OGDEN — Good news for those who were fans of the original Maple Garden restaurant here in town. It’s coming back.
The popular Chinese restaurant originally opened in the early 1980s on Riverdale Road, later moving to Washington Boulevard. In 2013, it changed hands, and the restaurant eventually closed.
And now, a member of the family that originally opened Maple Garden is bringing the restaurant back.
Sheree Yu, daughter of Maple Garden founders King Long “Eugene” and Rita Yu, is set to reopen Maple Garden sometime in September. It will be located in Ogden’s Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave.
“We’re trying to get the building ready, and get all the loose ends tied together,” Sheree Yu said in a brief telephone interview Tuesday. “We’re already behind schedule.”
Yu said the new menu will be “more or less” the same as the original restaurant’s fare.
“We’re going to take out the things that were not popular, and add some other dishes,” she said.
Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Eugene and Rita Yu came to the United States in the early 1970s, leaving their three children with grandparents there in Taiwan. He started out as a restaurant cook and she washed dishes. Neither spoke English.
Eventually, the family found its way to Ogden and opened Maple Garden in a renovated home on Riverdale Road. Ten years later, they relocated to Washington Boulevard.
Today, son Kerry Yu runs the family’s Tokyo Station teppanyaki-style Japanese restaurant at The Junction in downtown Ogden. And for the past 16 years, Kerry’s brother, Denny, has been running Maple Express — a more quick-serve approach to a few of the original restaurant’s signature dishes — on 12th Street just off Washington Boulevard in Ogden.
And now the Yu brothers’ sister is reopening Maple Garden.
Sheree Yu said they hope to open in about three weeks.