A longtime Wichita restaurant will close following its owner’s untimely death
Eight months after the untimely death of a longtime Wichita restaurant owner, his family has decided to close their business.
Sunday will be the last day for Beijing Bistro, a Chinese restaurant that opened at 11309 E. Kellogg in 2005. The family of founder Andy Liao, who died suddenly in May at age 54, said they tried to keep the restaurant going but that ultimately, grief, stress and road construction on Kellogg made it too hard.
“We want to thank our loyal customers for being supportive for so many years, and it’s really hard to say goodbye,” said Yen-Lin Chen, Liao’s sister. “But mentally, financially and psychically, it was too hard for my sister-in-law and her daughter to keep going.”
Liao began having chest pain and trouble breathing after he and his wife, Melody, got home from working at the restaurant on Mother’s Day last year, his daughter, Lu-May Liao, said at the time. Later that night, his family took him to the hospital, where he collapsed and died in the waiting room.
The family was in shock then, and it hasn’t gotten much easier, Chen said. The restaurant was Liao’s dream, and things haven’t been the same without him. The landlord, Brad Saville of Landmark Commercial Real Estate, agreed to let the family out of the lease early.
Chen said the family wanted to give their longtime customers notice about the closing so they could come in this week and have one last meal.
“We want them to stop by and say goodbye and share a moment together,” she said. “This will be the last chance.”
The Beijing Bistros in Augusta and El Dorado, run by Liao’s brothers, will continue to operate as normal.
The Wichita restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner through Sunday. For more information, call 316-618-8999.
This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 12:43 PM.
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