Wan Kow Chop Suey Reopens For Business

After a short-lived retirement, Wan Kow Chop Suey has reopened in Grosse Pointe Woods.

The carry-out restaurant has been located on Mack Ave. since 1958, and almost nightly, owner Rose Yee has worked serving generations of customers.

Even though Yee will be 83 in October, she was still working more than 12 hours a day and the only way her daughter Margaret Nelson - who helps run the restaurant - could get her to retire was to close Wan Kow. 

"She is very proud and stubborn," said Nelson, who left her job at GMAC in 1990 when her father died to help her mom run the store.

When the owners announced the east side destination was going to close June 30, longtime customers flocked to Grosse Pointe Woods get one more taste of the menu items from the Cantonese restaurant.

"It was overwhelming," Nelson said. 

She added that, "People came out of the woodwork wanting to buy this place," but there was not an offer she could accept.

Then a good friend Jeff Maiuri, who is also the chef from Andiamo Trattoria located next door, approached Nelson and her mom about reopening. 

He offered to help them reopen, and with the blessing of his bosses, run the restaurant. They also brought back head chef Fai Hang and reopened Aug. 20.

"They have a close eye on me," Maiuri said during a short break.

In the few short days Wan Kow has reopened, customers have returned and have driven from as far away as Dearborn for dishes cooked the same way they had been for decades. 

"Its been wonderful," Nelson said recently, before having to fill another order.

What is your favorite dish at Wan Kow? Share it comments below.