The owners of a family-run Chinese restaurant that has been at the heart of the community for 30 years said they didn't realise how loved they were until they announced their upcoming closure.
Last week, The Beijing Restaurant on Eccleston Street in Prescot took to its Facebook page to announce the news they will close from June 5 onwards as the owner has decided to retire. The team said it is "with sadness" that they made the announcement, but thanked their loyal customers who have "become friends" over the last three decades.
At the time, customers past and present flooded social media with their fond memories of times at the restaurant. Many said The Beijing was their favourite restaurant while others said the closure marked "the end of an era."
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Brothers George and David Lee have been the face of the business for years, but The Beijing isn't their first experience of life in a Chinese restaurant. Growing up in the city centre, their parents ran the Silver Moon restaurant on Leece Street in Liverpool in the 1960s and 70s and when they were younger, the brothers would regularly help out in the family business before opening their own restaurant as adults.
As part of the Liverpool ECHO's How It Used To Be series, we spoke to George, 59, and David, 58, about how the business and area around it has changed, as well as their final days in business. When The Beijing Restaurant first opened in Prescot, it was not only before the recent regeneration and Shakespeare North Playhouse, but before the Cables Retail Park existed.
David told the ECHO: "I think it was booming then, the town centre was open and you had all the shopping indoors. Then you had Kwik Save, Woolworths, Curry's.
"I think it went into a bit of decline for certain years with the retail park opening up. But it’s not just here, a lot of places were like that. Obviously, a lot of places come and go and that's what we thought, that we wouldn't get this far."
George said: "Time has just flown. I remember back in 2000 when everyone said everything was going to change when it was the millennium, but obviously it didn't. I'm made up for the other businesses. A lot of the regeneration of the bars and things like that came because of the theatre."
Since the 90s, the restaurant, like many other businesses, has seen a lot of things change around them, from customer habits to the birth of social media. David said they've kept the original menu at The Beijing and added to it through the years and that years ago, customers would go out drinking later so eat later, whereas today it is more the reverse.
But one thing that hasn't changed for the brothers is their close relationship with loyal customers who have "become more like friends" in the last 30 years. One area of the restaurant used to be filled with postcards but now has three boards worth of magnets from around the world, the majority having been brought back by customers as gifts.
George and David both said that the response to their closing announcement on Facebook made them realise how loved they are in the community. George said: "To be honest we didn't think we were that popular until these last few days and then we realised how quite well known-ish we are.
"Even if they don’t really know us they know all our names. We did not expect that response at all.
"I've had a few phone calls too, not about coming in to eat but people saying I can’t believe it, I'm made up for you and things like that. People have been coming in who haven't been for years, or who have been regulars for years, or people who haven't been before and just want to see what all the talk is about. People thought we’d always be here and have planned ahead to Christmas.
"We've had a New Year's Eve party [for people] who've come here every New Year's Eve for 15, 20 years and 20 of them are coming in on the last day, so they've brought it half a year forward. I feel quite proud actually and I think they’ll always remember us, I really do think in many years to come."
David said: "We didn't really think we were that loved. We just got on with our work, our job. We just thought we’d quietly close it after two or three weeks and put it up on Facebook.
"We got a lot of well wishes on Facebook which we really appreciate. We just didn't know we’d be that missed."
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Welcoming generations of the same families through their doors, George and David have been to weddings and funerals of customers past and present during their time in Prescot. They said what they love the most about the business is the customers and that they're proud of the friendships they've made with them since opening.
Do you have a story for our How It Used To Be series? Let us know in the comments section below.
George said: "Nobody knows how long a business is going to last for. A lot of people didn't expect us to be around for this long, we've even outlived the banks. But I think it’s been quite quick the last 30 years."
David added: "We'd like to thank all the customers for their support and loyalty - throughout all these years."
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