Peking Duck closes after 37-year run
Since 1982, Duck Chang Jr.’s life has revolved around operating the popular Peking Duck Restaurant in Hybla Valley.
But three heart attacks in recent years and other health issues have slowed Chang, forcing him and his family to temporarily close the Richmond Highway restaurant on multiple occasions.
The last such closure came in mid-December. Chang had hoped to recuperate enough to re-open in the spring.
Instead, a warning from his doctor in March led Chang and his family to make the decision: It was time to permanently close the restaurant. An answering machine message and signs posted on the entrance doors now thank customers for their patronage, saying it was “our honor and our privilege to have served this community for the last 37 years.”
Reached by phone on Sunday, Chang confirmed the news and said the decision was particularly tough because of his personal bond with the area.
“We have watched the corridor change over the years,” Chang said. “We grew old together. I feel very much like part of the community … and they are part of my family.”
Chang, who is in his 60s, has spent his most of his life in restaurants, starting as a teenager working for his dad in China. He had hoped to keep working “until a ripe old age,” but after the winter layoff, his physician said it was still too dangerous to return to work full-time.
“The doctor told me I cannot keep on doing what I have been doing and expect to get away with it health-wise,” said Chang.
An institution
Chang has managed the Alexandria location since it opened in March 1982 at 7531 Richmond Highway. Prior to that he worked with his father, Duck Chang Sr., who opened Duck Chang’s in Annandale in 1975. That restaurant remains open and is operated by Chang’s brother, Peter.
Duck Chang Sr. began working in local restaurants in 1968 and became renowned for his ability to prepare a Peking duck without 24 hours notice. He worked at restaurants in Washington D.C. and Old Town Alexandria before striking out on his own in 1975, and his son said many customers followed him from location to location.
“He was the first one to prepare the duck in 6-8 hours,” Chang said. “Prior to his arrival in the United States, you had to order it in advance.”
The elder Chang, who passed away in 2005, taught his sons the craft, and they kept the two Northern Virginia locations going strong for decades. Chang Jr. said the family has been in the restaurant business for seven generations, calling it “a way of life.”
“To us there’s no better place that we’d want to be than in restaurant,” Chang said. “The minute I walk into a kitchen, I feel so content.”
Duck Chang Jr. said he plans to keep working at the Annandale location a few days a week as his health improves. Since he became sick, Chang said many customers from Alexandria have reached out to him through the Annandale restaurant to convey their best wishes. He said those calls and messages have bolstered his spirits.
It’s that connection to the community, Chang said, that made running Peking Duck so rewarding for so many years.
“We have a lot of customers who used to come in with high chairs and now they’re bringing their kids in with their own chairs,” Chang said. “That’s the hard part of closing the restaurant. They’re more like my extended family than customers.”
We have enjoyed this restaurant for the past 30 years and have many fond memories of the delicious meals there. We wish Duck Chang full health and best wishes. We are sad to see the restaurant close.
Get better Mr Chang and enjoy life outside the restaurant business for a while. I do wonder though when stories like this come up that in all that time was there not another person trained & trusted in the management of the restaurant that could take up running it day to day going forward? Hope to see you well and at Duck Chang’s in the future.
Chef Chang, Please, please get well soon. We will travel to Duck Chang’s in Annandale to visit you and Joyce who shares a birthday with me. We had EVERY special occasion for our son Aaron (the last one for his Masters’ Degree in 2016 with over 20 friends and family) since 1989 but have been coming to your restaurant since the Fall of 1982 when we moved from DC to Alexandria in 1982. You and your family will be sorely missed. Of course, there is NO one but Chef Duck Chang, Jr. who can make Peking Duck as you do nor carve it so artistically! We are beyond sad but your health comes first.
We have many wonderful memories of our times with you and your family. Thank you for all the wonderful food and good times that you were part of. Most important, listen to your doctor and take good care of yourself. Continue your journey with that wonderful smile and spirit of yours. You deserve it, my dear man! God bless you and your family!
We wish the owner good health and a happy retirement; but we sure will miss the Shrimp Pepperada anyone else make it
Dear Joe,
I felt such an overwhelming sadness when I learned that you were facing such health challenges necessitating you to close your restaurant. As all my family and friends knew, Peking Duck was my favorite Chinese Restaurant when I lived in the Mount Vernon area and I maintained that preference even after I moved to Florida. My granddaughter, Courtney, who loved your dumplings has grown up now and is graduating from college this year. You, Joyce and your family will surely be missed. I extend my best wishes for your health and wish you a happy semi-retirement!
Rose L.
I had planned to have my 90th birthday at the Routev1 restaurantbon Oct. 13th
I am so sorry to learn of the illness of Mr. Chang but I can understand as my own health has deteriorated
I hope your health improves.
Duck Chang, Jr. was a member of my Sportsman’s club (www.nsa-inc.com) for a number of years. I always enjoyed conversing on the phone with him. One comment he made sticks out in my mind…words to the effect that he did not want to be chasing “ghost deer” (i.e., following tracks of a deer that had already been harvested by another member).
I am very sorry to learn of Mr. Chang’s illness. Please get well soon. We will miss you and your lovely wife. Take care.