A large, popular restaurant in the bustling North Park community has shuttered its doors after just a little over three years in business.
Wang's North Park – an Asian-Fusion and traditional Chinese restaurant located at 3029 University Ave. – confirmed its sudden closure on the eatery’s Facebook page last week by posting this message for patrons:
To All our Guests: We are very sad to let you know that Wang’s North Park has closed for business. Thank you all very much for the support you’ve shown us over the past years. We really appreciate it and will miss the good times together.
Sincerely,
The Staff and Management of Wang’s North Park
San Diego Eater confirms the restaurant has shut for good and reports that the president of Venture Commercial is handling the sale of the massive venue, the liquor license and all of the fixtures, furniture and equipment on site.
“They’re seeking a new restaurant/bar tenant with unique entertainment theme,” San Diego Eater reports.
Wang’s opened in late January 2012 at the 40,000-square-foot historic building on University Avenue that originally began as a JCPenney department store in 1942 that operated there for decades. The building went on to house other retail stores but then sat vacant for years, from 2008 until Wang’s took over.
In January 2012, Eliana Barreiros, Project Manager of the North Park Redevelopment Agency, told San Diego Uptown News that the Wang’s “rehabilitation project” cost approximately $1,775,000, including a $500,000 forgivable loan from the Agency.
At the time, co-owner Tom Eads told San Diego Uptown News the owners had signed a 15-year lease and were “in this for [the] long haul.”
He said the owners were thrilled to be taking over a building with so much history and said the biggest challenge had been turning the enormous space into a more intimate dining setting.
When the restaurant first launched, it hired more than 80 employees, many of them North Park
residents.
NBC 7 has reached out to Wang’s for comment on the closure. Check back for updates.
