Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte announces closure

Article updated on April 24, 1:06 p.m. to include a statement from Jerry Tam.

BUTTE, Mont. – Pekin Noodle Parlor, considered the longest consecutively operated family-run Chinese restaurant in America, is going out of business.

The historic Butte-based noodle shop announced its closure on Facebook on Thursday. “After 115 incredible years, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of the Pekin Noodle Parlor,” the Pekin Cafe account announced.

The restaurant, which has been open since 1911, has been owned by the Tam family since it opened. The restaurant said the Tam family strived to make its location “more than just a place to eat” and to let it be “a part of Butte’s history, a gathering place for families, friends, and generations of our community.”

Jerry Tam, the current owner of Pekin Noodle Parlor, told NonStop Local about the struggles the restaurant faced leading up to announcing its closure.

"People just stop coming and more and more online orders flowed in. Chinese takeout was part of our equation but online food delivery was not the answer. The negative attitudes of dining out overwhelmed our staff and the countless dinedash never ended..." he wrote in a text to NonStop Local.

Most recently, the previous owner of the family Danny Tam unfortunately passed away. Governor Steve Bullock commemorated his service to Butte and the state of Montana by giving him a day in his honor.

Hundreds of comments on the business’s Facebook announcement recounted personnel stories relating to the Tam Family and Pekins Noodle Lounge.

The Pekins Facebook announcement attributed the closure to economic conditions. “This decision has not come easily. Changing economic conditions over the years have made it increasingly difficult to continue, and despite our best efforts, we have reached a point where we must say goodbye,” the restaurant wrote.

“Thank you for your loyalty, your stories, your laughter, and your support through the decades. You made Pekin Noodle Parlor what it was, and we will forever be grateful to have been part of your lives.

While this is a sad day for us, we take comfort in the memories shared within these walls and the legacy that will always remain in this community.  The story will continue but in a different  path.”

No official last day has been posted. NonStop Local has reached out to the Tam family.

Article originally published April 23, 2026 2:27 p.m.