The owners of a beloved town centre restaurant have said a ‘very hard’ goodbye to their business after almost three decades.

Queenie and Nam Tang have owned the Ming Wah in St Thomas Street for 26 years and have decided that now is the time to semi-retire.

However, this is not a goodbye as the husband-and-wife team will continue to run the Mayflower Chinese Takeaway on Portland Road.

Mrs Tang said: “Letting go of the Ming Wah restaurant has been very hard for me, as the restaurant has been my life for so many years.

“Cooking is my passion, and I love making people happy through delicious foods. I am so thankful for everyone’s kindness and continuing to support me. Because of the support, it has allowed me to take care of my family back home in Malaysia and also bring up my daughter.

“I look forward to seeing what the future brings, and I believe I will be very happy in this new chapter of my life. With my life at a slower pace from now on in my semi-retirement, I can spend more time with family and relax.

“I will still be in Weymouth, and I continue to supervise and occasionally practice what I do best at the Mayflower Takeaway. I welcome everyone and hope to see familiar faces.”

Although the pair are leaving the business behind, another owner has purchased the Ming Wah and will continue to run it under the same name and with a similar menu for the time being.

Nam and Queenie TangNam and Queenie Tang (Image: Zoe Tang)

Mr Tang said: “The decision to retire has been extremely difficult. Everyone that knows my wife, knows that she's a workaholic and that the restaurant is her baby. But the time has come where we have to prioritise our health and start to slow down.

“We apologise to all our wonderful and loyal customers who have come and gone, for announcing our retirement so abruptly but would like to thank everyone who supported us throughout the 26 years. We have met the nicest people and made so many dear, lifelong friends.

“Again, we are extremely grateful and thank everyone for their kind words, well wishes and understanding.”

Mr and Mrs Tang are both from Malaysia, but they came over to England at different times and for different reasons, including for a better life and work.

They met through a mutual friend and that’s where their story began.

Mrs Tang used to work for the previous owners of the Ming Wah so when the opportunity came to purchase the business, the pair decided to ‘take the plunge.’

Their daughter Zoe Tang has helped out with the business over the years, alongside her auntie May Wong and cousin Julie Vu, describing the business as ‘pretty much family run.’

Nam, Zoe and Queenie TangNam, Zoe and Queenie Tang (Image: Zoe Tang)

Zoe also revealed that all of the kitchen staff will continue to work at the Mayflower takeaway.

The family wanted to ‘go out with a bang,’ even planning a lion dance for the final day of service, however they weren’t able to due to time constraints.

However, some previous customers even visited from other countries to visit the restaurant one last time when they heard the news of the closure.