Hunan Garden Restaurant in Kingwood closes after 35 years, but there's good news

KINGWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- A beloved Kingwood restaurant has closed its doors after 35 years of service, but thousands of its patrons have since rallied together in the fight to save the business - and it's now gearing up for a big move.

Hunan Garden, a family-owned Chinese restaurant located in the Kingwood Crossing Shopping Center, closed on May 16.

The shopping center was acquired by a property company called SDI Realty. According to its website, it's developed properties for well-known, much larger chain stores such as Kroger, JCPenney and TJ Maxx.

More than 6,000 people signed an online petition to save Hunan Garden, but according to owner Jenny Wang Hou, SDI Realty hasn't responded to her requests regarding the restaurant's tenancy.

On Monday, Hou took to Facebook to announce that despite the restaurant's closure, Hunan Garden will soon be relocating to the Northpark Shopping Center Plaza in the 23900 block of Highway 59 in Kingwood.

A timeline of its opening, however, wasn't immediately released.

Hou has been running the restaurant for the past 11 years. She said her father, Peter Wang, started the business in the 80s.

"I have so many memories of growing up in these restaurants and continuing my father's legacy has been my guiding star for so long," Hou wrote on Facebook. "It is a bittersweet day for sure but I'm determined to end today on a happy note!"