Date Range

1986-1914

Description Level

Fonds

Creator

Wayne Kwan

Physical Description

47 cm of textual records; 66 photographic prints

History Biographical

The Regent Restaurant first open their doors in 1986 with 4 partners; Wally Lam, Wayne Kwan, Patrick Lam and Cho Siu Pang but in 1988, Mrs. Cho sold her stake to Raymond Yau. The Regent began as the main floor of the Elks’ Lodge. The partners invested a significant amount of time, effort, and money to remodel the interior; which in turn, would all pay off. For the next 28 years the Regent was a landmark amongst the busy 3rd avenue strip in Lethbridge, noted for their authentic cuisine, strong community support, and of course their koi pond. All of the partners agreed that their main mission was to bring genuine Chinese cooking to Lethbridge that would appeal to a wide range of clientele, including not only Szechuan and Cantonese dishes, but also custom dishes as well. In the early 90’s the partners decided to invest in their idea and brought 4 executive chefs to Canada. Of those 4, 2 of the chefs specialized in Dim Sum. Right up until the day they closed the Regent was still the only restaurant in Lethbridge to offer a Dim Sum menu. Throughout the years of business, the partnerships transition and dissolved, Patrick, Raymond and Wally moved onto different ventures leaving Wayne the sole proprietor. However, this did not change the way the restaurant was run, the quality of the food, and definitely not the service the customers had come to know and expect. The restaurant still continued to receive recognition and awards, and continued to be heavily involved with community projects and fundraisers. The Regent was exceptionally proud to be community involved; as they supported many local sports teams, provided fundraising banquets, and presented many students with scholarships. The Regent was not only involved with the City of Lethbridge ventures but nationally and overseas as well. They were known to hold fundraisers that would allow them to donate more the $50, 000 to tsunami and earthquake relief in Asia, and were long time supporters of the Canadian Red Cross. On April 7th, 2014 the Regent announced the closing of their doors, as Wayne Kwan was ready for a new chapter. As a last gesture and an attribute to Wayne Kwan’s character, he held a final fundraising dinner. As way of sending himself and his staff off and thanking everyone for the patronage, but also a way to keep with the spirit of giving that the Regent had always been renowned for. The restaurant hosted a private event that would benefit the Galt Museum & Archives, events at the dinner included auctioning off pieces of memorabilia that had been collected through out the businesses years; and of course, a final meal.

Scope and Content

The fonds includes the following types of records: recognition memorabilia, photographs, certificates, reservation book, menues, program, promotional materials, clippings from newspapers and magazines, etc. Also included Appraisal of Elk Club property on the 3rd Ave South.

Accession No.

20141026

Collection

Archive

Less detail