A longtime Chinese restaurant is getting forced out of the Walnut Creek shopping center where it has been doing business for more than three decades.
The restaurant owners believes the new Whole Foods Market next door is to blame. But folks who frequent Jade Garden Restaurant will not be able to get a meal there much longer.
After 31 years in business, the restaurant's lease is not being renewed by Regency Centers, the owners of the Encina Grande Shopping Center.
In a letter to Jade Garden, Regency says the Whole Foods lease prevents the space from being used as a restaurant once their current lease expires.
"I feel so lost," restaurant owner Ying Wang said.
Wang has been running the family business for the past three decades. She said she does not understand why Whole Foods would want them out.
"Don't hurt the small business," Wang said. "It's unfair. We are small. They are big."
Local
Whole Foods did not reply to multiple requests for a comment. Regency sent a statement claiming they, not Whole Foods, made the decision, and cite they want to reduce congestion at the shopping center.
Meanwhile, customers cannot imagine being without their favorite restaurant.
