ARDEN-ARCADE, Calif. — A Chinese restaurant in Arden Arcade is not closed — yet.
On Friday, Michael Helmrich told ABC10 dine-in seating at The Mandarin located near Arden Way and Eastern Avenue officially closed Tuesday, but he and a cook are still offering takeout until product runs out. Orders can be placed at 916-488-4794.
Helmrich, 59, became a part of his parents’ business roughly 12 years ago when The Mandarin incorporated.
His mother was the main owner and she died Christmas morning in 2023, Helmrich said. He said all the business proceedings passed to him were too much to handle after her death.
“We barely made it through the pandemic,” Helmrich said. “Once I made it through, the aftermath did me in. Nobody wants to work.”
Helmrich’s mother’s celebration of life was Sunday. It was then he learned he had a reservation scheduled two days later.
“I found out I had a reservation on Tuesday night, so we had to stay open until Tuesday,” Helmrich said.
The Mandarin closes almost 40 years to the day
The Mandarin’s grand opening was January 1984, Helmrich said.
His parents got into the restaurant business when they opened a Sacramento-area branch of Shakey’s Pizza and added a Chinese food kitchen in 1981. Eventually, they sold it to focus solely on The Mandarin.
A spin-off restaurant opened in the Howe Bout Arden shopping center in 1988, but his parents sold it in 1993.
He became involved with his parents’ business after he finished a stint in the military at 22-years-old.
“I was going to go into law enforcement but I stayed here and procrastinated,” he said.
He said he's been involved for almost 40 years, and if he could turn the situation around, he would.
“I still feel bad about it,” he said. “How would you feel after doing something for 40 years?”
He said he has no idea about what’s next for him as he gets through the closing.
“I haven’t even given it a thought,” he said.
