So Long, Panda Inn

This isn’t news. The Kitsap Sun reported a couple of weeks ago that the Panda Inn was about to close after 14 years at its location on Kitsap Way in West Bremerton. (The East Bremerton Panda Inn will remain open.) The restaurant’s passing didn’t fully register with me though until I noticed the “restaurant for sale” sign during yesterday’s bike ride (see photo).

I liked the Panda Inn. I liked the food, the service, the great view overlooking Oyster Bay, and the huge classy almost private booths with their rich white tablecloths and elegant tableware. What I liked best though was that my dad enjoyed going there. Every time he’d make one of his all-too-infrequent visits from California, we would have dinner at the Panda Inn—usually the cold chicken salad and one of the sizzling platters. Plus wine.

My dad likes Chinese restaurants. It’s not just because of the food and family-style dining, although both are big contributors. I think it’s because of the respect the Chinese show for the elderly. Plus the waiters seem instinctively to know who is supposed to get the check, thus sparing dad that argument. The Panda Inn was no exception. They pampered him.

The Kitsap Sun article listed several reasons for the restaurant’s demise: the recession, the $8.55 minimum wage, the smoking ban in the lounge, and the loss of much of its banquet business to the Kitsap Conference Center. Whatever the reasons, perhaps an entrepreneur with energy and a new business plan can make things work. There’s been a restaurant in that location for as long as I can remember. And I hope my dad, who was ninety last year, can make another trip here to visit me so we can go there one more time.