The namesake for Peter’s Chinese Cafe in Denver’s Congress Park neighborhood is retiring after 40 years behind the counter — and he’s passing the restaurant, which has become an institution, along to his employees.
Peter Chan first opened his restaurant, at 2609 E. 12th Ave., in 1985 after moving to the United States from Hong Kong the decade prior. Now 70, he plans to step away from daily operations so he can travel in southeast Asia.
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Chan transferred majority ownership of the business this month to seven members of his team, which includes both full-time employees and delivery drivers. Many of them have worked there for more than a decade, Chan said this week, with some cooking in the kitchen for close to 30 years.
“They worked too hard for me, and I always feel I owe them a lot,” Chan said.
The name Peter’s Chinese Cafe won’t change, he added, while the menu, which has won over diners with its scallion pancakes and sesame chicken, will also remain close to the same, according to manager Luis Angeles.
Angeles has known Chan for 30 years and first met him as a child. It was Halloween, and Chan had given him and his sister money to buy candy across the street.
He has worked at Peter’s for more than 15 years and is one of the employees who bought out Chan’s stake. It was an easy decision to make, Angeles said, adding that we “gave him his freedom back.”
Over the years, Chan said he would impart valuable lessons to Angeles and other employees on how to save money — even if he admitted to yelling liberally in his restaurant.
He said he was relieved to step away from the kitchen, though he plans to pop in on the restaurant now and again to help.
“I still worry about this business because I want them to succeed,” he said.