Bethany’s name change
A well-known Palmerston North restaurant, named in remembrance of the original owners’ daughter, will soon be rebranded.
Bethany’s Restaurant on The Square has temporarily shut for extensive renovations expected to take another month or two.
Owner Ray Wang said when the restaurant reopened it would have a new, modern look and a new name. ‘‘It was just time for a change.’’
Reuben and Lynne Leung Wai opened the restaurant in 2009 and named it after their 12-yearold daughter, who had died of bone cancer four years earlier.
They ran Bethany’s for eight years, before putting it into voluntary liquidation in 2017 and selling it to Wang to help cover debts of more than $700,000.
The Leung Wais’ hard work earned Bethany’s a solid reputation, both in the hospitality industry and with customers, so Wang kept the name.
However, Wang felt it was time to rechristen the restaurant with a name of his own. He had a few ideas, but hasn’t yet settled on a final choice for a moniker to suit the new look.
Renovations began earlier this yeear and he kept the restaurant open as long as possible, he said.
The kitchen was being remodelled, which Wang expected to take another three weeks, while architectural designs for the rest of the interior were finalised. New tables and chairs for the outdoor dining area and bar fittings were already on the way from China.
Wang said once the final touches were pinned down, the interior remodel should take about a month, but it depended on when the appropriate building consents were approved.