Former 'Happy Family' Restaurant Now 'Red Lotus'

After 30 years in Shelton, the Happy Family Restaurant has a new name and new everything.

"We tore everything out," said new owner Larry Wang, who recently moved with his wife and Nia and his daughter across the street from his business. "There's nothing in the place that's old."

That includes the "sunset wall" and the bar with the white onyx top, said Wang, 50, who was born in America but who grew up in Chinese restaurants run by his father.

The name combines his wife's Chinese name, which means "Lotus," and the color red. For Asians, red is related to love, he added. Also, the interior was designed by a Shelton firm to be lighter inside than in the former restaurant.

"Asians feel that light is good energy," Wang said.

Wang is a former social worker who spent 20 years working in the Veterans Administration in New York before retiring and opening a 7,000-square-foot Asian restaurant in Long Island. He closed it after his wife became ill and the family spent three years recuperating.

But a smaller place suits him. The Red Lotus is about 3,500 square feet and he can see everything that's happening.

The restaurant offers Asian-fusion cuisine. Prices range from $11 for a full-course lunch special to steaks for $28 or less.

The Red Lotus opens Nov. 15.

It's been a long journey for Wang. The former owners sold the restaurant to another proprietor before Wang took it over in March. He quickly realized there was a lot of work to do, including replacing all the major utilities and cleaning out the 30-year-old building.

He praised everyone in City Hall for making the process easier. His goal is to revive the restaurant and make it a community destination.

"We want to be known as a community restaurant. Being part of the community is important to me," Wang said.