A popular Chinese takeaway which has been in a village for almost 40 years is shutting due to rising costs.
The Lee family has now decided to close Sun Rise, in New Ash Green, in the face of increased cost pressures and overheads making the business unviable.
Owner Shun Man Lee told KentOnline: “We have decided it is time to stop doing the takeaway. We have been here a long time but it is time to call it quits.
“Ever since Covid, the prices of everything have gone up. We have raised our prices but it is becoming more taxing to the customers.”
The 56-year-old said the costs of ingredients have almost doubled in the last few years with gas and electrics rising by around 30%.
He said items such as a bag of potatoes which used to be £12 are now £18 and it has become cheaper to buy chicken from a supermarket rather than a wholesaler.
With the lease soon coming to an end and the prospect of increased rent, the Lee family has decided to close for good today (June 3).
The dad added: “We have been trying to think of solutions such as closing earlier but we have had to think about the long-term.
“It is a family-run business, we have all worked here, but we have to think about the family and how to move forward.
“This business was to support the family and children, to make sure they had a good education and have a roof over their heads.
“Like most immigrant families, we set up a shop to sell the food we grew up with and would eat.”
Villagers were shocked to hear of the closure and have event started a petition calling for the owners to stay open.
However, Mr Lee said it is just not possible to continue.
He added: “We will miss everyone. It has not been an easy decision.
“Thank you to all our customers and their support past and present. They are the whole reason that it has thrived.
“We did not expect such support from us announcing we were closing, we are touched by it.
“We hope to see people around the village and say hello. We will still be in the community, just differently.”
He even said regulars have been bulk-buying popular dishes such as chicken chow mein to freeze and asking for their curry sauce recipe to make at home.
Mr Lee’s parents opened the takeaway, in The Row, in New Ash Green Shopping Centre, in the middle of July 1986.
Then, a portion of boiled rice would cost 90p, not £3.50 as it does now and a dish of sweet and sour chicken would have only been £1.95, now it is £7.
Mr Lee has worked in the shop since he was 17-years-old but has now decided it is time to try something new with less “stress and strain” and where he is no longer the boss.
His wife May Lee added: “We are going to take a break and see what we can do.”
It is not yet known what will fill the gap in the shopping centre.