CHINESE food fans have a new restaurant in a familiar location.
Kings Chinese buffet opened yesterday in the former premises of Jumbo restaurant.
The John William Street restaurant mysteriously closed down in early April this year.
Later that month its landlord confirmed the restaurant’s owners had failed to sell the business as a going concern and he was seeking new tenants.
Now a new team has come in and is launching a new buffet restaurant.
Owner Stewart Chung said he had heard about the opportunity from a friend based in Huddersfield.
He said he ploughed £60,000 into relaunching the restaurant in conjunction with a business partner, including revamping the premises.
Mr Chung has worked in restaurants in Wakefield and has hired a 10-strong team of staff.
The new business model will see it offer three different price levels depending on the time of day, lunch, early bird or evenings, seven-days-a-week.
Meanwhile one of Huddersfield’s oldest Chinese restaurants has been put on the market.
The Mandarin, a favourite of town centre revellers since the 1970s, has fallen on hard times.
Peter Sargent from Halifax-based insolvency firm Begbies Traynor, said owner Mr Lao had gone bankrupt.
But he said Mr Lao’s son was keeping the Buxton Way restaurant open under licence.
He said: “If we closed it there would be little or no value for creditors.
“It’s had financial difficulties for quite some time and I think it’s just become too hard for him.
“The family have had it for a very long time.
“In the 70s and 80s it was one of three places you would go on a night out in Huddersfield, along with Sole Mio and The Shabab.
“We’ve had three offers and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it going – it could be a sweet and sour outcome”!
Huddersfield Town fans angry at 'exit control' plan for Leeds United game: Click here to read
