Colorado community bids farewell to Wu's Garden as restaurant closes after 25 years
It's the last days of service at Wu's Garden in Littleton. Tucked away in Columbine Plaza off of Ken Caryl Avenue, Coloradan Ji Woong Wu has given 25 years to his family restaurant.
"I immigrated from China in 1991," he said. "I came here with my bare hands."
In the green leather booths, his children and the children of his diners grew up. Terry and Vince Carter have been coming to Wu's Garden for over two decades, taking a second to remember the resonance the restaurant has with their daughter.
"She was at Columbine, and after Columbine she and her friends would come here off and on for months just to be together," Terry recalled.
Others, like Jess Kovalik, associate Wu's Garden with people like her mother. This was a favorite spot of theirs before Jess' mother passed away in 2004.
"The Wus were kind enough to help cater her end-of-life celebration," said Jess.
Everyone sitting at the table has been eating here for more than a decade. They've been here since the jump and are here at the end, as Wu's Garden prepares to close its doors forever.
"I believe and am praying that they move somewhere better," David Olds remarked.
The shopping center was sold in 2023 to a company called Lafayette South Pierce Retail. It was there, Mr. Wu explained, that something changed. When it came time to discuss new lease terms, Mr. Wu said he was not given an option to re-sign in spite of his contention that he never made late payments and was doing enough to stay in business. Lafayette South Pierce Retail declined to comment to CBS Colorado on the reason for not wanting to renew the lease.
"I'm sad," Mr. Wu said. "They gave me no real chance."
"What's happening to him just doesn't seem fair," added longtime diner Ed Ryan.
In the five or so weeks since the Wu family announced that their restaurant would be forced to close, the community has responded with overwhelming support. Many say they would be willing to drive to wherever a new restaurant might be. A 'New Wu's', they joke. But to these diners, this is their Chinese spot. Better than any other, they believe, and a place where they feel at home.
"They're a family-owned business," said Carol Konz, a regular at Wu's for over a decade. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."
The space will be taken over by Robert's Italian Deli, which has existed next door to Wu's for nearly the same amount of time. They contend that they were never given a reason for the impending vacancy of the Wu's Garden space, instead just being offered the opportunity to take over the lease.
With uncertainty on the horizon, Mr. Wu told CBS Colorado he is overwhelmed with gratitude for the support of his community. Even though the upfront costs of a brand new restaurant in a new location are daunting, the family feels that, buoyed by the notion that there are so many in Littleton that are in their corner, the way the Wu's have been in theirs for over two decades.
"I'm looking," he said, looking directly into the television camera. "Everybody, trust me. I'm looking. I will be back."