Historic Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining in Woonsocket listed for sale

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Chan’s Fine Oriental Dining, the downtown restaurant famous for its food and jazz music is up for sale.

Owner John Chan traces his family’s connection to the restaurant back to 1946, when his father, Ben F. Chan, boarded a boat to China. On that voyage, Ben met Thomas W. Ark, a Woonsocket restaurateur who had co-founded the original Shanghai Restaurant in 1905 located on the second floor of its 267 Main Street location.

After a fire in 1938, the business relocated to the ground floor and reopened as the New Shanghai Restaurant. Ark eventually married a cousin of Chan’s mother, and the couple returned to Woonsocket to help run the restaurant, while Chan and his new bride remained in Hong Kong.

In 1961, the Chan family immigrated to the U.S., settling in Astoria, Queens. Four years later, Ben purchased the restaurant from the Ark family, along with the adjoining bank property, which included a drive-up window (later converted for takeout) and a vintage vault that still remains inside today.

Shortly after the purchase, John Chan began working at the restaurant when he was 15. Years later, while studying at Providence College in the 1970s, John discovered a passion for jazz. When he took over the business a few years later, he remodeled the dining room and added a stage, transforming the eatery into a renowned venue for live jazz and blues.

Now 74, Chan says he’s ready to retire after nearly 60 years in the family business.

This year marks 120 years since the restaurant’s founding and to celebrate Chan’s is hosting daily happy hours from 3 to 6 p.m. The property, nearly 7,000 square feet including a restaurant, bar, lounge, and off-street parking, is currently listed for sale, with the option to buy the business ($500,000) and building ($1 million) together or separately. The restaurant will stay open while a new buyer is found.