THE new boss of Southend’s beloved Pearl Dragon restaurant is hoping to carry on its legacy as its previous owners step down after 45 years.
The Eastern Esplanade business, hailed by many as the most well-known Chinese restaurant in Essex, has been taken over by London restaurateur Sean Shi, 33, after the Yeung family bid the venue farewell on Sunday.
The seafront staple was first opened by Yuan Yeung in 1978 after he noticed a gap in the then-town’s market.
Sean is looking forward to continuing the legacy of the business and engaging with its loyal customers.
He said: “The Pearl Dragon has done a lot for the community, and as a businessman, I want to do that well.
“It is a very successful restaurant in Southend, most of their customers are local, some of the families started coming here and now bring their grandchildren here. They will spend their birthday or anniversary here.
“I will keep as much as possible of what was previously here. The first priority is to provide top quality food to residents.
“I would like to add extra value to the restaurant with my experience and bring more good to the community.
“The family have helped me a lot, Steve helped to soften the landing.
“This Pearl Dragon has a strong relationship with its customers and I need to spend to time to build this up as well.”
Sean, who has four other businesses in south and east London, added he was looking to expand his business and was recommended the venue by a friend.
This comes after Yuan Yeung’s children announced they would be retiring weeks ago.
Though the family have now stepped down, Steve Yeung, 52, will be staying on for a few more months to ensure the “smooth transition” of the business.
Steve, whose family had been swamped by goodbye messages from former guests after this was announced, is confident Sean is the right man to carry on the restaurant’s legacy.
He said: “I’m very happy that Sean has come in and shown a willingness to understand the position of Pearl Dragon with its customers and its community.
“My hope is that he continues the legacy that we’ve left and I have every confidence that he will.”
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