RICHMOND, Va. – The staff at the Joy Garden restaurant in Scott’s Addition served up their last portions of egg rolls, beef with broccoli and Szechuan delights Sunday this evening as customers bid farewell to the Chinese eatery.
The restaurant with the iconic sign has been operating on Broad Street since 1957.
Owners Mark and Bang Sin said they decided to close their restaurant because they could not find anyone to pass on the torch and help run the eatery.
Nostalgic visitors packed the restaurant for its final night.
“It was bittersweet except we had a couple of beers along with our dinner so it made it a little sweeter,” patron Randi Lauterbach said. “It’s very sad. We've seen a lot of retail stores close down through the years. Restaurants close down, but this one was special to us because we really all grew up in this neighborhood."
The Sins said they have been preparing to retire.
