Butte’s Pekin Noodle Parlor May Be Sold After 113 Years

If you’ve ever driven through Butte and seen that glowing orange sign that reads “CHOP SUEY,” you may have thought, “That place looks like it’s been around a long time.” And you’d be right. Pekin Noodle Parlor has been holding it down on South Main Street in Butte since 1911, which makes it the oldest Chinese restaurant in the country that has been perpetually run by the same family.

Jerry Is Thinking of Scoring and Quitting

According to an interview with David Madison of the Cowboy State Daily, The latest owner, a fifth-generation Montana legend named Jerry Tam, is contemplating selling the business and moving on with his life. Not because it’s failing. Not because of drama. Just because he’s tired, due to a 113-year-old restaurant he’s been running by himself in Butte, Montana.

This Isn’t Just a Restaurant

Pekin is more than a spot to munch on chop suey and sip hot tea. It’s a time machine. It’s history on a plate. That building has fed generations of miners, families, tourists and why yes that is Helen freakin’ Mirren.

The doorways are still decorated with beads, and the windows are covered with butcher paper. The walls are still salmon pink, though. The recipes haven’t really changed for decades. It’s as if we’re walking through a postcard.

So What Now?

Jerry hasn’t made any final decisions, of course, but the fact that he’s discussing this stuff publicly is about as real as it gets. And if he were to sell, who knows what would become of it? Perhaps the new owner continues to operate it. Maybe they don’t. Maybe it becomes a bar. Or a vape shop. Or worse... a Subway.

If you love this place, show it now. Make a reservation. Order extra egg rolls. Tip big. Share the story. Either way, let’s just make sure the Pekin goes out, or keeps going, with the respect it earned over a century in the middle of Montana.