Maryville residents no longer have to wonder: Happy Garden is not going anywhere. Due to the amount of support the employees and business received, it decided against closing.
Back in December, a lot of community speculation surrounded the beloved Chinese cuisine spot in Maryville, which was thought to be closing permanently.
With no comments from the ownership, longtime Happy Garden patrons were left with more questions than answers. Austin Scott, a junior at Northwest, said he was distraught when the news of the store’s closing originally surfaced.
“Happy Garden closing would’ve left a permanent blemish on the food scene in Maryville,” Scott said. “They are such a longstanding staple that it surely would have affected more than just the students; it would’ve affected all of Maryville.”
With over two decades of memories and orange chicken coming from the restaurant, the ownership would have also been affected by this permanent change.
Although there were speculations that the closing could be due to the poor job market in the restaurant business, it was purely that — speculation. Jesse Ye, one of the owners of Happy Garden, said the decision to stay open was not easy, but it had to be done.
“We like it here in Maryville; we have been doing this for so long that we were considering closing,” Ye said. “We have made a lot of friends from customers; they were all telling us that they want us to stay.”
The connection that the ownership of Happy Garden has made with the Maryville community has not only helped them run a business for over two decades, but has now kept them from closing for good.
Being in the restaurant business for over 20 years is statistically unheard of; approximately 26% of restaurants fail in the first year alone, and 60% are out of business by year three, according to Cornell University.
These statistics can seem detrimental, especially looking at a small town like Maryville. However, Happy Garden found its footing and stayed consistent with quality and service, which has led to it defying the statistics.
Now, while the future of the restaurant is still uncertain, the ownership does not want its loyal customers to fret for the time being. Ye said although the ownership is still unsure of how much longer they’ll stay open, the quality of the food will stay the same.
“We try to make everything as good as we can,” Ye said. “We always want to make it fresh for our customers, but we also make our food with our hearts, and that’s why we stand out.”
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