to put food on our table because as an immigrant it was hard to find work in his field," Poon said.
"My dad's belief was to offer quality food with fair portions and he would never serve something that he wouldn't serve to us," she added.
Poon and her three siblings literally grew up in the restaurant. She recalls doing her homework there until she was old enough to begin working.
Three generations of the Poon family have operated the restaurant. The current ownership group consists of Poon, her daughter Natalie and her siblings Wanda, Elaine and Bucky.
When Norman died in 2006, the family continued operating it, in part, to offer Fay a way to remain close to the family until her death in 2015.
"When my dad was not well, he knew how hard it would be for us to carry on, because it's a lot of work, a lot of hours. But we just couldn't close it, so we kept it going for mom," she said.
A few years later, the restaurant faced a new challenge and closed its dining room in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When it was time to open the dining room, we just didn't have the staff," said Poon.
"By then we were already kind of burnt out from COVID, so we wouldn't have been able to handle both areas of the business and we had to choose."
Since the dining room was closed, the restaurant has focused only on take out.
Poon is still working out the details, but she said she would like to offer some limited in-restaurant dining again before they close the doors for good.
"Our customers are like family and we want them to experience the dining-in part one more time before we go," she said.
After spending almost her whole life at Hong Kong, Poon said she is not sure what this new chapter will be, but she is excited to take those next steps.
"I can't say it's not going to be sad, there are a lot of memories here and a lot of good friends that we've met and lost.
"We served a lot of happy occasions, but we've also served some sad occasions and it's actually been a real honour and privilege in being able to participate in all of them," she said.
"Now we just have to decide what we're going to do and take that new adventure down the road somewhere."
The restaurant's owners wanted to thank the customers who have supported the restaurant for the last 50 years.
"Without them we wouldn’t have been able to be in business for so long," Poon said.
They are asking customers to use any remaining gift cards before Feb. 28.
