After 24 years, Dragon Inn will close its Corinth Square restaurant for good December 31, its owners confirmed Thursday.
Thomas Tsui and his sister Catherine Kot will be consolidating the business’s operations to the original Overland Park location at 7500 W. Santa Fe, which opened in 1975.
“It’s hard to say goodbye,” Kot said. “We’ve watched people who came in here as kids grow up and come in as adults with their families.”
The decision to close was primarily a matter of timing, Tsui said. Their Corinth Square lease is expiring, and with the down economy, it was simply a “business decision.” LANE4 Property Group, which manages Corinth Square, has signed a lease with Tide Dry Cleaners to move into the space, though the lease is contingent on a series of approvals from the city of Prairie Village that have yet to be given. Tide submitted a proposal to the Prairie Village planning commission in September for a renovation of the space.
Tsui and Kot said they hope many of the families who have returned to the restaurant for up to three generations, in some cases, will continue to patronize the business at the Overland Park restaurant.
“It’s the same food, the same family recipes, just a different location,” Kot said. “We want to thank all of our customers from Prairie Village. You see regulars so often that you really become friends.”