Chen’s Chinese Cuisine to close Lake in the Hills location

To better focus on their family and Crystal Lake location, Chen Chinese Cuisine’s owners are closing their Lake in the Hills location.

Though their location at 6100 Northwest Highway (Route 14) in Crystal Lake will remain open, owners Suya and Ming Chen called the Lake in the Hills closure a “difficult decision” in an announcement on their website.

They said the reasons for the closure of the Chen Chinese Cuisine on 270 N. Randall Road in Lake in the Hills is not related to COVID-19.

“We are so grateful that you all have continued to provide incredible support to us even during the pandemic,” Suya and Ming Chen, who are husband and wife, said. “As a family-owned restaurant, we are downsizing in an effort to slow down our lives, spend more time with family, and focus on the Crystal Lake location.”

Ming Chen told the Northwest Herald on Thursday that the Lake in the Hills location is slated to close on Saturday, Jan. 9.

“We were thinking downsizing for quite a while,” he said.

Though they originally planned to close in the middle of last year, they decided to hang on for a few more months to keep their employees during the pandemic, Ming Chen said.

The Chens have had a restaurant in Crystal Lake for about 26 years, and have had one in Lake in the Hills for 18 years, with 10 years in their current building.

Suya Chen was in charge of the Lake in the Hills restaurant, while Ming Chen said he was in charge of the Crystal Lake location. Suya Chen has been working pretty much every day since the restaurant opened, Ming Chen said.

“We’ve been working many years, and just working too hard,” Ming Chen said.

Their plan is now for Suya Chen to take some time off, then start working at the Crystal Lake Chen Chinese Cuisine.

“We’re going to try to merge a majority of employees into Crystal Lake,” Ming Chen said.

After being in the area for such a long time, Ming Chen said the closure is bittersweet. But as the community is growing, Ming Chen said, so is their vision.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good customers,” Ming Chen said. “We spend so much time and effort [in running] the place.”

The good thing, he added, is that the Crystal Lake location is here to stay.

“People that used to come to Lake in the Hills, they can still visit us, pick up, carry out,” Ming Chen said. “Hopefully in the near future, we’ll be opening up the dining room.”

In fact, Ming Chen said, he anticipates business will increase, with more people coming to Crystal Lake.

Now, the Chens’ focus is on improving the quality of the food, and its service.

They also aim to expand their delivery area.