By Sarah McBride / The Associated Press”There’s no reason to be embarrassed,” Tamsen Williams said after the news conference.
She said she had spent more than $20 million on renovations to the restaurant and her husband had invested hundreds of thousands more.
“We want to stay here and do great things.”
But she said she would like to expand to more countries, including China, where her parents had their restaurant in the late 1970s.
“I want to come back here and serve our families,” she said.
“And I want to do the best that I can to give back to my community.”
In a statement, Chinese authorities condemned the restaurant’s closure and said the restaurant had violated Chinese law and had been “a source of controversy for years.”
But the owners, who have not been identified, said the closure was a temporary measure.
The restaurant’s owners also said that they had been cooperating with local authorities and the government’s investigation into the restaurant, which had not yet reached its final conclusion.
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