Wong’s Garden to close after almost 40 years

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Wong’s Garden owners Kin and Meiling Wong are looking forward to retirement. 

They’re closing their restaurant on June 27 after 38 years of serving patrons in Hollister. 

Kin began his career as a chef when he was 17 in Hong Kong. He and Meiling met through family friends. Her family owned a restaurant in Los Gatos, where the couple lived for a few years before opening Wong’s Garden. They decided to open the restaurant in Hollister because it was “quieter” than Los Gatos. 

Now, they have five adult children and multiple grandchildren. Jennifer, their oldest daughter, has two daughters of her own. She said she and her siblings grew up at the restaurant. 

“All of us kids, we were, you know, always at the restaurant after school with my grandparents there,” she said. “We have stories of customers that have seen us grow up. They go, ‘Oh, we remember you, you know, before you could reach over the counter.’”

Jennifer’s own children have been known to help out at the restaurant, too. 

“My younger one, she liked to make a mess back there,” Jennifer said. “My older one used to come more when I used to come out here more to help them. She liked to crack eggs, liked to crack eggs for my dad.”

Outside of owning a restaurant, the Wongs enjoy trying all kinds of food. Kin also likes to experiment with new cooking techniques and recipes. After retiring, he said he plans on spending more time working on his garden. He also joked about getting a puppy. 

Meiling said she’ll be spending more time with her grandchildren. She emphasized that the change from restaurant hours to retirement will be an adjustment. 

“I’m here more than at my house,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m doing now.”

In Chinese, Kin expressed his gratitude to the community and Jennifer paraphrased what her father said. 

“Thank you to all the customers and the community,” she said. 

The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour, United Way, Taylor Farms and the Emma Bowen Foundation.