End of an era for The Mandarin

The Mandarin restaurant will be closing its doors this summer after 42 years of trading in Alderley Edge.

The family owned restaurant, considered by many to be a village institution, is run by Colin Lee and his wife Wendy, along with their 4 children.

Colin, 59, has worked in the Cantonese restaurant for over 30 years, initially working for the previous owner Mr Anthony Tang, who opened The Mandarin at The Parade in 1968. He took over the restaurant when Mr Tang retired in December 1992.

Mr and Mrs Lee had been looking to sell the business for the past couple of years, before a recent agreement was reached with the landlord Bluemantle - enabling Waitrose to open a convenience store at The Parade, as reported on alderleyedge.com last week.

Their daughter Angela Lee told me "The timing is right and my parents are happy with the agreement made. We do not have a final date confirmed yet when the restaurant will close but we are looking to hopefully close some time in June."

Speaking about the future, Colin Lee said "I have mixed emotions as I am sad to see The Mandarin close. It has played a huge part in my life and also my family's life.

"I will miss the good friends that I have made over the past 30 years, the loyalty and support received from the customers has helped to make The Mandarin a success, but I am looking forward to taking a break from the restaurant for the time being. We have no plans for the future yet, but the break will help us to decide what we would like to do next.

"I would like to personally thank Mr Anthony Tang for giving me the opportunity to run a successful business together with my family and also a huge thank you to our loyal customers whom I would most definitely like to keep in touch with.

"We are proud of The Mandarin and proud that it has successfully survived The Parade for the past four decades. It is sad that it is an end of an era."

We wish Colin and Wendy Lee, along with their four children, all the best for the future, in whatever they choose to do.