William Wong, founder of Kowloon restaurant, dead at 88

SAUGUS – William Wong, the owner and founder of the landmark Saugus restaurant Kowloon, is dead. He was 88.”He lived a long life and we have so many wonderful memories with him,” Wong’s son Stanley said. “And that’s what’s important right now.”In 1950, Wong and his wife Madeline founded the epicurean empire, both working 14 to 16 hours a day after taking over what began as the Mandarin House from her parents. The name was changed in 1958 to Kowloon, and over the years, the restaurant became nationally known as it grew from about 40 seats to 1,200.”Everybody knows the Kowloon,” said Saugus Town Manager Andrew Bisignani. “It’s a very comforting and warm place, and he (Wong) was a very kind man and very generous to the town.”Over the years, Wong and his family added five additions onto the original building, where diners can sit in several themed rooms and choose from hundreds of food items, or visit the restaurant’s comedy club.”I don’t think they were ever closed, not even in the Blizzard of 1978,” quipped Saugus Town Counsel John Vasapolli. “They’re a wonderful family and he’s going to be greatly missed.”Wong leaves behind six children, including State Rep. Donald Wong. Over the years, Wong became active in the Saugus Chamber of Commerce, and was well known for his charitable actions, which included food donations, numerous fundraisers and creating scholarships for students.”He was one of the initial members of the Saugus Chamber,” said Sean Grant, chamber executive director. “He wanted residents in the community to know that the restaurant was more than a business, that there was a family behind it and that they were very much a part of the community?. an integral part of the community.”Among Wong’s many accomplishments was in 2001 when he and Madeline were inducted into the Restaurant Hall of Fame with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.”His philosophy was serving people and he was definitely a philanthropist,” Vasapolli said. “He helped a lot of people and now his children are carrying on the tradition, including Donald, who is now serving people as a state representative. It’s a great thing and they’ve all done well.”Saugus Planning Board Vice Chairman Peter Rossetti remarked that Wong was one of the last surviving Route 1 restaurant pioneers, which included the late Frank Giuffrida of Hilltop Steakhouse and Arthur Castraberti of Prince Pizzeria.”Most of his counterparts have passed on,” Rossetti said. “But, if a person’s legacy is ever to live on through their children, then he has a wonderful legacy.”One of Wong’s longtime friends, Dr. Frederick Wagner, chairman of the Saugus Board of Assessors, took a minute Monday afternoon to remember the good old days.”I’ve known Bill and Madeline for many years, they are two lovely people,” Wagner said. “And Bill loved Madeline? she’s going to miss him.”Wagner, 96, said he first met Wong while attending the New England College of Optometry in Boston, where he frequented Wong’s former family restaurant, Mai Fong, on Massachusetts Avenue.”I didn’t realize at the time that I’d become friends with him (Wong),” he said. “We’ve had a lot of fun times and we would sit and chat with each other for quite a while. We were very close.”Wagner said he hadn’t seen Wong for about six months when he heard of his passing on Saturday.”He had been hospitalized for quite a while,” Wagner said. “It’s very sad to see him go. He was one of my peers and an asset to the town.”