Boss of Kidderminster's first Chinese takeaway set to retire

Great-grandfather Alex Fu, aged 79, set up the landmark takeaway Lai Lam in October 1968 on Comberton Hill, and has been serving town residents ever since.

His children have paid tribute to the takeaway boss, who inspired their careers, and even became a 'superhero' after stopping a potential robbery at the shop next door.

The father-of-four saw the potential for setting up a takeaway near the train station and converted a building which had previously been a dry-cleaners and a butchers.

A restaurant was launched on the first floor in 1969, which remained open for 4 years before Alex decided to concentrate on takeaway food.

The business got its name from half of Alex's Chinese name, Sze Lam, and half of a good friend’s name, Lai Ying.

In the mid-1980s, Siu Ping, Alex's wife began working there, learning all there was to know about the business and eventually took over the cooking.

Alex Fu and Siu Ping with grandson Elias

Alex would often encourage customers to try the chunky chips and would joke with them when coming to collect orders by saying “this is your starter, what’s your main order?”

Alex’s daughter Nicola said she would often ask people if they knew her dad, who has become a well-known figure in Kidderminster over the decades.

She said: “Their first reaction was usually ‘I don’t think so’ but when Alex on Station Hill was mentioned, the reaction was much different and would usually include a recent tale about Alex and Lai Lam”.

"Growing up dad would call and say 'fancy coming to market' - and it was fantastic to spend time with him, so we would hurriedly get ourselves together, we had to get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to go."

Alex’s children worked in Lai Lam with their father during weekends whilst at college or university.

“We were all assistant managers at one time or another, Nicola added.

"This is how our CVs started. Lai Lam did much more than serve the local community, it set us all off on our own careers.”

Alex's daughter Vanessa said her mum and dad "always taught us the world is your oyster" and told her "we work long hard hours every day so that you don’t have to.”

His son Ben said: "He’s one of the hardest working men we know. For more than fifty years he has been there for the whole of half a century and it will seem strange to see someone else carrying on the tradition."

Ben remembers the time his dad defended the shop next door from a potential robbery when he was coming back from a delivery. Alex confronted the man, who got aggressive and attacked him.

After injuring Alex, the stranger then ran away. Ben described his dad as a 'superhero' after witnessing the incident. 

Alex often reminded his son Ben about his story about moving to the UK to motivate him to do his homework.

Alex said: “When I came to the UK I had nothing but a pen in my pocket and the clothes on my back, I had to work hard to get to where I am today and faced a lot of challenges, particularly as a waiter in the 60s, I had to save money to help my brothers and sister education and faced times of discrimination while saving for my own dream.

"Finally I had enough money to buy a place of my own and grew it to the business it is today. Through hard work and determination you can achieve anything."

Alex is set to retire within the next couple of weeks and Lai Lam will remain open under new ownership.

Siu Ping will be passing on her secret recipes to the new management.