The former Chinese Gardens building in Pasco is getting a new occupant – another restaurant.

Javi’s Chicken and Churros, which has locations in Grandview and Sunnyside, has closed on the Pasco location, according to a Facebook post.

 "We hope everything goes well with the remodel and God-willing we are hoping to open sometime in spring of this year," the post said, noting that the other Javi's locations will remain open.

Javi's is owned by Francisco Javier Gonzalez and Laura Gonzalez.

They bought the 8,052-square-foot Pasco building for $700,000 on Dec. 29, according to county property records.

Chinese Gardens, at 1520 N. Fourth Ave., was a Pasco institution for decades.

It was founded by the late Jack Lee in 1965, and it closed at the end of 2023 after its most recent owners, Ted and Amy Wong, retired.

“Until the past two years, (Ted) has been working at the restaurant seven days a week, 10 hours per day,” Amy Wong said in 2022, after the Wongs announced they were moving toward retirement.

“People have lots of memories there,” Ted said. “A lot of people move out of town but when they come to visit, they still like to pick up food to take home. We have a lot of longtime customers.”