Community Rallies to Support Cathay Palisades as Closing Date Nears

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Cathay Palisades is slated to close its Antioch Street doors after 30 years in Pacific Palisades on Sunday, June 26—and community members are not ready to say goodbye.

Cathay Palisades, owned by David Leung, has been a go-to for residents since it opened in January 1989. Topa Property Management were reported to have approached the restaurant in October 2021, giving them two months’ notice to vacate the property, citing the restaurant was “not a tenant mix,” according to David’s wife and restaurant back office manager Audrey Leung.

The Leungs said they were caught off guard and requested more time via email. They were granted a six-month extension, with a move out date of June 30.

Since the news was announced, community members have made strides to both help keep Cathay Palisades in town and raise support for those employed by the restaurant as it prepared to close.

Palisadian Rafaella Kistler created a petition titled “Keep Cathay Open,” which has garnered more than 160 signatures in support of keeping the restaurant in the Palisades.

“I’ve been going [to Cathay Palisades] since I was a little girl, and I basically grew up knowing these amazing people who work there and loving the food,” Kistler said to the Palisadian-Post. “When I heard they were closing down, I couldn’t believe it. They were such a big part of the community … It will be so lonely without them.”

B. Lee launched a GoFundMe to help support David and his employees. With $11,510 raised of its $32,000 goal at press time, Lee shared hopes the funds “can help David pay utility, vendor and incoming bills, and to provide a month’s worth of lost wages, tips and revenue.”

Lee wrote that many residents will miss the food, comfort and relationships that have been formed with Leung.

“When we see their smiling faces and chat with them over family meals, we may not realize they’ve arrived to serve us after long commutes and with families of their own at home,” Lee wrote. “They can use the help of our community, which has enjoyed many years of good food, convenience and service. The goodwill that David and his employees have accumulated over 32 years is greatly valued and appreciated, but unfortunately it cannot help pay their bills or support their families while they look for work.”

Audrey said the support has been a “tremendous help.”

“Just 30-some years and … absolutely nothing, it’s like he has been wiped off the map,” Audrey said to the Palisadian-Post. “[For] David, because he’s the one who goes there day in and day out, for him it’s a very big source of comfort … all the support and all this … overwhelming love. He felt so good, it’s like a big solace for him. Big, big, big source of comfort, I cannot tell you how much it means to him. He did leave an impression in the community and he [is leaving] on a very high note.”

When news first broke that the restaurant would be closing, the Leungs, as well as members of the community, put out a call to secure an alternate location Cathay could work out of, even considering switching to just take out and delivery.

Following the closure, Audrey said the Leungs do not plan to open another restaurant in the future.

Audrey shared community members are welcome to drop by and say their goodbyes on June 26.

“You don’t have to buy anything,” Audrey added, “just come in and say hi, that will be very nice.”

Updates about Cathay Palisades will be posted on its website cathaypalisades.com and Instagram at @cathaypalisades. To reach the Leungs, contact cathaypalisades@gmail.com. To donate, visit gofund.me/c7d7fff1.