Return of New Thriving restaurant in the works


Stabroek News
August 13, 2000


Popular eating place, the New Thriving restaurant, may soon be in business again following plans by its proprietors Mr and Mrs Xia Guang Zhao to open at a new location.

The owners are at present contemplating a site on Main Street to re-establish the restaurant which was destroyed by fire on May 7, but are said to be awaiting the necessary licences before proceeding.

Only last week the Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire Insurance Company Limited in settling an insurance claim awarded the restaurant's principals $50M for damages incurred in the fire at the previous Park Hotel location.

In an exclusive interview with Stabroek News at their temporary location at the New Kwang Chow in Barr Street, Kitty, the Chinese nationals disclosed that their new eating house would be bigger and better than the previous one.

The new restaurant which they said would be like a "paradise" would cater for persons who needed conference facilities and other special services and would also be suitable for families who would like to enjoy a special Chinese meal with their children.

They have already located a spot from which they are planning to operate but are not keen to indicate where it is for fear of pre-empting the approval.

However, they are hoping to open their doors some time by year end at the earliest.

The Zhaos who began managing the Barr Street eating place following the destruction of their own said that most of their core staff had been accommodated at the new location, but they were anxious to bring some 80 other employees on standby back to the fold.

Questioned on the proposed opening of an eating place at Camp Street and Brickdam, the couple stated that they were proceeding with a previously planned venture to open a fast food restaurant there.

That establishment, they said, was scheduled to be ready for business by November this year and would feature what they called a standard type fast food takeout.

The bottom flat would have the takeout service while the fourth floor was being designed to accommodate buffet dining.

The couple expressed their continued commitment to the country while stating that they had received offers to open businesses in the Caribbean islands.

They are hoping to get the support of the government with respect to the granting of their licence to facilitate the re-opening of their Main street enterprise.

Asked about their previous arrangement with the owners of the former Park Hotel, the Kissoon family, where they were expected to have taken over management of the hotel on a lease arrangement, the Zhaos stated that the fire had put that arrangement on hold.

Referring to the cost associated with rebuilding the hotel, they observed that this was now complicated by the high interest rates associated with bank loans.

They were, however, keen to locate in the Main Street area even if it was at the same spot where they were previously sited.

Meanwhile, the Zhaos used the opportunity to express their gratitude to all the persons who had commiserated with them during their period of loss and re-affirmed their commitment to serving the Guyanese public with high quality authentic Chinese dishes.

The New Thriving restaurant which was located on the ground floor of the famed Park Hotel was destroyed when fire believed to have started in an upper flat of the century-old pinewood establishment swept through the building.

The colonial style building comprised 30 rooms and a dome roof. It was acquired by the Kissoon family in the early 1970s and was then extended to a 90-room hotel.


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