Kowloon in Saugus was founded by Madeline Wong, who passed away this week at the age of 95.
Kowloon announced Wong’s passing on Twitter, saying that she “lived life to its fullest, and was an incredible and amazing person. [She was] full of life and full of energy.”
In 1958, Wong and her late husband William acquired the restaurant’s original proprietors. The Mandarin House was renamed Kowloon in commemoration of the Hong Kong peninsula, which William traveled through in 1939 when he traveled from China to the United States during the Second Sino-Japanese War. According to The Boston Globe, the pair decided to turn the unassuming location into a vibrantly colored attraction well-known around the area after being inspired by their honeymoon in Hawaii.
In Saugus, Massachusetts, there is a pan-Asian restaurant called Kowloon Restaurant. In a number of themed dining rooms and lounges, the restaurant serves a variety of Cantonese, Szechuan, Japanese, Polynesian, and Thai delicacies. Boston television station WHDH rated Kowloon as one of the top Chinese eateries in New England in 2004.
Tropical Décor
Wong and her family succeeded in making Kowloon a landmark over the course of the following 50 years. Initially, the restaurant could only hold 40 to 50 customers. Now, 1,200 guests can eat together while surrounded by creative, tropical décor.
Linda, Donald, Bob, Stanley, Lisa, and Andy are the six children left behind by Wong, in addition to grandchildren.
“It’s just so much love they showed us all, all the time,” Stanley Wong told WCVB. “They were never short of love and she would always make us feel special. Really, each and every one of us felt special.”
The Wong family’s renowned restaurant was about to undergo a period of profound transformation. Last year, the family made plans to split the land into two lots with separate six-story buildings public. They will include a new Kowloon as well as housing and retail space. The enormous structure where Madeline Wong and her family operated a restaurant for many years will be torn down.
The ground level of one of these buildings will still be a new Kowloon. Approximately 350 tickets will be available, according to Bob Wong, who spoke with Boston.com in March.
Madeline Wong’s husband and children.
Madeline Wong was a happily married woman with a family of 8 including her husband, their 6 children, and Madeline. She was married to William. William, unfortunately, passed away. The couple has 6 children surfing them.
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Linda, Donald, Bob, Stanley, Lisa, and Andy are the six children who survive the Wong couple.