Fans of this longtime Wichita Asian restaurant will soon have to say goodbye for good
She’s been flirting with retirement for a couple of years now, and in January 2019, she even announced plans to semi-retire and transition her restaurant to a carryout-only place.
Now, it appears, Cafe Asia owner Yook Gan has decided she’s ready to be done.
Over the weekend, a post on the Facebook page for the restaurant at 6546 E. Central said that it would be closing for good in December.
“Thank you for your support for over the last 20 years,” it read. “We are very thankful for you all! Thank you to our employees who have helped us through the years.”
Gan has run the restaurant since 2000 and kept it going with to-go orders only throughout the pandemic. She’ll continue with to-go only through her closing day in December, an employee at the restaurant said.
I haven’t been able to reach Gan since the announcement, but when I talked to her about her semi-retirement in 2019, she said she was burning out on running the restaurant and was ready to slow down.
Cafe Asia, which is tucked into the corner of Normandie Village, is know for its Chinese and Malaysian food, and fans particularly love its salt and pepper chicken, its Char Kuew Teow (stir fried flat noodles) and its roti (a Malaysian pan fried bread served with curry sauce.)
Fans of the restaurant reacted with dismay to the announcement.
One appeared hopeful that the decision wasn’t final.
“I will miss you and everything about Cafe Asia!,” write Chris Poelma. “Where else can we get hokkein char mei? Or have Yook say ‘I will cook for you.’ Stay healthy and enjoy your retirement! And let me know if you change your minds.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 10:04 AM.
.jpg)