Madam Lu’s Restaurant Owner in Santa Barbara Announces Retirement

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – It is the end of an era at Madam Lu Chinese Restaurant.

On Sept. 30, owner Mei-Jung Lu Gaffney said she will retire after 27 years in business.

Regular customers packed the restaurant on upper State Street for one last meal.

Diners and employees said they will miss it.

Jian Hua Chen said he was a customer for a decade before getting a job at Madam Lu four years ago.

Barbara Bartolome gave the owner a candle and a hug.

Bartolome joked that she was ordering a year’s worth of food to put in her freezer.

Others brought flowers.

The restaurant’s namesake said she won’t be leaving the Santa Barbara area, but she will be stepping out of the kitchen and enjoying life.